deslop

name	deslop
description	deslop a diff, remove AI slop and over-engineering while preserving exact behavior. Triggers: /deslop, remove AI slop, clean AI artifacts, strip over-engineered patterns, simplify code, review changes for bloat. Flags: --staged, --unstaged, --base <branch>.

Remove AI Slop & Simplify

Slop is code heavier than it needs to be: comments stating the obvious, defensive checks the codebase does not use, single-use abstractions, type escape hatches, ceremony, cleverness that obscures intent. This skill finds every instance in a diff and removes it without changing behavior.

Flags

Flag	Effect
--staged	Diff staged changes (git diff --cached). Default.
--unstaged	Diff unstaged changes (git diff).
--base <branch>	Diff since merge base: git diff <branch>...HEAD.

Mutually exclusive; use the first detected. --base needs a branch name. If missing, stop: --base requires a branch name (e.g., --base main).

Step 1: Diff the changes

• --staged or default: git diff --cached | cat
• --unstaged: git diff | cat
• --base <branch>: git diff <branch>...HEAD | cat

If empty, stop: "No changes found to deslop."

Step 2: Read the files

Read the full content of every file in the diff, plus adjacent files that reveal existing patterns: comment style, error-handling philosophy, type-safety level, abstraction level, validation/defensiveness, and project-standard imports, naming, and formatting. Slop is defined relative to these local norms.

Step 3: Classify every change against all 8 slop categories

Check every changed line in every file against the 8 categories in ./REFERENCE.md. Do not stop at the first hit. The step is done only when every file in the diff has been checked against every category.

Step 4: Compile the instance list

Record each instance: file path, line number(s), category (1-8), the issue, and why it violates local norms. If none found, stop: "No AI slop or simplification opportunities detected. The changes look clean."

Step 5: Filter against the guardrails

Drop any instance whose removal would violate the maintainability guardrails in ./REFERENCE.md. Keep only clear wins.

Step 6: Remove the slop

Edit the source files to strip every kept instance. Make the smallest change that preserves exact functionality, logic, timing, side effects, and public APIs unchanged. Introduce no new complexity while removing.

Step 7: Re-stage

git add <modified-files>

Step 8: Report

In 2-4 sentences: which categories were addressed, how many files changed, why the code is cleaner, and any trade-off considered.