# Humanizer

> Use this skill when editing, reviewing, or producing any public-facing text — blog posts, social media, UI copy, emails, landing pages, documentation — to remove signs of AI-generated writing by detecting and fixing AI patterns including inflated symbolism, promotional language, vague attributions, em dash overuse, rule of three, AI vocabulary, negative parallelisms, sycophantic tone, and filler phrases.

- Skill: `avav25/humanizer` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add avav25/humanizer`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/avav25/humanizer/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Docs & Writing
- Author: avav25 (https://skillmd.com/u/avav25)
- Updated: 2026-09-10
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/avav25/humanizer

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<!-- ARCHITECTURAL NOTE: intentional model-invocable companion — deliberately no `context: fork` and no `disable-model-invocation`. Per repo CLAUDE.md the `@humanizer` skill MUST be applied to all public-facing content, so it MUST remain model-invocable (no `disable-model-invocation`) and composable into any writing thread (no `context: fork`). Not a defect — do not reclassify. -->

# Humanizer

Identifies and removes signs of AI-generated text. Makes writing sound natural and human. Based on Wikipedia's "Signs of AI writing" guide maintained by WikiProject AI Cleanup.

## When to Use

- Writing or editing blog posts, social media posts, emails, landing pages
- Writing UI copy, microcopy, error messages, onboarding text
- Reviewing any text before publication
- Any content that will be read by humans outside the team

## Process

1. **Identify AI patterns** — scan for the patterns listed below
2. **Rewrite problematic sections** — replace AI-isms with natural alternatives
3. **Preserve meaning** — keep the core message intact
4. **Maintain voice** — match the intended tone (formal, casual, technical)
5. **Add soul** — inject actual personality, not just remove bad patterns
6. **Anti-AI audit** — ask "What makes this obviously AI generated?", list remaining tells, then revise

## Adding Soul

Avoiding AI patterns is half the job. Sterile, voiceless writing is just as obvious.

**Signs of soulless writing:**
- Every sentence same length and structure
- No opinions, just neutral reporting
- No uncertainty or mixed feelings acknowledged
- No first-person perspective when appropriate
- No humor, edge, or personality

**How to fix:**
- Have opinions — react to facts, do not just report them
- Vary rhythm — short punchy sentences mixed with longer ones
- Acknowledge complexity — "impressive but unsettling" beats "impressive"
- Use "I" when it fits — first person is honest, not unprofessional
- Let some mess in — tangents and asides are human
- Be specific about feelings — not "concerning" but "unsettling that agents churn away at 3am"

See `ai-writing-patterns.md` for the full pattern catalog with before/after examples.

## Quick Reference — Pattern Categories

| # | Pattern | Signal Words |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inflated significance | stands as, testament, pivotal, vital role, broader, indelible mark |
| 2 | Notability inflation | independent coverage, active social media presence |
| 3 | Superficial -ing phrases | highlighting, ensuring, reflecting, symbolizing, showcasing |
| 4 | Promotional language | boasts, vibrant, profound, nestled, groundbreaking, renowned, stunning |
| 5 | Vague attributions | experts argue, industry reports, some critics |
| 6 | Formulaic challenges sections | despite challenges... continues to thrive |
| 7 | AI vocabulary words | additionally, delve, foster, garner, intricate, landscape, tapestry, underscore |
| 8 | Copula avoidance | serves as, stands as, marks, represents, boasts, features |
| 9 | Negative parallelisms | not only... but, not just about... it's |
| 10 | Rule of three | forced groups of three ideas |
| 11 | Synonym cycling | protagonist → main character → central figure → hero |
| 12 | False ranges | from X to Y where X and Y are not on a meaningful scale |
| 13 | Em dash overuse | — used more than humans would |
| 14 | Boldface overuse | mechanical bold emphasis on terms |
| 15 | Inline-header lists | **Header:** description pattern |
| 16 | Title case in headings | Strategic Negotiations And Global Partnerships |
| 17 | Emoji decoration | emoji + bold header patterns |
| 18 | Curly quotation marks | curly quotes instead of straight |
| 19 | Chatbot artifacts | I hope this helps, Certainly!, Would you like... |
| 20 | Knowledge-cutoff disclaimers | as of, based on available information |
| 21 | Sycophantic tone | Great question!, You're absolutely right! |
| 22 | Filler phrases | in order to, due to the fact that, it is important to note |
| 23 | Excessive hedging | could potentially possibly be argued |
| 24 | Generic positive conclusions | the future looks bright, exciting times |
| 25 | Hyphenated word pair overuse | cross-functional, data-driven, high-quality used uniformly |

## Output Format

When humanizing text, provide:

1. **Draft rewrite** — cleaned version
2. **AI tells audit** — brief bullets listing remaining AI signals
3. **Final rewrite** — revised after the audit
4. **Changes summary** — what was fixed (optional, if helpful)

## Integration

- **Rule**: `humanize-content` rule auto-activates this skill for all public-facing content
- **Used by workflows**: `/content-creation` (step 4.5 of blog pipeline; merged from former `/blog-post`), `/marketing` (all content operations), `/docs` and `/docs-pack` (public-facing content)
- **Used by skill**: `content-creation` (Gate 7: Humanization)
- **Companion resource**: `ai-writing-patterns.md` (full pattern catalog with examples)