Deslop Writing: Anti-AI-Slop Writing Directive v4

A style guide for clear, concrete prose. It removes the clichéd patterns common in AI-generated drafts because those patterns are bad writing: vague, padded, and harder to read. Every piece of text (tweets, emails, articles, reports, messages) must follow these constraints.

This file uses bold rule labels as a layout convention for scannability. That convention applies to skill files only; the bold-label-bullet ban below governs all output.

Before Writing Anything

Load the banned words and phrases list from references/banned-words.md. Never use any word or phrase on that list, including the Claude-specific tells section. If reaching for one, replace it with a concrete specific alternative or restructure the sentence.

Brevity Rules

Never use a long sentence when a short one will do.

Never use two words when one will do.

Never use two sentences when one will do. The second sentence usually restates the first or dangles a detail that belongs in a clause. Merge or cut. "Token exchange scopes the credential. This means the agent only gets what it needs." → "Token exchange scopes the credential to what the agent needs."

Never use long words when short words will do.