remove-ai-slop

# Skill: Remove AI Slop ## When Not to Use - When the text must meet a formal template or structured format (e.g., legal filings, standardised reports) where structural uniformity is required - When the text is already high-quality and natural; unnecessary passes introduce risk of degradation - When the goal is to misrepresent AI-generated work as human-written in contexts where disclosure is required (academic submissions, regulated content, etc.) --- ## Interaction Protocol **Before starting**, ask if not already clear: 1. What is the intended audience and register? 2. Are there structural constraints that must be preserved (e.g., headers, lists)? 3. Is the priority naturalness, concision, or both? **Output**: Return the revised text with a brief note on the main pattern categories addressed. Do not produce a word-by-word annotation unless asked. --- ## Inputs and Outputs **Input**: AI-generated or AI-assisted text (any length) **Output**: Revised text with generic AI patterns removed; brief summary of changes made **Composability**: Apply after drafting; apply before style shaping or final editorial review --- ## Core Rules 1. **Cut filler phrases.** Remove throat-clearing openers, emphasis crutches, and meta-commentary. See Banned Phrases below. 2. **Break formulaic structures.** Avoid binary contrasts ("not X, it's Y"), negative listings, false agency, and rhetorical setups. See Structural Patterns to Avoid below. 3. **Use active voice.** Every sentence needs a subject doing something. Passive constructions hide the actor and drain energy. 4. **Be specific.** Replace vague declaratives ("The implications are significant") with the specific thing. No lazy extremes ("every," "always," "never") doing vague work. 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 often beat three. End paragraphs differently. No em dashes, ever. 7. **Trust readers.** State facts directly. Skip softening, justification, and hand-holding. Remove politeness scaffolding ("I hope this helps", "Happy to elaborate"). 8. **Cut quotables.** If it reads like a pull-quote or a LinkedIn aphorism, rewrite it. --- ## Banned Phrases ### Throat-Clearing Openers Remove these before stating the point directly. - "Here's the thing:" - "Here's what [X]" - "It turns out" - "The uncomfortable truth is" - "The real [X] is" - "Let me be clear" - "The truth is," - "I'm going to be honest" - "Can we talk about" Any "here's what/this/that" construction is throat-clearing. Cut it. ### Emphasis Crutches These add no meaning. Delete them. - "Full stop." / "Period." - "Let that sink in." - "This matters because" - "Make no mistake" - "Here's why that matters" ### AI Vocabulary Words These appear far more often in AI-generated text than in natural writing. Replace or remove. - Additionally - Crucially / Importantly - Delve / Deep dive - Enduring / Pivotal / Vital - Enhance / Foster / Garner - Highlight (as a verb) / Underscore / Showcase - Inherently / Fundamentally / Inevitably - Interplay / Intricacies / Tapestry - Landscape (used abstractly) - Testament (as in "a testament to") - Vibrant / Groundbreaking / Transformative ### Adverbs Kill adverbs by default. No -ly intensifiers or softeners. Common offenders: really, just, literally, genuinely, honestly, simply, actually, deeply, truly, interestingly, crucially Also cut: "At its core", "In today's [X]", "It's worth noting", "At the end of the day", "In a world where", "The reality is" ### Business Jargon | Avoid | Use instead | |-------|-------------| | Navigate (challenges) | Handle, address | | Landscape (context) | Situation, field | | Game-changer | Significant change | | Double down | Commit, increase | | Moving forward | Next, from now on | | On the same page | Agreed | | Lean into | Accept, embrace | ### Chatbot and Sycophantic Artifacts Remove any phrasing that belongs in a chatbot conversation, not in prose. - "Great question!" - "You're absolutely right" - "Of course!" / "Certainly!" - "I hope this helps" - "Let me know if you'd like me to expand on any section" - "Here is an overview of..." ### Filler Phrases Replace with the shorter form. - "In order to" -> "To" - "Due to the fact that" -> "Because" - "At this point in time" -> "Now" - "It is important to note that" -> remove; state the point - "The system has the ability to" -> "The system can" --- ## Structural Patterns to Avoid ### Binary Contrasts State the point directly. Drop the negation. | Pattern | Problem | |---------|---------| | "Not because X. Because Y." | Telegraphed reversal | | "[X] isn't the problem. [Y] is." | Formulaic reframe | | "The answer isn't X. It's Y." | Predictable pivot | | "Not X. But Y." | Mechanical contrast | | "not just X but also Y" | Additive hedge | Instead: state Y. "The problem is Y." Drop the contrast entirely. ### Negative Listing State the thing directly. Skip the buildup. | Pattern | Problem | |---------|---------| | "Not a X... Not a Y... A Z." | Dramatic buildup through negation | | "It wasn't X. It wasn't Y. It was Z." | Same structure, past tense | ### False Agency AI avoids naming actors by giving inanimate things human verbs. Find the person and name them. | Pattern | Fix | |---------|-----| | "a complaint becomes a fix" | Someone fixed it | | "the decision emerges" | Someone decided | | "the culture shifts" | People changed behaviour | | "the data tells us" | Someone read the data and concluded | | "the market rewards" | Buyers pay for things | ### Narrator-from-a-Distance Put the reader in the room. Use "you" or name the actor. | Pattern | Problem | |---------|---------| | "Nobody designed this." | Disembodied observation | | "This happens because..." | Lecturer voice | | "People tend to..." | Armchair sociologist | ### Passive Voice Name who did the thing. Passive voice hides actors and drains energy. | Pattern | Fix | |---------|-----| | "X was created" | Name who created it | | "It is believed that" | Name who believes it | | "Mistakes were made" | Name who made them | ### Sentence Starters to Avoid | Pattern | Fix | |---------|-----| | Sentences starting with What, When, Where, Which, Who, Why, How | Restructure; lead with the subject | | Paragraphs starting with "So" | Start with the content | | Sentences starting with "Look," | Remove | | Three or more consecutive paragraphs starting with the same word | Vary the structure | ### Formulaic Transitions Remove or collapse into implicit flow. - Furthermore - Additionally - In conclusion - It is important to note - This highlights that - This demonstrates that - Notably ### Rule of Three AI forces ideas into groups of three. Use two items, or one, or as many as the content genuinely requires. Before: "The event features keynote sessions, panel discussions, and networking opportunities." After: "The event has talks, panels, and informal networking." Better: "The event has talks and panels, with time between sessions for informal conversation." ### Rhetorical Setups These announce insight instead of delivering it. - "What if [reframe]?" (followed immediately by the answer) - "Here's what I mean:" (redundant preview) - "Think about it:" (condescending prompt) - "And that's okay." (unnecessary permission) ### Dramatic Fragmentation Sentence fragments for emphasis read as manufactured profundity. - "[Noun]. That's it. That's the [thing]." (performative simplicity) - "X. And Y. And Z." (staccato drama) Use complete sentences. Trust the content. --- ## Style Rules ### Em Dashes Em dashes are forbidden. Remove every instance without exception. Rewrite using a comma, full stop, parentheses, or a restructured clause. There is no case in which an em dash should be retained. Before: "The term is primarily promoted by Dutch institutions -- not by the people themselves -- yet this continues in official documents." After: "The term is primarily promoted by Dutch institutions, not by the people themselves, yet it continues in official documents." ### Colons Remove colons that introduce a single clause or phrase where a comma or restructured sentence would read more naturally. Retain colons that introduce a genuine list or a formally introduced quotation. ### Semicolons Replace overused semicolons with a full stop or a conjunction. Retain semicolons only where two closely related independent clauses genuinely warrant the link. ### Ellipses Remove ellipses used for theatrical pause or dramatic effect. Retain only in quoted speech where words are genuinely omitted. ### Boldface Remove bold from mid-sentence phrases used for emphasis. Retain bold only for terms being defined, UI labels, or technical identifiers where a reader might scan for them. Before: "The team used **OKRs**, **KPIs**, and the **Balanced Scorecard**." After: "The team used OKRs, KPIs, and the Balanced Scorecard." ### Inline-Header Lists AI outputs bullet lists where each item opens with a bolded header. Convert to prose where the content allows. Before: - **Performance:** Performance improved with optimized algorithms. - **Security:** Security was strengthened with end-to-end encryption. After: The update speeds up load times and adds end-to-end encryption. ### Significance Inflation Remove phrasing that inflates importance without adding information. Words to watch: "stands as", "serves as a testament to", "marking a pivotal moment", "underscores its importance", "reflects broader", "setting the stage for", "represents a shift", "evolving landscape", "indelible mark" Before: "The Statistical Institute was established in 1989, marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of regional statistics." After: "The Statistical Institute was established in 1989 to collect and publish regional statistics independently." --- ## Personality and Soul Removing slop is only half the job. Clean, voiceless writing is still flat. Good writing has a person behind it. Signs of soulless writing even after slop removal: - Every sentence is the same length and structure - No opinions, just neutral reporting - No acknowledgment of uncertainty or mixed feelings - Reads like a press release How to add voice: - Have opinions. React to facts, not just report them. - Vary rhythm. Short punchy sentences. Then longer ones that take their time. - Acknowledge complexity. "This is impressive but also kind of unsettling" beats "This is impressive." - Use "I" when it fits. First person is honest, not unprofessional. - Be specific about feelings. Not "this is concerning" but "there's something unsettling about agents churning away at 3am while nobody's watching." --- ## 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. --- ## Pre-Commit Checklist Run these checks before finalising any document. Do not mark output complete until all pass. - [ ] Any adverbs? Remove them. - [ ] Any passive voice? Find the actor. Make them the subject. - [ ] Any em dashes? Remove every one. Automatic failure if any remain. - [ ] Any AI vocabulary words (delve, landscape, testament, pivotal, etc.)? Replace or cut. - [ ] Any throat-clearing openers? Cut to the point. - [ ] Any binary contrasts ("not X, it's Y")? State Y directly. - [ ] Any inanimate thing doing a human verb ("the decision emerges")? Name the person. - [ ] Any Wh- sentence starters (What, When, Where, Who, Why, How)? Restructure. - [ ] Any sycophantic or chatbot artifacts? Remove entirely. - [ ] Three or more consecutive sentences of the same length? Break one. - [ ] Paragraph ends with a punchy one-liner? Vary it. - [ ] Any vague declaratives ("The implications are significant")? Name the specific implication. - [ ] Any colons, semicolons, or ellipses appearing more than once per 150 words on average? Reduce them. - [ ] Any near-verbatim repetition between sections? Retain the best instance and cut the rest. - [ ] Three or more consecutive paragraphs opening with the same syntactic structure? Vary at least two. After the checklist: read the text aloud. If any sentence sounds like it came from a template, rewrite it. --- ## Final Audit Pass After revision, ask: "What still makes this obviously AI-generated?" Answer briefly with any remaining tells. Then revise to address them. --- ## Failure Modes - Replacing one pattern with another AI pattern - Meaning drift from over-editing - Artificial awkwardness from forced variation - Clean but soulless output with no personality - Significant inflation removed but specificity not added - Passive voice removed but no actor named --- ## Integration Works in sequence with: 1. Research skill (for factual grounding) 2. This skill (for pattern removal) 3. Style authenticity skill (for human voice) 4. [speculation-control](../speculation-control/SKILL.md): apply alongside this skill when factual rigour and epistemic labeling are also required; this skill removes surface patterns, speculation-control enforces evidentiary discipline Order of execution: Research -> Draft -> Slop Removal -> Style Layer -> Final Audit