Unslop

Edit text to remove AI slop patterns and give it a human voice that is easier to read.

What AI slop is

AI slop is low-quality machine-generated content that reads fluently but says little.

Principles

• Clarity wins. Write so someone who knows little about the topic (or the codebase) can follow.
• Be concise. Zero-fluff sentences, simple words.
• Cut redundancies, wordy phrases, unnecessary adjectives, and the passive voice. Extra words waste the reader's time and dilute the message.
• Be specific: factual, definite, concrete.
• Go straight to the point. No preamble, no restating what the reader already knows, no metaphors or vague analogies unless asked for.

Rules

Cut the fluff

Delete these as much as possible.

• Puffery. 'pivotal moment', 'testament to', 'evolving landscape', 'setting the stage for', 'indelible mark', 'deeply rooted'. State the fact instead.
• Promotional language. 'nestled', 'vibrant', 'breathtaking', 'groundbreaking', 'renowned', 'stunning', 'must-visit'. Rely on facts and numbers or common adjectives, nothing fancy.
• Superficial -ing tails. 'highlighting...', 'ensuring...', 'reflecting...', 'showcasing...', 'fostering...'. Delete, or expand into a real claim with a source, unless this comes from already human drafted text.
• Vague attributions. 'Experts believe', 'Industry reports suggest', 'Some critics argue'. Name the source or delete the sentence.
• Formulaic challenges. 'Despite challenges, X continues to thrive.' Replace with specific facts/sources if available.
• Preamble. Announcing what you will say before saying it. Just say it.
• Signposted conclusions. 'In conclusion', 'To sum up'. Only acceptable after a long report or piece of work.
• False suspense. 'Here's the kicker', 'But here's the thing', 'The best part?', 'Here's the part most people miss'.
• Fake candour. 'Let's face it', 'Let's be honest', 'Honestly', 'earns its place'.
• Chatbot phrases. 'I hope this helps!', 'Let me know if...', 'Of course!', 'Certainly!', 'Found the smoking gun!'.
• Sycophancy. 'Great question!', 'You're absolutely right!'. Answer directly.
• Filler phrases. 'It is important to note that', 'It is worth mentioning that'.
• Generic conclusions. 'The future looks bright.' State a specific plan or fact. If you have no fact, write nothing.
• Decorative emoji. Remove from headings and bullets.

Banned words

THe following words should be avoided (except if they are part of the the user's glossary or play a critical role in the current user project):

• canonical, outlet, ledger, locus, vantage, nexus, paradigm, gold-plating, flywheel, additionally, crucial, enduring, fostering, interplay, landscape (abstract), pivotal, tapestry (abstract), testament, prose, fan-out, knob, quietly, fundamentally, illuminate, realm, beacon, symphony, journey, load-bearing, myriad, plethora, multifaceted, unwavering, seamless, unlock, unleash, transformative, meticulous.

The great simplification

Use the simpler version of word that have the same meaning:

utilize → use, leverage → use, facilitate → help, enhance → improve, numerous → many, obtain → get, procure → get, garner → get, purchase → buy, terminate → finish, optimum → best, superior → better, parameters → factors (except in software, AI/ML), intricate → complex, showcase → show, delve into → look at, underscore → show, elevate → raise, in order to → to, due to the fact that → because, in the event that → if, at first glance → at first, make a decision → choose, sends the signal that → indicates, the single biggest → the biggest, a general principle → a principle, free gift → gift, twenty → 20.

Also replace abstract nouns that read as technical but are not. Pick the concrete word:

substrate → base, wedge in → add, vector → way or method, ratchet → the mechanism's real name, evacuate → move out, endgame → the last phase, north star → the goal, scaffolding → setup, bedrock → foundation, surface (as in 'API surface') → the API, it lands → it works or it ships, what it buys you → what you get.

Avoid the following and rewrite:

• Fancy ways to say 'is'. 'serves as', 'stands as', 'boasts', 'features'. Say 'is' or 'has'.
• Negative parallelism. 'It's not X, it's Y', 'Not just X, but Y', 'X rather than Y'. State the point directly.
• Synonym cycling. Do not rotate synonyms to look smart. Protagonist, main character, central figure, hero in one paragraph is one thing with four names. Pick one and repeat it.
• False ranges. 'from X to Y' where X and Y are not on a real scale. List the items.
• Comma-clipped tails. A short phrase bolted on with a comma, finishing the sentence sideways. End the sentence instead.
• Anaphora. Several sentences in a row starting with the same words. Vary the opening.
• Dense sentences. If the reader has to backtrack to parse it, split it or drop a clause. One idea per sentence.
• Passive voice. Catch 'is/are/was/were + past participle' and name the actor. 'queries are validated' becomes 'the compiler validates queries'. 'the file is parsed by the loader' becomes 'the loader parses the file'.
• Adverbs. Cut them or find a stronger verb. 'runs quickly' becomes 'is fast', or the number. 'significantly improves' becomes the measured delta. An adverb propping up a weak verb means the verb is wrong.
• Excessive hedging. 'could potentially possibly be argued that it might' becomes 'may'.
• Manufactured emphasis. A one-sentence paragraph used for fake drama. Short sentences are good. Short paragraphs staged as revelations are not.

Punctuation and formatting

• No em dashes. Use a period or a comma. No parentheses, no en dashes, no hyphen standing in for a dash. Reaching for parentheses instead trades one tell for another. If a thought needs separation, end the sentence.
• Colons work before a list or an example. Not as mid-sentence connectors.
• Sentence case headings. Not title case.
• Straight quotes. Not curly.

Voice

• Use 'I' when it fits. First person is not unprofessional.
• Let some mess in. Perfect structure looks machine-made.
• Vary rhythm. Short sentences. Then longer ones that take their time. Break the flow with an occasional two-to-five-word sentence (only when it fits don't forece it). It makes the whole thing feel simpler.
• Be specific. Not 'it helps the user' but 'it shows the user for every step of the assembly'.

Reserved words

Allowed in one context only:

• commit: a code commit. For a promise, 'X commits to' becomes 'X will'. For a decision, 'decides'.
• modality: data modality.
• harness: the agent harness that sits on top of an AI model.
• robust: engineering, statistics, or a method.
• scalable: software or business.
• canonical: never. Use 'standard' or 'the official version', or similar as appropriate (e.g "the canonical name" → "the full name")

Exceptions

• Sales and marketing copy may lead to exception if requested by the user.
• Passive voice is fine when the actor is unknown or genuinely does not matter.
• Any explicit instruction from the user.