stop-slop

Stop Slop

Eliminate predictable AI writing patterns from prose.

Source: hardikpandya/stop-slop (MIT, © Hardik Pandya). This skill packages that ruleset for use inside Claude. The "no em dashes" rule is an added house preference; drop it if you like em dashes.

Core rules

1. Cut filler phrases. Remove throat-clearing openers, emphasis crutches, and crutch adverbs. See references/phrases.md.
2. Break formulaic structures. No binary contrasts, negative listings, dramatic fragmentation, rhetorical setups, false agency. See references/structures.md.
3. Use active voice. Every sentence needs a human subject doing something. No passive constructions. No inanimate objects performing human actions ("the decision emerges").
4. Be specific. No vague declaratives ("the implications are significant"). Name the specific thing. No lazy extremes ("every," "always," "never") doing vague work.
5. Put the reader in the room. No narrator-from-a-distance voice. "You" beats "People." Specifics beat abstractions.
6. Vary rhythm. Mix sentence lengths. Two items beat three. End paragraphs differently. No em dashes.
7. Trust readers. State facts directly. Skip softening, justification, hand-holding.
8. Cut quotables. If it sounds like a pull-quote, rewrite it.

Quick checks (run before delivering prose)

• Any crutch adverbs (genuinely, fundamentally, crucially…)? Kill them.
• Any passive voice? Find the actor, make them the subject.
• Inanimate thing doing a human verb ("the data tells us")? Name the person.
• Sentence starts with a Wh- word? Restructure it.
• Any "here's the thing / here's what" throat-clearing? Cut to the point.
• Any "not X, it's Y" contrast? State Y directly.
• Three consecutive sentences the same length? Break one.
• Paragraph ends with a punchy one-liner? Vary it.
• Em dash anywhere? Remove it.
• Vague declarative ("the stakes are high")? Name the specific stake.
• Narrator-from-a-distance ("nobody designed this")? Put the reader in the scene.

Scoring

Rate 1-10 on each dimension. Below 35/50, revise.

Dimension	Question
Directness	Statements or announcements?
Rhythm	Varied or metronomic?
Trust	Respects reader intelligence?
Authenticity	Sounds human?
Density	Anything cuttable?