lyndonkl/skills/voice-check

Voice Check

Table of Contents

• Workflow
• Don't-list regex bank
• Worked example
• Guardrails

Related skills: Called by the Editor after structural-review. Runs alongside hedge-detector, slop-detector, citation-form-check. Each skill owns a specific band of voice issues; this one handles explicit don't-list phrase matches.

Workflow

Voice check draft D:
- [ ] Step 1: Load voice-profile.md (global) + voices/{section}.md (if applicable)
- [ ] Step 2: Extract the don't-list as a regex bank
- [ ] Step 3: Scan draft; match each regex with word boundaries
- [ ] Step 4: For each match: record {line, quoted phrase, violation, voice-profile citation, 2 rewrite options}
- [ ] Step 5: Emit phrase-flags table

Don't-list regex bank

From voice-profile.md §10 (Voice don'ts). Word-boundary enforced.

| Violation | Regex | Rewrite hint | |---|---|---| | delve | \bdelve(s|d|ing)?\b | replace with specific verb | | unpack | \bunpack(s|ed|ing)?\b | replace with specific verb | | dive into | \bdive\s+into\b | replace with specific verb | | let's explore | \blet'?s\s+(explore|dive) | delete; open with confession | | at the end of the day | \bat\s+the\s+end\s+of\s+the\s+day\b | delete clause | | game-changer | \bgame[-\s]?changer\b | name the specific change | | paradigm shift | \bparadigm\s+shift\b | name the shift explicitly | | under the hood | \bunder\s+the\s+hood\b | replace with "mechanically" or delete | | in today's fast-paced world | in\s+today'?s\s+(fast[-\s]?paced\s+)?world | delete; open with a dated concrete fact | | AI is transforming | (?i)AI\s+is\s+transforming | delete generic framing; open with confession | | emoji | [\u{1F300}-\u{1FAFF}\u{2600}-\u{27BF}] | delete | | exclamation | ! (in body, not quotes) | convert to period | | I think (as hedge) | \bI\s+think\b (when followed by a claim, not a question) | commit OR specific hedge | | clearly / obviously / simply (as persuasion) | \b(clearly|obviously|simply)\b | delete or name the step | | custom CTA | subscribe\b.*(resonated|more|stay\s+tuned) | delete; Substack boilerplate is fine |

Section overlays can add or override entries. If voices/kalshi-log.md bans "generalizing to other sports", add that rule.

Worked example

Draft excerpt:

In today's rapidly evolving AI landscape, let's unpack why RAG beats fine-tuning. At the end of the day, RAG is a game-changer. Let's dive into the details!

Flags (all tier-1):

| loc | quote | violation | citation | rewrites | |---|---|---|---|---| | P1 S1 | "In today's rapidly evolving AI landscape" | generic opener | voice-profile §10 don't #2 | (a) delete; (b) replace with a dated concrete fact | | P1 S1 | "let's unpack" | don't-list | §10 don't #1 | (a) "Here is the mechanism" (b) delete | | P1 S2 | "At the end of the day" | don't-list | §10 don't #1 | (a) delete clause | | P1 S2 | "game-changer" | don't-list | §10 don't #1 | (a) "it cuts token budget by 40% on our traces" (b) "it avoids a retrain" | | P1 S3 | "Let's dive into" | don't-list | §10 don't #1 | (a) "Here is what actually happens" (b) delete | | P1 S3 | "!" (exclamation) | don't-list | §10 don't #8 | (a) period |

Six tier-1 flags in three sentences → triggers Editor must-not #13 (≥3 tier-1 voice violations = no-go).

Guardrails

1. Every flag must cite a voice-profile line. No flag without citation.
2. Regex must have word boundaries; avoid false positives (e.g., "undelete" shouldn't match delve).
3. Section overlays extend but never override global don'ts — an overlay cannot allow a global don't.
4. Exclamation-point rule excludes quoted dialogue and code fences.
5. "I think" is flagged only when followed by a claim. "I think so, but I'm not sure" is a sentence of quiet agreement, not a hedge on a claim.
6. Max 2 rewrite options per flag.

Quick reference

• Input: draft + voice-profile + optional overlay.
• Output: phrase-flags table in the voice pass.
• Complements hedge-detector (hedging) and slop-detector (structural voice).