# Prose Hygiene > Remove AI writing tells from prose. Use when drafting, editing, or reviewing text to eliminate predictable AI patterns. - Skill: `hex/prose-hygiene` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add hex/prose-hygiene` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/hex/prose-hygiene/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: hex (https://skillmd.com/u/hex) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/hex/prose-hygiene --- # Prose Hygiene The complete checklist for removing AI writing tells from prose. ## How to apply - **Drafting:** avoid every pattern below as you write. - **Reviewing:** read the prose and, for each match, output the quoted text, the rule it breaks, and a concrete rewrite. Then score per the rubric (see Scoring) and report the per-dimension scores and total. Judge only — do not edit the file. **Technical prose** (`.cs/summary.md`, memory entries) is the usual target here, so apply the rules with these carve-outs: a technical subject performing its function is not false agency ("the hook fires", "the test fails", "the ref survives the rm"); keep adverbs that carry technical meaning (asynchronously, atomically, locally); factual enumerations keep their true count (the three-item rule targets rhetorical triads, not a real list of three files); conditional openers are fine in procedural text (the starter ban targets rhetorical questions, not "When X, do Y"). **Scope:** cs applies this to `/summary` output (`.cs/summary.md` and the memory entries; the narrative notebooks are exempt). Every rule below needs a model judging meaning, so the `/summary` critic subagent is the only thing that enforces them. `/wrap` skips that critic for speed, which makes these rules something to follow while drafting rather than a pass to run afterward. ## Core principles 1. **Cut filler.** Remove throat-clearing openers, emphasis crutches, and every adverb. Say the thing. 2. **Break formulas.** No binary contrasts, negative listings, dramatic fragments, rhetorical setups, or false agency. 3. **Use active voice.** Every sentence needs a human subject doing something. No passive constructions. No inanimate object performing a human verb. 4. **Be specific.** Name the actual thing. No vague declaratives ("the reasons are structural"). No lazy extremes doing vague work. 5. **Put the reader in the room.** "You" beats "people." Specifics beat abstractions. No narrating from a distance. 6. **Vary rhythm.** Mix sentence lengths. Prefer two items to three. End paragraphs differently. No em-dashes. 7. **Trust the reader.** State facts directly. Skip softening, justification, and hand-holding. 8. **Cut quotables.** If a line sounds like a pull-quote, rewrite it. ## Phrases to cut ### Throat-clearing openers Announcements before the point. Cut them and state the point. "Here's the thing", "Here's what/this/that/why [X]", "The uncomfortable truth is", "It turns out", "The real [X] is", "Let me be clear", "The truth is", "I'll say it again", "I'm going to be honest", "Can we talk about", "Here's what I find interesting", "Here's the problem though". Any "here's what/this/that" construction is throat-clearing. ### Emphasis crutches Add no meaning. Delete them. "Full stop.", "Period.", "Let that sink in.", "This matters because", "Make no mistake", "Here's why that matters", "Needless to say", "Rest assured", "Without a doubt", "The fact of the matter is". ### Business jargon Replace with plain language: navigate → handle; unpack → explain; lean into → accept; landscape → situation; game-changer → significant; double down → commit; deep dive → analysis; take a step back → reconsider; moving forward → next; circle back → revisit; on the same page → aligned. ### Adverbs Cut all of them. No -ly words, no softeners, no intensifiers, no hedges. Specific offenders: really, just, literally, genuinely, honestly, simply, actually, deeply, truly, fundamentally, inherently, inevitably, interestingly, importantly, crucially. Also cut these fillers: "at its core", "in today's [X]", "it's worth noting", "at the end of the day", "when it comes to", "in a world where", "the reality is", "last but not least", "when all is said and done". ### Meta-commentary Remove self-referential asides. The text should move, not announce its own structure. "Hint:", "Plot twist:" / "Spoiler:", "You already know this, but", "But that's another post", "[X] is a feature, not a bug", "Dressed up as", "The rest of this essay...", "Let me walk you through...", "In this section, we'll...", "As we'll see...", "I want to explore...". ### Performative emphasis Manufactured sincerity: "creeps in", "I promise", "They exist, I promise". ### Telling instead of showing Announcing difficulty or importance rather than demonstrating it: "This is genuinely hard", "This is what leadership actually looks like", "This is what [X] actually looks like", "actually matters". ### Vague declaratives Announce importance without naming the specific thing. Cut, or replace with the specific thing: "The reasons are structural", "The implications are significant", "This is the deepest problem", "The stakes are high", "The consequences are real". ## Structures to avoid ### Binary contrasts False drama. State the point directly. "Not because X. Because Y.", "[X] isn't the problem. [Y] is.", "The answer isn't X. It's Y.", "It feels like X. It's actually Y.", "The question isn't X. It's Y.", "Not X. But Y." / "not X, it's Y", "It's not this. It's that.", "stops being X and starts being Y", "doesn't mean X, but actually Y", "is about X but not Y", "not just X but also Y". Fix: state Y directly; drop the negation. ### Negative listing Listing what something is not before revealing what it is. "Not a X... Not a Y... A Z." / "It wasn't X. It wasn't Y. It was Z." Fix: state Z. ### Dramatic fragmentation Fragments for emphasis read as manufactured profundity. "[Noun]. That's it. That's the [thing].", "X. And Y. And Z.", "This unlocks something. [Word].". Fix: complete sentences. ### Rhetorical setups Announce insight rather than deliver it. "What if [reframe]?", "Here's what I mean:", "Think about it:", "And that's okay." Fix: make the point. ### Formulaic constructions "By the time X, I was Y." (narrative template), "X that isn't Y" (indirect; say "X is broken"). ### False agency Inanimate things given human verbs. AI loves this because it avoids naming the actor. "a complaint becomes a fix", "a bet lives or dies", "the decision emerges", "the culture shifts", "the conversation moves toward", "the data tells us", "the market rewards". Fix: name the human, or use "you". ### Narrator-from-a-distance Floating above the scene. "Nobody designed this.", "This happens because...", "This is why...", "People tend to...". Fix: put the reader in the room. ### Passive voice Hides the actor and drains energy. "X was created", "It is believed that", "Mistakes were made", "The decision was reached". Fix: name who did it, at the front of the sentence. ### Sentence starters to avoid Sentences starting with What/When/Where/Which/Who/Why/How. Paragraphs starting with "So". Sentences starting with "Look,". Fix: lead with the subject or the specific thing. ### Rhythm patterns Three-item lists (use two or one). Questions answered immediately (let them breathe or cut them). Every paragraph ending punchily (vary endings). Em-dashes (use commas or periods; none at all). Staccato fragmentation (do not stack short punchy sentences). "Not always. Not perfectly." (hedging disguised as reassurance). ### Word patterns Lazy extremes (every, always, never, everyone, everybody, nobody) assert false authority; use specifics. All adverbs (see Phrases). ## Scoring Rate 1-10 on each dimension using the anchors below. Total below 35/50 means the prose needs revision. This skill only judges: report the per-dimension scores, the total, and the violation list (quoted text + rule + rewrite) whether or not it passes, then stop. Revising and any re-score loop belong to the caller (the `/summary` pass caps the re-runs) — do not edit the file here. | Dimension | Low end (score 1-3) | High end (score 8-10) | |-----------|---------------------|------------------------| | Directness | Most sentences open with a setup phrase before the point | Every sentence leads with its claim | | Rhythm | Lengths are uniform; endings are metronomic | Lengths vary; endings differ | | Trust | Softens, justifies, hand-holds | States facts and stops | | Authenticity | Reads as generated — formulas, false agency | Reads as a person wrote it | | Density | Cuttable filler in most sentences | Nothing cuttable remains | ## Before / after - "Here's the thing: building products is hard. Not because the technology is complex. Because people are." becomes "Building products is hard. Technology is manageable. People aren't." - "It turns out most teams struggle with alignment. The uncomfortable truth is nobody admits they're confused. And that's okay." becomes "Teams struggle with alignment. Nobody admits confusion." - "In today's fast-paced landscape we need to lean into discomfort and navigate uncertainty. This matters because your competition isn't waiting." becomes "Move faster. Your competition is." - "The decision emerged from the data, which told us the market was shifting." becomes "We read the usage numbers and cut the feature." ## License MIT.