stop-slop

name	stop-slop
description	Remove AI writing patterns from prose. Scores on 5 dimensions, rewrites to sound human.
version	1.0.0
metadata	{"openclaw":{"emoji":"","requires":{},"tags":["writing","editing","email","prose","humanize"]}}

Stop Slop

Strip AI writing patterns from prose. Based on hardikpandya/stop-slop (MIT).

Usage

/stop-slop <text or instruction>

Examples:

/stop-slop Here's the email I need to send to my attorney: ...
/stop-slop rewrite this paragraph to sound human: ...
/stop-slop score this draft and fix anything that reads like AI

Execution

When invoked with text:

1. Score the input on the 5 dimensions (see Scoring below)
2. Identify every violation of the 8 core rules
3. Rewrite the text with all violations fixed
4. Re-score the rewritten version
5. Show before/after scores and the rewritten text

When invoked with an instruction (e.g., "write an email to..."):

1. Draft the text following all 8 rules from the start
2. Score the draft
3. If below 35/50, revise until it passes

Core Rules

1. Cut filler phrases. Remove throat-clearing openers, emphasis crutches, and all adverbs.
2. Break formulaic structures. No binary contrasts, negative listings, dramatic fragmentation, rhetorical setups, false agency.
3. Use active voice. Every sentence needs a human subject doing something. No passive constructions. No inanimate objects performing human actions.
4. Be specific. No vague declaratives. Name the specific thing. No lazy extremes ("every," "always," "never").
5. Put the reader in the room. No narrator-from-a-distance voice. "You" beats "People." Specifics beat abstractions.
6. Vary rhythm. Mix sentence lengths. Two items beat three. End paragraphs differently. No em dashes.
7. Trust readers. State facts directly. Skip softening, justification, hand-holding.
8. Cut quotables. If it sounds like a pull-quote, rewrite it.

Phrases to Remove

Throat-Clearing Openers

Remove these — state the content directly:

• "Here's the thing:" / "Here's what/this/that [X]" / "Here's why [X]"
• "The uncomfortable truth is" / "It turns out" / "The real [X] is"
• "Let me be clear" / "The truth is," / "I'll say it again:"
• "Can we talk about" / "Here's what I find interesting"

Emphasis Crutches

Add no meaning — delete them:

• "Full stop." / "Period." / "Let that sink in."
• "This matters because" / "Make no mistake" / "Here's why that matters"

Business Jargon

Avoid	Use instead
Navigate (challenges)	Handle, address
Unpack (analysis)	Explain, examine
Lean into	Accept, embrace
Landscape (context)	Situation, field
Game-changer	Significant, important
Deep dive	Analysis, examination
Circle back	Return to, revisit
Moving forward	Next, from now

Adverbs — Kill All

No -ly words. No softeners, intensifiers, or hedges:

• really, just, literally, genuinely, honestly, simply, actually
• deeply, truly, fundamentally, inherently, inevitably
• interestingly, importantly, crucially

Filler Phrases

• "At its core" / "In today's [X]" / "It's worth noting"
• "At the end of the day" / "When it comes to" / "In a world where"

Meta-Commentary

Remove self-referential asides:

• "Hint:" / "Plot twist:" / "Spoiler:"
• "But that's another post" / "The rest of this essay explains..."
• "Let me walk you through..." / "As we'll see..."

Vague Declaratives

Sentences that announce importance without naming the specific thing:

• "The reasons are structural" / "The implications are significant"
• "The stakes are high" / "The consequences are real"

Structures to Avoid

Binary Contrasts

State the point directly — drop the negation:

• "Not because X. Because Y." → State Y directly
• "[X] isn't the problem. [Y] is." → "The problem is Y."
• "It's not this. It's that." → State that.

Negative Listing

Listing what something is NOT before revealing what it IS:

• "Not a X... Not a Y... A Z." → State Z. The reader doesn't need the runway.

Dramatic Fragmentation

Sentence fragments for emphasis = manufactured profundity:

• "[Noun]. That's it. That's the [thing]." → Complete sentences.
• "This unlocks something. [Word]." → Complete sentences.

Rhetorical Setups

Announce insight rather than deliver it:

• "What if [reframe]?" / "Here's what I mean:" / "Think about it:"
• "And that's okay." → Cut the permission-granting.

False Agency

Inanimate things performing human actions. Name the human:

• "a complaint becomes a fix" → "The team fixed it that week"
• "the decision emerges" → Someone decides. Name them.
• "the data tells us" → Someone reads it and draws a conclusion.
• "the market rewards" → Buyers pay for things.

Narrator-from-a-Distance

• "Nobody designed this." → "You don't sit down one day and decide to..."
• "People tend to..." → Put the reader in the room.

Passive Voice

Find the actor. Put them at the front:

• "X was created" → Name who created it
• "Mistakes were made" → Name who made them

Rhythm Patterns

• Three-item lists → Use two items or one
• Questions answered immediately → Let questions breathe or cut them
• Every paragraph ends punchily → Vary endings
• Em-dashes → Remove. Use commas or periods.
• Lazy extremes (every, always, never, everyone, nobody) → Use specifics

Quick Checks

Before delivering prose:

• Any adverbs? Kill them.
• Any passive voice? Find the actor, make them the subject.
• Inanimate thing doing a human verb? Name the person.
• Sentence starts with a Wh- word? Restructure it.
• Any "here's what/this/that" throat-clearing? Cut to the point.
• Any "not X, it's Y" contrasts? State Y directly.
• Three consecutive sentences match length? Break one.
• Paragraph ends with punchy one-liner? Vary it.
• Em-dash anywhere? Remove it.
• Vague declarative? Name the specific implication.
• Meta-joiners ("The rest of this essay...")? Delete.

Scoring

Rate 1-10 on each dimension:

Dimension	Question
Directness	Statements or announcements?
Rhythm	Varied or metronomic?
Trust	Respects reader intelligence?
Authenticity	Sounds human?
Density	Anything cuttable?

Below 35/50: revise.

Examples

Example 1: Throat-Clearing + Binary Contrast

Before:

"Here's the thing: building products is hard. Not because the technology is complex. Because people are complex. Let that sink in."

After:

"Building products is hard. Technology is manageable. People aren't."

Example 2: Filler + Unnecessary Reassurance

Before:

"It turns out that most teams struggle with alignment. The uncomfortable truth is that nobody wants to admit they're confused. And that's okay."

After:

"Teams struggle with alignment. Nobody admits confusion."

Example 3: Business Jargon Stack

Before:

"In today's fast-paced landscape, we need to lean into discomfort and navigate uncertainty with clarity. This matters because your competition isn't waiting."

After:

"Move faster. Your competition is."

Example 4: Dramatic Fragmentation

Before:

"Speed. Quality. Cost. You can only pick two. That's it. That's the tradeoff."

After:

"Speed, quality, cost — pick two."

Example 5: Rhetorical Setup

Before:

"What if I told you that the best teams don't optimize for productivity? Here's what I mean: they optimize for learning. Think about it."

After:

"The best teams optimize for learning, not productivity."

Feedback Log

Before executing this skill, read feedback.log in this skill's directory.

The feedback log contains corrections and preferences from previous sessions. Apply all entries to the current task.

During execution: When the user gives a correction or preference, append it to feedback.log. Only log general preferences that apply to future sessions, not task-specific details.