# Slop Tells

A worked catalogue of the phrases that mark prose as AI-generated. The
`unslop` skill greps the draft for each row and reports a fix.

The list is heuristic. A page can match several tells and still read well;
a page can match none and still feel corporate. Use this as a checklist, not a
verdict.

## High-frequency tells

| Tell | Example | Default fix |
|------|---------|-------------|
| Ornamental hedging | "It's important to note that…" | Delete the preamble |
| Breathless transition | "Let's dive in!", "Now, let's explore…" | Replace with the next fact |
| Vague intensifier | "really", "very", "quite", "rather" (when not load-bearing) | Delete |
| Symmetric padding | "X is Y. X is also Z. Both X's are…" | Pick the one that matters |
| AI résumé | "With over X years of experience…" | Replace with the actual fact |
| Performative caveat | "It's worth mentioning that…" | Delete or move to the conclusion |
| Marketing tone | "seamlessly", "robust", "powerful", "leverage", "cutting-edge" | Replace with the specific capability |
| Triplet | "fast, reliable, and scalable" | Pick the one that is actually true |
| Heading question | "Why is X important?" | State the answer, not the question |
| Sign-off | "Hope this helps!", "Let me know if you have questions!" | Delete |
| Throat-clearing | "In this article, we will…" | Delete the article and start with the subject |
| Mirror transition | "As we have seen…" | Replace with the actual finding |
| Manufactured urgency | "In today's fast-paced world…" | Delete |
| Generic closer | "To learn more, contact…" | Replace with the actual link or contact |

## Mid-frequency

| Tell | Example | Default fix |
|------|---------|-------------|
| Bureaucratic noun | "perform a verification of" | "verify" |
| Nominalised verb | "the implementation of the feature" | "implementing the feature" |
| Possessive hedge | "in our experience" | Drop unless backed by data |
| Padded qualifier | "essentially", "basically", "fundamentally", "literally" | Delete |
| Redundant pair | "each and every", "first and foremost", "any and all" | Pick one |
| Process name as action | "we will be performing a build" | "we will build" |
| Apology | "Apologies for the inconvenience" | Replace with the fix |
| Hyperbole | "game-changer", "revolutionary", "paradigm shift" | Replace with the actual claim |
| Cult of positivity | "We are excited to announce…" | Replace with the news |
| Generic advice | "Best practices include…" | Replace with the specific practice |

## Low-frequency (still flag)

| Tell | Example | Default fix |
|------|---------|-------------|
| Anachronism | "in the year 2026" | Drop the year unless it disambiguates |
| Self-reference | "this article", "this section", "as stated above" | Replace with the thing |
| Passive that hides the actor | "It was decided that…" | "We decided…" |
| Telegraphic metaphor | "drowning in data", "needle in a haystack" | Replace with the literal state |
| Fake precision | "in 90% of cases" | Replace with the source |

## What is NOT slop

- Technical jargon used precisely (`asynchronous`, `idempotent`,
  `backpressure`).
- Repetition for emphasis that the reader actually needs.
- Headings that match a list of canonical section titles (`Overview`,
  `Steps`, `Verification`).
- Code, command output, error messages, customer-quoted text.
- Acronyms and abbreviations the audience knows.

## Cluster detection

Slop tends to cluster. A single slop line in 30 is a minor fix. Five slop
lines in 10 means the author wrote the paragraph by stream-of-prompting; the
whole section should be rewritten by hand. The `unslop` skill flags cluster
sections as `rewrite-block` rather than proposing per-line fixes.

## When to escalate

A draft that reads well but uses a non-AAVE corporate voice should not be
unslopped into something else; flag it for the author. The skill rewrites
*slop*, not *voice*.
