/deslop

name: deslop
description: "Detect and remove the telltale signs of AI-generated 'slop' from any written text - articles, reports, emails, essays, bios, marketing copy, documentation, encyclopedia entries, or anything meant to read as if a thoughtful human wrote it. Apply silently as a quality gate before finalizing substantial prose, and explicitly when asked to clean a draft. TRIGGER when the user says 'make this sound less like AI', 'remove the AI tells', 'de-slop this', 'check if this reads as AI-written', 'make it sound human', 'edit out the ChatGPT voice', or critiques a draft as generic, puffy, or robotic. Based on Wikipedia's 'Signs of AI writing' field guide."

Deslop: removing the signs of AI writing

LLMs have an identifiable writing style. Left unchecked, AI prose regresses toward the statistical mean: it smooths specific, unusual, verifiable facts into generic, positive, important-sounding filler. The result reads fluent but hollow - "slop." This skill is a field guide to catching and fixing those tells.

How to use this skill

There are two modes:

1. **Gate mode (default, silent).** When you are *writing* substantial prose, self-check the draft against the patterns below before presenting it. Don't announce that you're doing this; just produce clean output. 2. **Audit mode (explicit).** When the user gives you text and asks you to de-slop it, critique it, or check whether it sounds AI-written, scan against every category, then either (a) return an edited version, or (b) return a findings list with specific quoted offenders and fixes - match whatever the user asked for.

For a full audit of an external file, read `references/full-checklist.md` for the exhaustive pattern list with examples. The summary below covers the high-frequency offenders that catch ~90% of slop.

Critical mindset

• **The patterns are signals, not crimes.** Humans write some of these too (blogs, editorials, press releases). The presence of one phrase doesn't condemn a text; a *cluster* of them is the tell. Don't mechanically purge every "however."
• **Fixing the surface tic is not the goal - fixing the underlying emptiness is.** Deleting the word "underscores" while leaving a sentence that says nothing just makes the slop harder to detect. If a sentence only puffs up significance and carries no fact, cut the whole sentence, don't reword it.
• **Specificity is the antidote.** The core failure of slop is vagueness masquerading as importance. Replace "a revolutionary titan of industry" with "inventor of the first train-coupling device." When you can't add a real fact, delete the claim.

The high-frequency tells

1. Puffery: undue emphasis on significance and legacy

AI inflates importance by asserting that the subject represents some broader trend or leaves a lasting mark - even for mundane subjects.

> Watch words: *stands/serves as, is a testament/reminder, plays a vital/significant/crucial/pivotal/key role, underscores/highlights its importance, reflects broader, symbolizing its enduring/lasting, contributing to the, setting the stage for, marking a shift, key turning point, evolving landscape, focal point, indelible mark, deeply rooted, rich cultural heritage.*

**Fix:** Delete the significance claim, or replace it with the specific fact that would justify it. "The 1989 founding marked a pivotal moment in the evolution of regional statistics" → "It was founded in 1989." If there's a real reason it mattered, state that reason concretely.

2. Superficial analysis tacked onto sentence ends

A trailing present-participle ("-ing") phrase that editorializes about significance, impact, or implication - often a synthesis the sources don't support.

> Watch words: *highlighting/underscoring/emphasizing…, ensuring…, reflecting/symbolizing…, contributing to…, fostering…, cultivating…, encompassing…, valuable insights, aligning/resonating with…*

> "Douera enjoys close proximity to the capital, **further enhancing its significance as a dynamic hub of activity and culture.**"

**Fix:** Amputate the trailing clause. The factual half of the sentence usually stands fine alone.

3. The rule of three

Compulsive grouping in threes: tricolon adjectives ("significant, sustained, and verifiable"), three parallel clauses, three examples where two or four would be natural.

**Fix:** Break the pattern. Use one strong adjective, or a different count. Vary sentence rhythm so the triads don't drumbeat.

4. "Not X, but Y" / "Not only X, but also Y"

A signature rhetorical frame used to manufacture profundity.

> "This dispersal is **not** mere decoration **but** a deliberate becoming."

**Fix:** State Y directly. Drop the contrived contrast unless the X is a real misconception worth correcting.

5. Canned emphasis on notability and sourcing

Hammering that a subject is notable by listing what kinds of outlets covered it, echoing sourcing-guideline language ("independent coverage," "national media outlets," "profiled in," "maintains an active social media presence").

**Fix:** In normal prose, just state the fact and cite it once. Don't narrate the evidence about the evidence.

6. Filler vocabulary (high-density AI diction)

Overused across LLM output: *delve, tapestry, testament, realm, navigate (the landscape), boasts, robust, nuanced, multifaceted, intricate, pivotal, crucial, vital, foster, underscore, garner, showcase, leverage, seamless, holistic, comprehensive, rich (history/heritage), align with, resonate, vibrant, stark, meticulous, ever-evolving.*

**Fix:** Swap for plain words or cut. "Delve into" → "look at" / "examine" / cut. "A rich tapestry of" → just name the things. "Robust framework" → say what it actually does.

7. Title Case in headings + overuse of boldface

AI capitalizes Every Main Word in section headings and scatters **bold** mid-sentence for emphasis.

**Fix:** Use sentence case for headings unless the house style says otherwise. Reserve bold for genuine UI l