Metadata
- inherits:
../writing-style/SKILL.md
- applies to: long-form/, short-form/
ai-slop-check
Last pass before publishing. Scans for the patterns that signal "AI wrote this" or "human writing in a hurry adopted AI defaults".
Voice resolution
The detection list below is the default. Before running, load the user's voice override from scribetronic/style/writing-style.md (project root) if it exists — its anti-patterns and blacklist sections add to the defaults. If the project-local override is absent, fall back to the bundled writing-style/SKILL.md template (generic baseline).
The project-local override always wins over the template.
How to run
Read the draft once with each category in mind. Mark every hit. Fix the high-severity ones. Decide on the medium ones. Ignore noise.
Detection categories
Severity: HIGH (always fix)
| Pattern |
Example |
Why |
| "Not just X, but Y" |
"Not just a tool, but a community." |
Top AI signature. |
| "It's not [A], it's [B]" |
"It's not about money, it's about freedom." |
Same family. |
| "In today's fast-paced world" |
self-evident |
Banned. |
| "Whether you're a X or a Y" |
"Whether you're a beginner or pro…" |
AI scope-padding. |
| "Let's dive in" / "Let's dive deeper" |
self-evident |
Banned. |
| "At the end of the day" |
self-evident |
Filler. |
| "It's worth noting that" |
"It's worth noting that…" |
If it's worth noting, just note it. |
| "Game-changer" / "game-changing" |
self-evident |
Banned. |
| "Unleash your potential" / "unlock your X" |
self-evident |
Coach-speak. |
| "Embark on this journey" |
self-evident |
Banned. |
| "In the realm of" / "in the world of" |
"In the world of solopreneurship…" |
Padding. |
| Three-noun stacks |
"growth, innovation, and impact" |
Cut to one. |
| Three-adjective stacks |
"comprehensive, in-depth, transformational" |
Cut to one. |
| "Transformational" / "transformative" |
self-evident |
Coach-speak. |
| Closer: "I invite you to join me on this journey" |
self-evident |
Banned. |
| Closer: "Let's see where it takes us" |
self-evident |
Banned. |
| Closer: "Excited to see what comes next!" |
self-evident |
Banned. |
Severity: MEDIUM (fix unless intentional)
| Pattern |
Example |
Why |
| "Imagine if you could…" opener |
self-evident |
Cliché opener. |
| "But here's the thing:" |
"But here's the thing: …" |
Used 1-2x is fine. More = tic. |
| "The truth is…" |
"The truth is, most…" |
Often filler. |
| "Don't get me wrong" |
self-evident |
Hedging without payoff. |
| Multiple rhetorical questions in a row |
"Why? Because. How? Like this." |
One per post max. |
| "Pro tip:" call-out |
self-evident |
Often used to bury weak content. |
| "Stay tuned!" |
self-evident |
Replace with date/specific. |
| "More to come" |
self-evident |
Same. |
| Em-dash overuse (>5 in a 1000-word post) |
— |
Ration. |
| "Furthermore" / "moreover" / "in addition" |
self-evident |
Robotic transitions. Cut or replace with period. |
| "Indeed" |
self-evident |
Almost never earns its place in modern prose. |
| "It's important to note" |
self-evident |
If important, state it without preface. |
| Words: "delve", "leverage" (as verb), "harness", "cultivate" |
self-evident |
AI vocabulary. |
| "A testament to" |
"This is a testament to…" |
Banned. |
Severity: LOW (consider, don't always fix)
| Pattern |
Example |
Why |
| Excessive bullets in long-form |
— |
Sometimes earned, sometimes lazy. |
| Repeated sentence openers ("I", "I", "I" three paragraphs running) |
— |
Vary if possible. |
| Capitalized headers in title case |
"How To Build A Newsletter" |
Sentence case usually reads better — "How to build a newsletter". |
| Ending with "Cheers" or "Best" — fine for emails, weak for posts |
— |
Use sign-off pattern from style guide. |
Output format
Generate a list of detected issues:
HIGH
- Line 23: "not just a number, but a vision" → rewrite as positive claim
- Line 47: closer is "Let's see where it takes us" → replace with specific commitment
MEDIUM
- Line 12: opens with "But here's the thing:" → consider cutting
- Line 31: 3rd "Pro tip:" of the post → consolidate or cut
LOW
- Title is in Title Case → consider sentence case
If zero HIGH and ≤2 MEDIUM, ship.
If 1+ HIGH or 3+ MEDIUM, revise and rerun.
Quick "smell test"
If you're not sure, ask these 3 questions:
- Could a generic AI write this? If yes, the post lacks personal-specific evidence. Add a number, a name, or a personal scene.
- Could this post appear in any other niche under any other byline? If yes, it's too generic.
- Does the closer commit to something? If not, the post leaks energy at the end.
If any answer is "no good", revise.
1---2name: ai-slop-check3description: Detection pass for AI-generated patterns and clichés. Final check before publishing. Returns a list of detected issues with severity and fix suggestions.4---56## Metadata78- **inherits**: `../writing-style/SKILL.md`9- **applies to**: long-form/*, short-form/*1011# ai-slop-check1213Last pass before publishing. Scans for the patterns that signal "AI wrote this" or "human writing in a hurry adopted AI defaults".1415## Voice resolution1617The detection list below is the default. Before running, load the user's voice override from `scribetronic/style/writing-style.md` (project root) if it exists — its anti-patterns and blacklist sections add to the defaults. If the project-local override is absent, fall back to the bundled `writing-style/SKILL.md` template (generic baseline).1819The project-local override always wins over the template.2021## How to run2223Read the draft once with each category in mind. Mark every hit. Fix the high-severity ones. Decide on the medium ones. Ignore noise.2425## Detection categories2627### Severity: HIGH (always fix)2829| Pattern | Example | Why |30|---|---|---|31| "Not just X, but Y" | "Not just a tool, but a community." | Top AI signature. |32| "It's not [A], it's [B]" | "It's not about money, it's about freedom." | Same family. |33| "In today's fast-paced world" | self-evident | Banned. |34| "Whether you're a X or a Y" | "Whether you're a beginner or pro…" | AI scope-padding. |35| "Let's dive in" / "Let's dive deeper" | self-evident | Banned. |36| "At the end of the day" | self-evident | Filler. |37| "It's worth noting that" | "It's worth noting that…" | If it's worth noting, just note it. |38| "Game-changer" / "game-changing" | self-evident | Banned. |39| "Unleash your potential" / "unlock your X" | self-evident | Coach-speak. |40| "Embark on this journey" | self-evident | Banned. |41| "In the realm of" / "in the world of" | "In the world of solopreneurship…" | Padding. |42| Three-noun stacks | "growth, innovation, and impact" | Cut to one. |43| Three-adjective stacks | "comprehensive, in-depth, transformational" | Cut to one. |44| "Transformational" / "transformative" | self-evident | Coach-speak. |45| Closer: "I invite you to join me on this journey" | self-evident | Banned. |46| Closer: "Let's see where it takes us" | self-evident | Banned. |47| Closer: "Excited to see what comes next!" | self-evident | Banned. |4849### Severity: MEDIUM (fix unless intentional)5051| Pattern | Example | Why |52|---|---|---|53| "Imagine if you could…" opener | self-evident | Cliché opener. |54| "But here's the thing:" | "But here's the thing: …" | Used 1-2x is fine. More = tic. |55| "The truth is…" | "The truth is, most…" | Often filler. |56| "Don't get me wrong" | self-evident | Hedging without payoff. |57| Multiple rhetorical questions in a row | "Why? Because. How? Like this." | One per post max. |58| "Pro tip:" call-out | self-evident | Often used to bury weak content. |59| "Stay tuned!" | self-evident | Replace with date/specific. |60| "More to come" | self-evident | Same. |61| Em-dash overuse (>5 in a 1000-word post) | — | Ration. |62| "Furthermore" / "moreover" / "in addition" | self-evident | Robotic transitions. Cut or replace with period. |63| "Indeed" | self-evident | Almost never earns its place in modern prose. |64| "It's important to note" | self-evident | If important, state it without preface. |65| Words: "delve", "leverage" (as verb), "harness", "cultivate" | self-evident | AI vocabulary. |66| "A testament to" | "This is a testament to…" | Banned. |6768### Severity: LOW (consider, don't always fix)6970| Pattern | Example | Why |71|---|---|---|72| Excessive bullets in long-form | — | Sometimes earned, sometimes lazy. |73| Repeated sentence openers ("I", "I", "I" three paragraphs running) | — | Vary if possible. |74| Capitalized headers in title case | "How To Build A Newsletter" | Sentence case usually reads better — "How to build a newsletter". |75| Ending with "Cheers" or "Best" — fine for emails, weak for posts | — | Use sign-off pattern from style guide. |7677## Output format7879Generate a list of detected issues:8081```82HIGH83- Line 23: "not just a number, but a vision" → rewrite as positive claim84- Line 47: closer is "Let's see where it takes us" → replace with specific commitment8586MEDIUM87- Line 12: opens with "But here's the thing:" → consider cutting88- Line 31: 3rd "Pro tip:" of the post → consolidate or cut8990LOW91- Title is in Title Case → consider sentence case92```9394If zero HIGH and ≤2 MEDIUM, ship.95If 1+ HIGH or 3+ MEDIUM, revise and rerun.9697## Quick "smell test"9899If you're not sure, ask these 3 questions:1001011. **Could a generic AI write this?** If yes, the post lacks personal-specific evidence. Add a number, a name, or a personal scene.1022. **Could this post appear in any other niche under any other byline?** If yes, it's too generic.1033. **Does the closer commit to something?** If not, the post leaks energy at the end.104105If any answer is "no good", revise.
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