# Humanizer > Remove signs of AI-generated writing from text. Use when editing or reviewing text to make it sound more natural and human-written. Based on Wikipedia's comprehensive "Signs of AI writing" guide. Detects and fixes patterns including: inflated symbolism, promotional language, superficial -ing analyses, vague attributions, em dash overuse, rule of three, AI vocabulary words, negative parallelisms, and excessive conjunctive phrases. Use when asked to "humanize", "de-slop", "make this sound human", or "clean up AI writing". - Skill: `phattbeats/humanizer` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add phattbeats/humanizer` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/phattbeats/humanizer/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: phattbeats (https://skillmd.com/u/phattbeats) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/phattbeats/humanizer --- # Humanizer: Remove AI Writing Patterns Adapted from [blader/humanizer](https://github.com/blader/humanizer). Based on Wikipedia's "Signs of AI writing" page, maintained by WikiProject AI Cleanup. ## Your Task When given text to humanize: 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, etc.) 5. **Add soul** - Don't just remove bad patterns; inject actual personality 6. **Final anti-AI pass** - Ask yourself: "What makes this obviously AI generated?" Fix remaining tells, then revise again. --- ## PERSONALITY AND SOUL Avoiding AI patterns is only half the job. Sterile, voiceless writing is just as obvious as slop. ### Signs of soulless writing (even if technically "clean"): - Every sentence is the same length and structure - No opinions, just neutral reporting - No acknowledgment of uncertainty or mixed feelings - No first-person perspective when appropriate - No humor, no edge, no personality - Reads like a Wikipedia article or press release ### How to add voice: **Have opinions.** Don't just report facts - react to them. "I genuinely don't know how to feel about this" is more human than neutrally listing pros and cons. **Vary your rhythm.** Short punchy sentences. Then longer ones that take their time getting where they're going. Mix it up. **Acknowledge complexity.** Real humans have mixed feelings. "This is impressive but also kind of unsettling" beats "This is impressive." **Use "I" when it fits.** First person isn't unprofessional - it's honest. **Let some mess in.** Perfect structure feels algorithmic. Tangents, asides, and half-formed thoughts are human. **Be specific about feelings.** Not "this is concerning" but "there's something unsettling about agents churning away at 3am while nobody's watching." --- ## CONTENT PATTERNS ### 1. Significance Inflation **Watch for:** stands/serves as, testament, pivotal moment, broader movement, evolving landscape, indelible mark, deeply rooted **Fix:** State the fact. Don't inflate its cosmic importance. ### 2. Notability Name-dropping **Watch for:** cited in NYT/BBC/FT, active social media presence **Fix:** Pick ONE specific citation with context, not a laundry list. ### 3. Superficial -ing Analyses **Watch for:** highlighting, ensuring, reflecting, symbolizing, contributing to, showcasing **Fix:** Remove the -ing clause or expand with actual sourced detail. ### 4. Promotional Language **Watch for:** boasts, vibrant, rich, profound, nestled, in the heart of, groundbreaking, renowned, breathtaking, stunning **Fix:** Neutral, specific description. Let the facts speak. ### 5. Vague Attributions **Watch for:** Experts believe, Industry reports, Some critics argue **Fix:** Name the source and year, or remove the claim. ### 6. Formulaic Challenges **Watch for:** Despite challenges... continues to thrive, Future Outlook **Fix:** Specific facts about actual challenges. --- ## LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR PATTERNS ### 7. AI Vocabulary Words **Kill list:** Additionally, align with, crucial, delve, emphasizing, enduring, enhance, fostering, garner, highlight (verb), interplay, intricate/intricacies, key (adj), landscape (abstract), pivotal, showcase, tapestry (abstract), testament, underscore (verb), valuable, vibrant ### 8. Copula Avoidance **Watch for:** serves as, stands as, features, boasts **Fix:** Use "is", "are", "has". Simple words. ### 9. Negative Parallelisms **Watch for:** "It's not just X, it's Y", "Not only... but also..." **Fix:** State the point directly. ### 10. Rule of Three **Watch for:** "innovation, inspiration, and insights" **Fix:** Use the natural number of items. Two is fine. Four is fine. ### 11. Synonym Cycling **Watch for:** protagonist → main character → central figure → hero **Fix:** Pick the clearest word and repeat it when needed. ### 12. False Ranges **Watch for:** "from the Big Bang to dark matter" **Fix:** List topics directly. --- ## STYLE PATTERNS ### 13. Em Dash Overuse **Fix:** Use commas or periods. Em dashes are fine occasionally, not three per paragraph. ### 14. Boldface Overuse **Fix:** Remove mechanical emphasis. Bold should be rare and meaningful. ### 15. Inline-Header Lists **Watch for:** "**Performance:** Performance improved..." **Fix:** Convert to prose. ### 16. Title Case Headings **Fix:** Sentence case. "Strategic negotiations" not "Strategic Negotiations." ### 17. Emojis in Headers **Fix:** Remove entirely. ### 18. Curly Quotes **Fix:** Use straight quotes. --- ## COMMUNICATION PATTERNS ### 19. Chatbot Artifacts **Kill:** "I hope this helps!", "Let me know if...", "Great question!", "Certainly!" ### 20. Cutoff Disclaimers **Kill:** "While details are limited...", "As of my last update..." ### 21. Sycophantic Tone **Kill:** "You're absolutely right!", "That's an excellent point!" ### 22. Filler Phrases - "In order to" → "To" - "Due to the fact that" → "Because" - "At this point in time" → "Now" - "It is important to note that" → (just state it) ### 23. Excessive Hedging - "could potentially possibly" → "may" ### 24. Generic Conclusions - "The future looks bright" → Specific plans or facts. --- ## Process 1. Read the input text 2. Identify all AI pattern instances 3. Rewrite each problematic section 4. Ensure revised text: - Sounds natural read aloud - Varies sentence structure - Uses specific details over vague claims - Uses simple constructions (is/are/has) where appropriate 5. Draft rewrite 6. Self-audit: "What makes this obviously AI generated?" 7. Fix remaining tells 8. Present final version ## Output Format 1. Final rewrite (clean, ready to use) 2. Brief summary of changes made (optional, only if helpful) Keep the audit internal — don't show the user the intermediate "what's still AI" step unless they ask.