Tools & Resources Archive Details

Stop Slop (Claude skill to remove AI writing tells)

What it is

An MIT-licensed GitHub repo containing a SKILL.md + reference files that instruct Claude (or other LLMs) to remove common “AI voice” phrases, structures, and rhythms from prose.

Gabriel’s notes

Stop Slop is an open-source “skill” (a SKILL.md file plus supporting reference Markdown) intended to help Claude (or any LLM) spot and remove common AI-writing patterns—predictable phrases, formulaic structures, and overly performative rhythms. The repo’s README also describes multiple ways to use it (Claude Code skill folder, Claude Projects, custom instructions, or via API/system prompt) and includes a simple scoring rubric so you can tell whether the rewrite actually improved the text.

Quick take: This is the rare “anti-AI-tells” resource that’s concrete: it doesn’t just scold you for being vague—it hands you a repeatable checklist and a pile of patterns to hunt down. Used gently, it makes drafts less corporate, less breathy, and less “hello fellow humans.” Used aggressively, it can sand off nuance and safety language.

I saved this under Prompting because it’s basically a reusable instruction pack: you’re not installing software so much as installing a writing policy into your model’s head.

My review snapshot (from my own notes):

  • Source: the upstream GitHub repo.
  • Reviewed version (pinned): commit 8da1f030185bdfe8471220585162991eaeb970e9.
  • Reviewed ZIP SHA-256: eadc17310d39c1b873728e5e2e3f193fcd7cb7f4015c5f1aaab6ca84d823fd58.
  • What I saw: a small set of plain-text files (a core SKILL.md, plus references like phrase lists, structures to avoid, and examples). No “app,” no installer, no runtime.

Good fit if you want to:

  • Strip throat-clearing openers and “announcing insight” sentences.
  • Break the classic LLM habit of tidy, symmetrical, consultant-y paragraph structures.
  • Force more direct claims (and fewer vibes disguised as conclusions).
  • Make edits fast by delegating the first pass of “cut the fluff” to the model.
  • Standardize a house style across a team that’s quietly using LLMs anyway.

Pricing snapshot (auto-enriched):

Free to use. The repository is published under the MIT License, which is generally permissive for personal and commercial use (keep the license/copyright notice). Paid support, hosting, or enterprise options: Unknown / not confirmed.

Work-use / compliance snapshot (auto-enriched):

This is “just text,” but it’s also operational text: skills are designed to shape agent behavior inside Claude environments. Treat third-party skill files like you’d treat third-party code: review what it instructs the model to do, pin versions, and avoid blind updates—especially if you’re using it in regulated/high-stakes contexts. There’s also a growing body of research warning that SKILL.md-style packages can be abused as a semantic supply-chain vector (i.e., the instructions are the payload, not executable code).

Alternatives (auto-enriched):

  • Hemingway Editor: better when you want readability feedback (sentence complexity, passive voice highlights) without imposing an “LLM anti-tells” ideology on every sentence.
  • ProWritingAid: better when you want broad writing reports and style feedback across long documents; less focused on the specific modern “AI voice” fingerprints this skill targets.

Before you adopt it:

  • Pin the commit you reviewed/approved (or vendor it into your own repo) so “free” doesn’t turn into “surprise.”
  • Run it in diff mode (or manually review changes) for anything legal/medical/financial/cybersecurity-related—don’t let it delete your uncertainty language, warnings, or citations.
  • Decide your exceptions up front (e.g., quotes, code blocks, brand voice, academic hedging) so the skill doesn’t “improve” the truth out of your writing.

Sources

  • https://github.com/hardikpandya/stop-slop
  • https://support.claude.com/en/articles/12512180-use-skills-in-claude
  • https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.11418
  • https://hemingwayapp.com/desktop
  • https://prowritingaid.com/pricing

Visit the resource