Operator Humanizer

Eliminate AI tells. Inject authentic voice. Make it sound like a person wrote it.

What This Skill Does

Two systems, combined:

Pattern Detection — 24 AI patterns, 500+ vocabulary terms, statistical signals
Stop-Slop Rules — structural clichés, phrase bans, sentence-level mechanics

Together they catch what the other misses. Pattern detection handles vocabulary and content signals. Stop-slop handles structure and rhythm.

Reference files:

references/patterns.md — The 24 AI patterns with before/after examples
references/phrases.md — Banned phrases and structural clichés
references/structures.md — Structural patterns to avoid
references/vocabulary.md — 500+ AI vocabulary terms by severity tier
references/statistical-signals.md — Burstiness, TTR, sentence variance formulas
references/personality-injection.md — How to add human touches
references/examples.md — Before/after transformations

Quick Start

Scan content patterns → Check patterns 1-6 in references/patterns.md (inflation, jargon, promotional language, vague attributions)
Flag vocabulary → Tier 1 = ban completely, Tier 2 = use sparingly, Tier 3 = watch density (references/vocabulary.md)
Check phrases → Remove all throat-clearing openers, emphasis crutches, adverbs (references/phrases.md)
Break structures → Destroy binary contrasts, negative listings, false agency (references/structures.md)
Check style patterns → Em dashes, bold overuse, emoji, passive voice (patterns 13-18)
Remove communication artifacts → Chatbot openers, sycophancy, cutoff disclaimers (patterns 19-21)
Fix filler and hedging → Stacked qualifiers, generic conclusions (patterns 22-24)
Add personality → Parentheticals, tangents, rhythm variation (references/personality-injection.md)
Verify → Read aloud. Does it sound like a human?

Core Rules (Always On)

Cut These Immediately

Throat-clearing openers — "Here's the thing:", "It turns out", "The uncomfortable truth is", "Let me be clear"

Emphasis crutches — "Full stop.", "Let that sink in.", "Make no mistake", "This matters because"

Chatbot artifacts — "Great question!", "I hope this helps!", "Let me know if...", "Certainly!", "Of course!"

Binary contrasts — "Not X, but Y", "It's not X, it's Y", "The answer isn't X, it's Y" → Just say Y.

Negative listings — "Not a X... Not a Y... A Z." → Just say Z.

Generic conclusions — "The future looks bright", "Exciting times lie ahead", "This represents a major step"

Vocabulary Bans

Tier 1 (dead giveaways — never use): delve, tapestry, vibrant, crucial, comprehensive, meticulous, embark, robust, seamless, groundbreaking, leverage, synergy, transformative, paramount, multifaceted, myriad, cornerstone, reimagine, empower, catalyst, invaluable, bustling, nestled, realm, showcasing, underscores, testament, pivotal, enduring, landscape (abstract), journey (metaphorical)

Tier 2 (suspicious — use sparingly): furthermore, moreover, paradigm, holistic, utilize, facilitate, nuanced, illuminate, encompasses, proactive, ubiquitous, quintessential

Tier 3 (watch density): ecosystem, framework, roadmap, touchpoint, pain point, streamline, optimize, scalable

Full list: references/vocabulary.md

Mechanics

No em dashes — ever. Use commas, periods, or restructure.
No passive voice — find the actor, make them the subject.
No adverbs — kill all -ly words (really, just, literally, genuinely, honestly, simply, actually, deeply, truly, fundamentally).
No Wh- sentence starters — "What makes this hard is..." → "The constraint is..."
No inanimate subjects doing human things — "The decision emerged" → "Sarah decided"
No Rule of Three — two items beat three. One beats two.
Active voice — always. Someone does something.
Vary rhythm — short sentences mix with longer ones. End paragraphs differently. No staccato fragmentation for fake drama.
Use contractions — don't, won't, it's, can't.
Use "is" and "has" — not "serves as", "boasts", "features", "represents".
Be specific — no vague declaratives ("The reasons are structural"). Name the specific thing.

The 24 Patterns (Quick Reference)

| # | Pattern | Signal | |---|---------|--------| | 1 | Significance inflation | "marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of..." | | 2 | Notability name-dropping | Media outlets listed without specific claims | | 3 | Superficial -ing analyses | "showcasing... reflecting... highlighting..." | | 4 | Promotional language | "nestled", "breathtaking", "stunning", "renowned" | | 5 | Vague attributions | "Experts believe", "Studies show", "Industry reports" | | 6 | Challenges/Future Prospects | "Despite challenges... continues to thrive" | | 7 | AI vocabulary | "delve", "tapestry", "landscape", "showcase" | | 8 | Copula avoidance | "serves as", "boasts" instead of "is", "has" | | 9 | Negative parallelisms | "It's not just X, it's Y" | | 10 | Rule of three | "innovation, inspiration, and insights" | | 11 | Synonym cycling | protagonist / main character / central figure | | 12 | False ranges | "from the Big Bang to dark matter" | | 13 | Em dash overuse | Too many — dashes — everywhere | | 14 | Boldface overuse | Mechanical emphasis everywhere | | 15 | Inline-header lists | "- Topic: Topic is discussed here" | | 16 | Title Case headings | Every Main Word Capitalized | | 17 | Emoji overuse | 🚀💡✅ decorating professional text | | 18 | Curly quotes | "smart quotes" instead of "straight quotes" | | 19 | Chatbot artifacts | "I hope this helps!", "Let me know if..." | | 20 | Cutoff disclaimers | "As of my last training...", "While details are limited..." | | 21 | Sycophantic tone | "Great question!", "You're absolutely right!" | | 22 | Filler phrases | "In order to", "Due to the fact that" | | 23 | Excessive hedging | "could potentially possibly", "might arguably" | | 24 | Generic conclusions | "The future looks bright", "Exciting times lie ahead" |

Full details with examples: references/patterns.md

Structural Clichés (Stop-Slop Layer)

These live in references/structures.md. Check them alongside the 24 patterns.

Binary contrasts — Any "not X but Y" construction. Just say Y.

Negative listings — Building up through negation before revealing the point. Start with the point.

Dramatic fragmentation — "Speed. Quality. Cost." stacked for manufactured profundity. Use real sentences.

Rhetorical setups — "What if I told you...", "Think about it:", "Here's what I mean:". Just make the point.

False agency — Inanimate things doing human actions. "The complaint becomes a fix" → "They fixed it that week."

Narrator-from-a-distance — "Nobody designed this", "People tend to..." → Put the reader in the room. Use "you".

Passive voice — Always find the actor. Put them at the front.

Scoring

Rate 1-10 on each dimension:

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

Below 35/50: revise.

If 5+ of the 24 patterns are present: very likely AI-generated. If 10+ patterns: almost certainly AI-generated.

Adding Personality

Use references/personality-injection.md for the full guide. Quick version:

Parenthetical asides — (honestly, this part gets me every time) — 1-3 per 500 words max
Tangents — "Speaking of which...", "That reminds me..." — 1-2 per 1000+ word piece
Random thoughts — "I keep coming back to this:", "Honestly didn't think this would work but..."
Opinions — React to facts. Don't just report them.
Acknowledge complexity — "I genuinely don't know how to feel about this"
Let mess in — Perfect structure feels algorithmic

Pre-Delivery Checklist

Before handing over any draft:

Any adverbs? Kill them.
Passive voice? Find the actor, make them the subject.
Inanimate thing doing a human verb? Name the person.
Sentence starts with Wh- word? Restructure.
"Here's what/this/that" construction? Cut to the point.
"Not X, it's Y" contrast? State Y directly.
Three consecutive sentences match in length? Break one.
Paragraph ends with punchy one-liner? Vary it.
Em dash anywhere? Remove it.
Vague declarative ("The implications are significant")? Name the specific implication.
Narrator-from-a-distance? Put the reader in the scene.
Meta-joiners ("The rest of this essay...")? Delete. Let it move.
Tier 1 vocabulary word? Remove.
Chatbot artifact? Remove.
Generic conclusion? Replace with one specific fact.

Filler Replacements (Fast Reference)

| Before | After | |--------|-------| | In order to achieve this | To achieve this | | Due to the fact that | Because | | At this point in time | Now | | In the event that | If | | Has the ability to | Can | | It is important to note that | (just say it) | | For the purpose of | To | | In spite of the fact that | Although | | Moving forward | Next / From now | | Navigate (challenges) | Handle, address | | Lean into | Accept, embrace | | Deep dive | Analysis, examination | | Take a step back | Reconsider | | Circle back | Return to | | Game-changer | Significant, important |

Troubleshooting

Still sounds robotic after fixing patterns? You removed AI tells but didn't add personality. Read references/personality-injection.md.

Too casual after humanization? Match personality injection to context. Fewer asides/tangents in formal writing.

Too perfect? Add imperfection: vary sentence length, include a tangent, acknowledge uncertainty, drop a specific detail that feels slightly off-script.

Word feels suspicious but not on the list? Ask: "Would I say this in conversation?" If no, cut it or simplify.