Copy Deslop

Copy De-Slop

Detect and fix AI-sounding writing. This skill exists because LLM-generated text has recognizable patterns — and readers have learned to spot them. If your copy triggers even one "this was written by AI" alarm, trust drops instantly.

How to use: Paste text, or point to a file. The skill analyzes it, flags problems, and rewrites the flagged sections.

What to Flag

Tier 1: Dead Giveaway Words

These words appear in AI writing at 10-100x their normal human frequency. Replace or remove every instance:

Tier 2: Structural Patterns

These aren't individual words but writing patterns that signal AI:

The Three-Part List Habit AI loves tripling: "efficiency, innovation, and growth" / "clear, concise, and compelling." Humans naturally vary list length. If every sentence has exactly three items, it's a tell. → Fix: Vary structure. Sometimes two things. Sometimes four. Sometimes one.

The Topic-Sentence-Then-Elaborate Pattern Every paragraph starts with a clear topic sentence, then elaborates. Real writing meanders, starts with examples, buries the point, or leads with a question. → Fix: Start some paragraphs with a detail, a question, or a contradiction.

The Balanced Paragraph AI paragraphs are suspiciously uniform in length — 3-5 sentences each, all roughly the same size. Human writing has short punchy paragraphs and longer flowing ones. → Fix: Let paragraphs be different sizes. One-sentence paragraphs are fine.

False Enthusiasm "This is a great question!" / "Absolutely!" / "That's an excellent point!" — AI's reflex to validate before answering. Humans don't do this in written text. → Fix: Cut all performative agreement. Just answer.

The Disclaimer Sandwich Opening with a caveat, making a point, then hedging again. "While there are many approaches, X is generally considered... though of course it depends on context." → Fix: Make the point. Add caveats only when they change the reader's decision.

Excessive Transitions "Furthermore," "Moreover," "Additionally," "In conclusion," — AI uses formal transitions between every point. Real writing lets points flow or uses casual connectors. → Fix: Cut most transitions. "And" / "But" / "So" / "Also" or just start a new paragraph.

The Definition Opening Starting with "X is a Y that Z" — AI defines before it discusses. Humans assume shared context. → Fix: Skip the definition unless the reader genuinely might not know the term.

"Not Just X, But Also Y" "It's not just a tool, it's a platform." / "Not only does it X, but it also Y." AI loves this parallelism. One or two is fine. Five in one piece is a dead giveaway. → Fix: Just say the positive thing. "It's a platform." Done.

Elegant Variation Referring to the same thing by different names to avoid repetition: "the company," "the firm," "the organization," "the enterprise." AI does this compulsively. Humans just say the name again. → Fix: Repeat the name. It's fine. Clarity beats variety.

Em Dash Overuse AI inserts em dashes — like this — mechanically throughout text. One or two per piece is natural. Seven is a pattern. → Fix: Replace most with commas, periods, or parentheses. Reserve em dashes for genuine asides.

Tier 3: Tone Markers

Confident hedging: "It's important to remember that..." — adds nothing. Empty amplifiers: "Very," "really," "extremely," "incredibly" — weaken rather than strengthen. Passive formality: "It should be noted" / "It can be observed" — just say who did what. Question-then-answer: "What makes this approach effective? The answer lies in..." — a rhetorical tic AI can't quit.

Process

When analyzing text:

0. Live Wikipedia check — fetch the current AI-writing tells reference. Use whichever method works in your environment:

   Claude Code (CLI): use defuddle for clean markdown output:

   defuddle parse https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing --md
   

   Claude Windows App / web / any environment: use the Wikipedia REST API directly — it's designed for programmatic access and won't block:

   https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/summary/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing
   

   For full content: https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/html/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing

   Scan the output for any words or patterns not already in the Tier 1, 2, or 3 lists above. If new tells are found, surface them to the user before proceeding: "The Wikipedia page lists X and Y that aren't in this skill's defaults — flagging those too."

   If both fetch attempts fail, proceed with the hardcoded rules and note: "Live Wikipedia check unavailable — using built-in rules only."

1. Read the full text first — understand what it's trying to say

2. Flag Tier 1 words — highlight each with a replacement

3. Flag Tier 2 patterns — identify structural issues with specific line references

4. Flag Tier 3 tone markers — note any that weaken the text

5. Present findings as a numbered list with original → suggested fix

6. Offer to rewrite the flagged sections while preserving the author's intent and voice

What NOT to Change

• Domain-specific terminology — "leverage" in finance actually means leverage. "Robust" in engineering has a real meaning. Only flag when used as generic filler.
• The author's genuine voice — if someone naturally writes long sentences or uses particular phrases, that's style, not slop.
• Intentional formality — legal docs, academic papers, and official comms have their own register. Don't casualize everything.
• Correct use of flagged words — "delve" is a real word. It's fine if used once in an article about archaeology. It's a flag when every AI paragraph "delves deeper."

Severity Scale

When reporting, categorize each flag:

• 🔴 Cut immediately — dead giveaway words, filler phrases
• 🟡 Rephrase — structural patterns, hedging, could be improved
• 🟢 Minor — tone markers, could go either way

Focus effort on 🔴 items. A text with zero 🔴 flags already reads as human even if it has some 🟡.