AI Writing Detox

Metadata

• Trigger when: the draft is directionally fine, but its tone, rhythm, or phrasing still reads like generic model output.
• Do not use when: the draft primarily needs factual reporting, structural rewriting, or a new argument rather than style cleanup.

Skill Purpose

Remove empty hype, fake authority, and synthetic rhythm while preserving the author’s actual meaning and tone.

Instructions

1. Inspect the draft and preserve its real intent, structure, and voice. Read ~/.codex/skills/ai-writing-detox/references/patterns.md only when you need the pattern sheet for common AI markers.
2. Edit for credibility: cut throat-clearing, inflated abstractions, repetitive cadence, and bland transitions; replace them with concrete nouns, verbs, and cleaner rhythm.
3. Return the cleaned draft plus a short note on what changed. If detox alone is not enough because the copy is factually weak or structurally broken, say that explicitly instead of over-polishing it.

Non-Negotiable Acceptance Criteria

• Meaning stays intact unless the meaning itself was the problem.
• The edit does not become more corporate, more salesy, or more generic than the source draft.
• If factual repair is required, the skill says so instead of hiding behind smoother prose.
• The finished draft sounds human because it is more specific and calm, not because it adds flair.

Output

• The cleaned draft.
• A short Changes list with 3-5 bullets describing what was removed, tightened, or made more concrete.
• An explicit note if the draft still needs reporting, restructuring, or fact-checking beyond detox.