Top edit
Checklist pass. Pattern-matching, not a vibe critique. Run after No AI slop. Do not edit the draft in this pass. Report flags with line, quote, and a fix.
AI tells
- Vague This/That openers with no noun
- Correlatives: not only/but also, both/and
- Formulaic transitions: moreover, furthermore, additionally, indeed, in fact
- Hedging: it could be argued, it seems, one might say
- Marketing speak: game-changing, groundbreaking, unlock, empower
- Signposts: let's dive in, as we'll see, here's the thing
- False drama fragments
- Artificial triads of three
- Balanced on-the-other-hand that refuses a position
- Consultant-speak: moving the needle, low-hanging fruit, key takeaway
- Banned words: leverage, comprehensive, pivotal, delve, showcase, tapestry, robust, seamless
- Em dashes
- Formula: not just X but Y, in today's world
- Forced symmetry across sections
- Repetition disguised as depth
- Sentence-initial But/And overuse
- Contrastive reframing more than twice in a long piece
House
- Opening is a scene or lived fact, not an abstract thesis
- Arc is concrete then mechanism then implications
- Major claims have a named source
- Teach test in one sentence
- Specificity: could someone else have written this?
Prose
- Same word twice in close range
- Passive clusters
- Five sentences of similar length
- Dead metaphors
Verdict
CLEAN (0–2 minor), LIGHT FIXES (3–5), or NEEDS WORK (6+ or structural). One-sentence recommendation.
If the same pattern hits 10 times, flag the first 3 and count the rest.
Source: adapted from Nadiem Mahmoud, top-edit. MIT; see third-party notices. Run No AI slop first.
1---2name: top-edit3description: Use this as the last mechanical pass before publishing, to screen AI tells and house-style misses that a slop word-list can skip.4---567# Top edit89Checklist pass. Pattern-matching, not a vibe critique. Run after No AI slop. Do not edit the draft in this pass. Report flags with line, quote, and a fix.1011## AI tells12131. Vague This/That openers with no noun142. Correlatives: not only/but also, both/and153. Formulaic transitions: moreover, furthermore, additionally, indeed, in fact164. Hedging: it could be argued, it seems, one might say175. Marketing speak: game-changing, groundbreaking, unlock, empower186. Signposts: let's dive in, as we'll see, here's the thing197. False drama fragments208. Artificial triads of three219. Balanced on-the-other-hand that refuses a position2210. Consultant-speak: moving the needle, low-hanging fruit, key takeaway2311. Banned words: leverage, comprehensive, pivotal, delve, showcase, tapestry, robust, seamless2412. Em dashes2513. Formula: not just X but Y, in today's world2614. Forced symmetry across sections2715. Repetition disguised as depth2816. Sentence-initial But/And overuse2917. Contrastive reframing more than twice in a long piece3031## House3233- Opening is a scene or lived fact, not an abstract thesis34- Arc is concrete then mechanism then implications35- Major claims have a named source36- Teach test in one sentence37- Specificity: could someone else have written this?3839## Prose4041- Same word twice in close range42- Passive clusters43- Five sentences of similar length44- Dead metaphors4546## Verdict4748CLEAN (0–2 minor), LIGHT FIXES (3–5), or NEEDS WORK (6+ or structural). One-sentence recommendation.4950If the same pattern hits 10 times, flag the first 3 and count the rest.5152Source: adapted from [Nadiem Mahmoud, top-edit](https://github.com/nadiem99/claude-writing-skills/blob/5b52111e1bd30e93643929f17155e82aa26f771f/skills/pipeline/top-edit/SKILL.md). MIT; see [third-party notices](../../../THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md). Run No AI slop first.
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