/style-tells

name: style-tells
description: Scrubs the three surface tells that make prose feel AI-generated, padded, or jargon-heavy. Three targets behind one skill, picked via the --target arg. em-dashes (default off in cold email / memo / Slack, max one per page in op-eds), adverbs (the -ly and intensifier pile), jargon (the Silicon Valley / consultant kill-list plus AI-tell phrases). Use when the user says "kill the AI tells," "scrub jargon," "remove em-dashes," "cut the adverbs," "make this sound human," "less corporate," "sounds like ChatGPT," "—," "very," "really," "leverage," "synergy," "delve," "tapestry." Pass --target em-dashes|adverbs|jargon|all (default all).

Style tells

Source: `points/ai-writing-rules.md` (em-dash rule), `points/core-rules.md` rule 5 (be shorter), `points/banned-jargon.md`, and Stephen King's *On Writing* (the adverb rule).

What this skill does

Three passes behind one skill. Each pass removes a different surface tell that flags writing as AI-generated, padded, or jargon-heavy:

| Target | What it removes | When to run alone | |---|---|---| | **em-dashes** | em-dashes (—), double-hyphens (--), the "not just X — it's Y" construction | When the only problem is AI-flavored punctuation | | **adverbs** | empty intensifiers, -ly adverbs the verb already implies, sentence-starting adverbs | When the draft is bloated with qualifiers | | **jargon** | banned consultant words, AI-tell phrases, wordy substitutions | When the draft sounds corporate or AI-generated |

Default `--target all` runs all three in order: jargon → adverbs → em-dashes. The order matters: jargon and adverbs often expose dashes that were holding bloated clauses together.

How to invoke

/style-tells "draft text"
/style-tells --target em-dashes "draft text"
/style-tells --target adverbs "draft text"
/style-tells --target jargon "draft text"
/style-tells --target all "draft text"

Without `--target`, default to `all`.

---

Target 1 — em-dashes

In 2026 the em-dash is the **#1 AI tell**. Models love them. Humans use them sparingly. A draft with twelve em-dashes per page is a confession that an AI wrote it.

Format limits

| Format | Em-dashes allowed | |--------|-------------------| | Cold email | **Zero** | | Memo / status update | **Zero** | | Slack message | **Zero** | | LinkedIn post | One, max | | Op-ed / essay | One per page (~250 words), max two | | Substack post | One per major section break |

Over the limit → scrub.

Substitution table

| Pattern | Rewrite options | |---------|-----------------| | `X — Y` (parenthetical aside) | `X (Y)` or `X, Y,` or `X: Y` | | `X — and Y` (continuing thought) | `X. And Y.` or `X, and Y` | | `X — Y — Z` (interrupted clause) | `X, Y, Z` (commas) or `X. Y. Z.` (sentences) | | `If — and only if — Z` | `If, and only if, Z` | | `I built X — A, B, C — from scratch` | `I built X from scratch: A, B, C.` | | `She said — wait, did she?` | `She said. Wait, did she?` | | `It's not just X — it's Y` (AI tic) | Cut entirely. Rewrite without the construction. |

The right substitution depends on what the em-dash was *doing*:

• **Aside / clarification** → parenthesis or colon
• **List or apposition** → colon
• **Tone shift / interruption** → period (start a new sentence)
• **Connective ("and so")** → "and," "so," or comma

When NOT to remove

• Inside a direct quote from someone else (preserve their punctuation)
• Inside dialogue if the speaker would naturally pause that way
• Inside a code block, file path, or URL
• Inside a quoted citation (e.g., a book title rendered with em-dash)

If unsure, ask the user.

---

Target 2 — adverbs

> *"The adverb is not your friend. The road to hell is paved with adverbs."* — Stephen King

Most adverbs are evidence the verb wasn't strong enough. *"She walked quickly"* → *"she rushed."* *"He smiled broadly"* → *"he grinned."* *"It is very important"* → *"it matters."*

Adverbs also leak the writer's anxiety: *"clearly,"* *"obviously,"* *"of course"* are tells that the writer is afraid the reader won't agree. Kill them; let the argument stand.

Category A — empty intensifiers (cut on sight, ~95% of the time)

| Cut | Why | |---|---| | `very` | If "very" makes a difference, the adjective was wrong. *"Very tired"* → "exhausted." | | `really` | Same problem. *"Really fast"* → "fast" or "blistering." | | `actually` | Almost always pure throat-clearing. | | `basically` | Filler. Cut. | | `literally` | If metaphorical, cut. If literal, you don't need to say so. | | `definitely` | Hedge dressed up as confidence. Just say it. | | `clearly` | The reader decides what's clear. Don't tell them. | | `obviously` | Same problem, plus condescending. | | `essentially` | Filler. | | `simply` | Often patronizing. Cut. | | `quite` | British, weak. Cut. | | `rather` | Hedge. Cut. | | `somewhat` | Hedge. Cut or commit. | | `pretty` (as in "pretty good") | Cut — softens the claim. | | `truly`, `genuinely` | If you have to say it, they don't believe you. | | `arguably` | Then make the argument. |

Category B — adverbs the verb already implies (rewrite the verb)

| Adverb + weak verb | Stronger verb | |---|---| | walked quickly | rushed, sprinted, hurried | | said loudly | shouted, barked | | said quietly | whispered, murmured | | smiled broadly | grinned, beamed | | held tightly | clutched, gripped | | ran very fast | sprinted | | looked carefully | examined, scrutinized | | ate quickly | wolfed down, devoured |

Category C — sentence-starting adverbs (almost always cut)

| Cut | Why | |---|---| | `Importantly,` | If it's important, the sentence shows it | | `Notably,` | Same | | `Interestingly,` | Let the reader decide | | `Surprisingly,` | Same | | `Frankly,` | What were you being before? | | `Honestly,` | Same | | `Crucially,` | If it's crucial, write a stronger sentence | | `Ultimately,` | Usually filler | | `Fundamentally,` | Filler |

Adverbs to keep (the 5% that earn their place)

• **They specify when, wh