tkersey/de-slopify

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De-Slopify — Remove AI Writing Artifacts

Core Insight: You can't do this with regex or a script. It requires manual, systematic review of each line.

THE EXACT PROMPT — Full De-Slopify

I want you to read through the complete text carefully and look for any telltale
signs of "AI slop" style writing; one big tell is the use of emdash. You should
try to replace this with a semicolon, a comma, or just recast the sentence
accordingly so it sounds good while avoiding emdash.

Also, you want to avoid certain telltale writing tropes, like sentences of the
form "It's not [just] XYZ, it's ABC" or "Here's why" or "Here's why it matters:".
Basically, anything that sounds like the kind of thing an LLM would write
disproportionately more commonly than a human writer and which sounds
inauthentic/cringe.

And you can't do this sort of thing using regex or a script, you MUST manually
read each line of the text and revise it manually in a systematic, methodical,
diligent way. Use ultrathink.

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THE EXACT PROMPT — Quick Version

Review this text and remove any AI slop patterns: excessive emdashes, "Here's why"
constructions, "It's not X, it's Y" formulas, and other LLM writing tells. Recast
sentences to sound more naturally human. Use ultrathink.

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Patterns to Eliminate

| Pattern | Problem | |---------|---------| | Emdash overuse | LLMs love emdashes—they use them constantly—even when other punctuation works better | | "It's not X, it's Y" | Formulaic contrast structure | | "Here's why" | Clickbait-style lead-in | | "Let's dive in" | Forced enthusiasm | | "At its core..." | Pseudo-profound opener | | "It's worth noting..." | Unnecessary hedge |

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Emdash Alternatives

| Original | Alternative | |----------|-------------| | X—Y—Z | X; Y; Z or X, Y, Z | | The tool—which is powerful—works | The tool, which is powerful, works | | We built this—and it works | We built this, and it works |

Sometimes the best fix is to split into two sentences.

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Before/After Examples

Emdash Overuse

Before:

This tool—which we built from scratch—handles everything automatically—from parsing to output.

After:

This tool handles everything automatically, from parsing to output. We built it from scratch.

"Here's why" Pattern

Before:

We chose Rust for this component. Here's why: performance matters.

After:

We chose Rust for this component because performance matters.

Contrast Formula

Before:

It's not just a linter—it's a complete code quality system.

After:

This complete code quality system goes beyond basic linting.

Forced Enthusiasm

Before:

# Getting Started

Let's dive in! We're excited to help you get up and running.

After:

# Getting Started

Install the tool and run your first command in under a minute.

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Why Manual Review is Required

1. Context matters — Sometimes an emdash is actually the right choice
2. Recasting sentences — Often the fix isn't substitution but rewriting
3. Tone consistency — Need to maintain voice throughout
4. Judgment calls — Some patterns are fine in moderation

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When to De-Slopify

• Before publishing a README
• Before releasing documentation
• After AI-assisted writing sessions
• During documentation reviews

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What NOT to Fix

• Technical accuracy — Don't sacrifice correctness for style
• Necessary structure — Headers, lists are fine
• Clear explanations — Being thorough isn't slop
• Code examples — Focus on prose, not code

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References

| Topic | Reference | |-------|-----------| | Complete phrase list | PATTERNS.md |