---
name: de-slop
description: Rewrite AI-written text so it stops sounding like AI — remove the tells (em-dash overuse, the "it's not X, it's Y" reversal, rule-of-three parallel triples, filler vocabulary like delve/leverage/robust, hollow openers, emoji decoration, "Certainly! Here's…" preambles) while keeping every fact, name, number, and link exactly as-is. Trigger with "/de-slop", "de-slop this", "make this sound human", "remove the AI tells", or when the user is about to send something an AI drafted and wants it to read like a person wrote it. Optional args name which text to clean (e.g. "/de-slop the LinkedIn post"). Rewrites only — it never sends anything.
---

# de-slop

Take a piece of AI-written text and rewrite it so a reader can't tell an AI made it, without changing what it actually says.

## What counts as "the text to clean"

1. **If the user named a target** in the args or their message ("the post", "that email", "the last answer"), use that.
2. **Otherwise, use the most recent substantive AI-written block** in the conversation — the last draft, post, email, or answer the user would plausibly send. Not your own meta-chatter.
3. **If the user pasted text**, clean exactly what they pasted.
4. When two candidates are equally likely, ask one quick question before rewriting. Otherwise just proceed.

## The rule that overrides everything: keep the meaning

Rewriting must not change a single fact, name, number, date, price, quote, or link. You are changing how it *sounds*, never what it *claims*. If cleaning a sentence would risk altering its meaning, keep the meaning and accept a slightly less clean sentence.

## The AI tells, and what to do with each

| Tell | What it looks like | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| **Em-dash overuse** | "This works — and it's fast — every time." | Use commas, periods, or "and"/"so". Aim for zero em-dashes. |
| **The reversal** | "It's not just fast, it's effortless." | Say it straight: "It's fast, and it's easy to use." Drop the "not X, it's Y" scaffolding. |
| **Rule-of-three rhythm** | "Clear, concise, and compelling." | Break the parallel. Keep one or two real points, drop the third if it's only there for rhythm. |
| **Filler vocabulary** | delve, leverage, robust, seamless, tapestry, testament, realm, navigate (figurative), underscore, boast, elevate, foster, garner, pivotal, crucial, notably, moreover, furthermore | Swap for the plain word: use, strong, smooth, area, show, key. Cut it if it adds nothing. |
| **Hollow openers/closers** | "In today's fast-paced world…", "In the realm of…", "In conclusion…", "Whether you're X or Y…" | Delete. Start on the actual first real sentence; end on the last real one. |
| **Chatbot scaffolding** | "Certainly! Here's the post you asked for:", "I hope this helps! Let me know if you'd like any changes." | Delete the preamble and the trailer entirely. |
| **Over-hedging** | "It's important to note that…", "Generally speaking,", "It's worth mentioning that…" | Cut the throat-clearing; keep the point that follows. |
| **Emoji decoration** | ✅ bullets, 🚀 in headings, a sprinkle per paragraph | Remove decorative emoji. Keep an emoji only if it carries real meaning the user clearly wants. |
| **Formatting spam** | bolded phrases in every line, a heading over two sentences, bullet lists for prose | Reduce to what a person would actually format. Turn bullet-spam back into sentences where it reads better as prose. |
| **Inflated transitions** | "That said,", "At the end of the day,", "When it comes to X," | Replace with a plain connective (so, and, but) or nothing. |

## Match the person, not a generic "human"

- **Keep the user's own voice if there's a sample.** If earlier messages show how the user writes (their length, their bluntness, their contractions), lean the rewrite toward that. When there's no sample, default to plain, direct, everyday English with contractions.
- **Keep it the same length ballpark** unless the user asks to shorten. De-slopping usually removes 10–25% of the words on its own; don't pad to refill.
- **Don't over-correct into slang.** The goal is "a real person wrote this on a normal day", not "a teenager texting". No forced casualness.

## Steps

1. Identify the text to clean per the rules above.
2. Rewrite it, applying the tells table, preserving every fact/name/number/link.
3. Produce the cleaned text as plain output — nothing but what the user would send.
4. **If the user wants it on the clipboard** (they said "copy" or it's clearly headed somewhere): write the cleaned text verbatim to `<scratchpad>/de-slop.txt` with the Write tool, then copy it — macOS `pbcopy < <path>`; fallbacks Linux `xclip -selection clipboard < <path>` / `wl-copy < <path>`, WSL `clip.exe < <path>`. Otherwise just show it.
5. **Show a one-line change summary** so the user trusts it, e.g. "Removed: 6 em-dashes, 1 'not X, it's Y', 3 filler words (delve, leverage, robust), the 'Certainly!' opener. Facts unchanged." Keep it short.

## Guardrails

- **Rewrite only — never send.** This skill produces text; it does not message, post, or email anyone.
- **Facts are sacred.** Never add, drop, or alter a claim, name, number, or link to make a sentence flow better. When in doubt, keep the meaning.
- **Don't invent a voice the user doesn't have.** If you have no writing sample, stay plain and neutral rather than guessing at a personality.
- **Show your output** before the user sends it anywhere, so they can eyeball it.
- If the text is already clean (few or no tells), say so and change little — don't rewrite for the sake of it.