AI Slop Detector

120 patterns that make writing read like AI slop, in 9 categories. Each pattern has a short explanation, a bad example and a plain rewrite.

Give the list to your AI before it writes, or check a draft against it afterwards. To check a draft in your browser, paste it into the free AI Slop Detector.

The list doesn't try to tell whether a person or an AI wrote a text. People write these patterns too, and a model can be told to avoid them. A single pattern is normal in human writing; several in one paragraph is what makes a text read as slop.

Use it with your AI

Claude Code, Codex and other agents. Give the agent this repository and ask it to install the skill:

Install the AI Slop Detector skill from https://github.com/FeedHive/ai-slop-detector

Or install it yourself for Claude Code:

git clone https://github.com/FeedHive/ai-slop-detector.git
cp -r ai-slop-detector/skills/ai-slop-detector ~/.claude/skills/

ChatGPT, Claude and other chat apps. Paste this README into the chat and ask it to avoid every pattern in what it writes next. To check a draft, paste the README and the draft and ask for every pattern it finds, with the line it found it in.

Your own tools. patterns.json has the full list as structured data. Edit it and run node scripts/build.mjs to regenerate this README and the skill.

Categories

Vocabulary

Words that show up far more often in AI output than in human writing. One is a coincidence; three in a paragraph is a pattern.

V-01 Delve and friends

delve, dive into, deep dive, unpack, explore (for "discuss").

Bad: "Let's delve into the data."
Better: "Here is what the data shows."

V-02 Tapestry words

tapestry, landscape, realm, sphere, ecosystem, fabric (used abstractly).

Bad: "the ever-evolving landscape of marketing."
Better: "marketing in 2026" or name the actual change.

V-03 Testament and beacon

testament to, beacon of, embodiment of, hallmark of.

Bad: "The launch is a testament to the team's dedication."
Better: "The team shipped it in six weeks."

V-04 Pivotal and crucial

pivotal, crucial, vital, paramount, critical (as decoration).

Bad: "plays a pivotal role in growth."
Better: "drives 40% of signups."

V-05 Showcase verbs

showcase, highlight, underscore, emphasize, spotlight (as commentary verbs).

Bad: "The results underscore the importance of testing."
Better: "Testing caught three bugs before launch."

V-06 Foster and cultivate

foster, cultivate, nurture (applied to abstract things).

Bad: "fostering a culture of innovation."
Better: Say what the team actually does.

V-07 Leverage and utilize

leverage, utilize, harness, capitalize on.

Bad: "Leverage AI to streamline your workflow."
Better: "Use AI to draft the weekly report."

V-08 Elevate and enhance

elevate, enhance, empower, supercharge, unlock, amplify.

Bad: "Elevate your content strategy."
Better: Name the result: "Post three times a week without writing on weekends."

V-09 Seamless and robust

seamless, robust, cutting-edge, state-of-the-art, best-in-class, world-class.

Bad: "a seamless, robust solution."
Better: "it syncs in under a second and hasn't gone down this year."

V-10 Intricate and multifaceted

intricate, multifaceted, nuanced, complex (as filler).

Bad: "the intricate interplay of factors."
Better: Name two of the factors.

V-11 Meticulous

meticulous, meticulously, painstakingly, carefully crafted.

Bad: "meticulously crafted templates."
Better: "templates tested on 200 posts."

V-12 Vibrant and rich

vibrant, rich, bustling, thriving, dynamic.

Bad: "a vibrant community of creators."
Better: "4,000 creators who post weekly."

V-13 Journey and embark

journey, embark, navigate, voyage, path (for ordinary processes).

Bad: "embark on your SEO journey."
Better: "start with your top ten pages."

V-14 Game changer

game changer, revolutionary, groundbreaking, transformative, paradigm shift.

Bad: "This feature is a game changer."
Better: Say what changes and for whom.

V-15 Transition adverbs

Additionally, Furthermore, Moreover, Notably, Importantly (opening sentences).

Bad: "Additionally, the tool supports exports."
Better: "It also exports to CSV."

V-16 Empty intensifiers

truly, incredibly, deeply, profoundly, remarkably, fundamentally.

Bad: "a truly remarkable result."
Better: Give the number that makes it remarkable.

V-17 Quietly

quietly, silently, subtly (adding drama to plain events).

Bad: "Costs quietly crept up."
Better: "Costs rose 12% in March."

V-18 Align and resonate

align with, resonate with, speak to, in line with.

Bad: "content that resonates with your audience."
Better: "posts your audience replies to."

V-19 Key as an adjective

key insight, key takeaway, key factor, key role.

Bad: "The key takeaway is consistency."
Better: "Post on the same days every week."

V-20 Era words

in today's fast-paced world, in the digital age, in an era of, now more than ever.

Bad: "In today's fast-paced digital world, content is king."
Better: Cut it and start with the point.

Stock phrases

Ready-made phrases that fill space without adding meaning.

P-01 Worth noting

it's worth noting, it's important to note, it should be noted.

Bad: "It's worth noting that the API is rate limited."
Better: "The API allows 100 calls a minute."

P-02 At its core

at its core, at the end of the day, when all is said and done, ultimately.

Bad: "At its core, marketing is about people."
Better: Delete, or say something specific about people.

P-03 When it comes to

when it comes to, in terms of, with regard to, in the world of.

Bad: "When it comes to scheduling, timing matters."
Better: "Posts at 9am get more reach than posts at 3pm."

P-04 Let's dive in

let's dive in, let's get started, buckle up, without further ado.

Bad: "Ready? Let's dive in!"
Better: Start with the first point.

P-05 Plays a role

plays a role in, contributes to, is a factor in.

Bad: "Hashtags play a role in reach."
Better: "Posts with 3 to 5 hashtags reached more people in our test."

P-06 Stands as

stands as, serves as, functions as, acts as (instead of "is").

Bad: "The dashboard serves as a central hub."
Better: "The dashboard shows every scheduled post."

P-07 Navigate the complexities

navigate the complexities of, the ins and outs of, the nuances of.

Bad: "helping you navigate the complexities of SEO."
Better: "explains how Google picks which page to rank."

P-08 Whether you're X or Y

Whether you're a beginner or a pro, from startups to enterprises.

Bad: "Whether you're a solo creator or a global brand, ..."
Better: Say who it is actually for.

P-09 Look no further

look no further, you've come to the right place, this is your ultimate guide.

Bad: "Looking for a scheduler? Look no further."
Better: "FeedHive schedules posts to 10 platforms."

P-10 Unlock the power

unlock the power of, harness the potential of, take it to the next level.

Bad: "Unlock the full potential of your content."
Better: Say the specific gain.

P-11 Here's the thing

here's the thing, here's the deal, let me be clear, I'll be honest, I'll be straight with you.

Bad: "Here's the thing: most people quit."
Better: "Most people quit in month two."

P-12 The truth is

the truth is, the reality is, the uncomfortable truth, the hard truth.

Bad: "The hard truth is that SEO takes time."
Better: "SEO takes about six months to show results."

P-13 Sign-off clichés

I hope this helps, happy writing, feel free to reach out, let me know if you have any questions.

Bad: A post or article ending with "Hope this helps!"
Better: End on the last useful point.

P-14 Summary openers

In conclusion, In summary, To sum up, Overall, All in all.

Bad: "In conclusion, consistency is key."
Better: End on the last concrete point; the reader was just there.

P-15 Vague future

the future is bright, the possibilities are endless, only time will tell, the sky's the limit.

Bad: "With AI, the possibilities are endless."
Better: Name one thing that is now possible.

Sentence patterns

Constructions that AI reaches for again and again.

S-01 Not X, but Y

"It's not X. It's Y." / "This isn't about X, it's about Y."

Bad: "It's not a tool. It's a teammate."
Better: Say what it does: "It drafts replies for you to approve."

S-02 Not just X, but also Y

"It's not just fast, it's also accurate."

Bad: "Not just a scheduler, but a full content engine."
Better: List what it does.

S-03 The question isn't X

"The question isn't whether, it's when." / "The problem isn't X. The problem is Y."

Bad: "The question isn't if you should use AI. It's how."
Better: "Here is how we use AI for first drafts."

S-04 Negative listing

"Not a X. Not a Y. A Z."

Bad: "Not a plan. Not a hope. A system."
Better: "A system: three posts a week, written on Mondays."

S-05 Rhetorical Q and A

A question the writer immediately answers.

Bad: "Why does this matter? Because reach is everything."
Better: "Reach decides how many people see the post."

S-06 The obvious question

"The obvious question is...", "You might be wondering..."

Bad: "You might be wondering how this works."
Better: Explain how it works.

S-07 Colon reveal

A short setup, a colon, then a dramatic reveal.

Bad: "The best part: it's free."
Better: "It's free."

S-08 Faux insight

"What nobody tells you", "the part most people miss", "here's what most get wrong".

Bad: "What nobody tells you about growth: distribution beats product."
Better: "Distribution brought us more users than any feature."

S-09 This is where it gets interesting

this is where it gets interesting, this changes everything, and that's where things get wild.

Bad: "And this is where it gets interesting."
Better: State the interesting thing.

S-10 The useful part is

the useful part, the part where, the best part, the exciting part, the part that stuck with me.

Bad: "The useful part is that it connects to your inbox."
Better: "It connects to your inbox."

S-11 X is just Y

Calling something "just" a vivid unrelated thing to make a point.

Bad: "Posting without a plan is just gambling with your time."
Better: "Without a plan you post less and repeat topics."

S-12 Trailing -ing analysis

A sentence ends with an -ing clause that tells you what it means.

Bad: "Sales rose 20%, highlighting the strength of the brand."
Better: "Sales rose 20%."

S-13 Rule of three

Lists of exactly three adjectives or phrases, by reflex.

Bad: "fast, simple, and powerful."
Better: Keep the one that is true and provable.

S-14 Synonym cycling

Rotating names for the same thing to avoid repetition.

Bad: "The agent drafts. The assistant reviews. The tool publishes."
Better: "The agent drafts, reviews and publishes."

S-15 Arbitrary "one"

Putting "one" before a noun to sound focused when the number means nothing.

Bad: "Start with one workflow."
Better: "Start with your weekly newsletter."

S-16 Fake-strong verbs

boasts, features, offers, maintains (instead of "has").

Bad: "The app boasts an intuitive interface."
Better: "The app has a drag-and-drop calendar."

S-17 Imagine a world

imagine a world where, picture this, what if I told you.

Bad: "Imagine a world where your posts write themselves."
Better: Describe what the product does today.

S-18 Hedge stacking

may potentially, could possibly, might help to, can sometimes.

Bad: "This may potentially help improve results."
Better: "This improved reply rate by 8% in our test." Or cut it.

S-19 Both-sides filler

"While X has benefits, it also has drawbacks."

Bad: "While automation saves time, it's important to stay authentic."
Better: Take a position and support it.

S-20 From X to Y range

"From startups to enterprises", "from strategy to execution".

Bad: "From ideation to publication, we've got you covered."
Better: Name the two steps you actually handle.

S-21 Interpretive asides

Telling the reader how to read the text.

Bad: "That last point matters more than it sounds."
Better: Show why it matters, or delete the aside.

S-22 Rhetorical self-correction

"Actually, let me rephrase that", "Or rather..."

Bad: "It's fast. Or rather, it's instant."
Better: "It's instant."

Structure and rhythm

Slop is often in the shape of the text, not the words.

R-01 One-line paragraph stacks

Many short lines in a row, each a slogan.

Bad: "I quit my job. / I built a product. / Nobody came. / Then I learned this."
Better: Write it as one paragraph.

R-02 Fragment drumbeat

Strings of fragments for rhythm.

Bad: "Code. Content. Customers. Every day."
Better: One full sentence that says what you do every day.

R-03 Repeated starters

Several lines that start with the same word or phrase.

Bad: "It saves time. It saves money. It saves your sanity."
Better: "It saves about four hours a week."

R-04 Identical sentence shapes

Every sentence the same length and structure.

Bad: A paragraph of 12-word sentences, each "Subject verb object, comma, clause."
Better: Vary length when it helps the point.

R-05 List dumps

Long inventories of nouns in one breath.

Bad: "sales, marketing, support, ops, finance, hiring, legal and product."
Better: Pick the two that matter here.

R-06 Bullets for everything

Bullet points where two sentences of prose would read better.

Bad: Three bullets of four words each.
Better: One sentence.

R-07 Headings on tiny sections

Headers over one or two sentences.

Bad: "## Why it matters" followed by one line.
Better: Fold it into the paragraph above.

R-08 Recap ending

A final paragraph that repeats the whole piece.

Bad: "To recap, we covered A, B and C."
Better: End on the last point or the next action.

R-09 Mic-drop ending

A final "deep" one-liner.

Bad: "The future isn't coming. It's already here."
Better: End on the clearest concrete sentence.

R-10 Challenges and future outlook

A formulaic "Despite challenges, the future looks promising" closer.

Bad: "Despite these challenges, the outlook remains positive."
Better: Name the challenge and what is being done.

R-11 Fake-unscripted scaffolding

"And honestly...", "And look...", "So yeah..." used as filler.

Bad: "And honestly? That's when it clicked."
Better: Say what clicked.

R-12 Over-structured short answers

A short reply split into sections with headers and bold labels.

Bad: A three-sentence answer with "Overview", "Key Points" and "Conclusion".
Better: Three sentences.

Imagery and metaphor

AI likes making things vivid when they should be clear.

M-01 Cute metaphors

Abstract things doing human or physical actions.

Bad: "Your data is whispering insights."
Better: "Your data shows Tuesday posts get more replies."

M-02 Things that "live" or "sit"

Data, products or agents that live or sit somewhere.

Bad: "where your customer data lives."
Better: "where your customer data is stored."

M-03 Honest dashboards

Systems that "get honest", "tell the truth", "hide" or "reveal".

Bad: "Analytics finally get honest."
Better: "Analytics now count only real views."

M-04 Mixed and stacked metaphors

Two or three images in one sentence.

Bad: "a north star that fuels the engine of growth."
Better: Drop both images and say what drives growth.

M-05 Fuel and engine

fuel, engine, rocket, catalyst, springboard, flywheel (as decoration).

Bad: "content that fuels your growth engine."
Better: "posts that bring in signups."

M-06 Secret sauce

secret sauce, magic, silver bullet, holy grail.

Bad: "Consistency is the secret sauce."
Better: "Accounts that posted weekly grew twice as fast."

Substance

The deepest kind of slop: text that sounds informative and says nothing.

C-01 Importance puffery

Inflating significance: "marks a pivotal moment", "a significant shift".

Bad: "This marks a pivotal moment for the industry."
Better: State the fact and let the reader judge.

C-02 Vague attribution

experts agree, studies show, many believe, it is widely regarded.

Bad: "Studies show posting daily works."
Better: Name the study, or cut the claim.

C-03 Generic claims without receipts

Claims any company could make.

Bad: "AI can transform your business."
Better: "Our AI drafts a week of posts from a 3-line brief."

C-04 The portability test

A sentence that could move unchanged to another company or topic.

Bad: "We're committed to delivering value to our customers."
Better: A sentence only you could write.

C-05 Fake-profound wisdom

Lines that sound deep and mean nothing concrete.

Bad: "Growth is a mindset, not a metric."
Better: Say what you measure and why.

C-06 Smoothing the specific

Replacing a sharp fact with a generic description.

Bad: "a leading expert in the field."
Better: "who wrote the Kubernetes scheduler."

C-07 Made-up specifics

Invented numbers, names or examples presented as real.

Bad: "Sarah, a marketing manager, saved 10 hours a week." (no Sarah exists)
Better: A real example, or none.

C-08 Telling instead of showing

Labeling something surprising, important or interesting.

Bad: "Surprisingly, the simple version won."
Better: "The simple version got twice the clicks."

C-09 Canned notability

"featured in top outlets", "widely recognized", "has an active social media presence".

Bad: "She has been featured in numerous leading publications."
Better: Name one, with a link.

C-10 Superficial balance

Every point gets a "however" so the text never commits.

Bad: "AI is powerful. However, it has limitations."
Better: Say which limitation matters for this reader.

C-11 Advice with no steps

Telling the reader to "optimize", "be strategic" or "stay consistent" without saying how.

Bad: "Optimize your posting schedule."
Better: "Post Tuesday to Thursday between 8 and 10am."

C-12 Hollow promises

"Everything you need to know", "the ultimate guide", "master X in minutes".

Bad: "The ultimate guide to LinkedIn."
Better: "How to write a LinkedIn post that gets replies."

Formatting and punctuation

F-01 Em dash habit

Em dashes used everywhere for rhythm.

Bad: "It's fast — really fast — and free."
Better: "It's fast and free." Use commas, periods or parentheses.

F-02 Bold sprinkled mid-sentence

Random words in bold for emphasis.

Bad: "This is really important for growth."
Better: No bold; let the sentence carry it.

F-03 Emoji as bullets

✅ 🚀 💡 👉 used as list markers or decoration.

Bad: "✅ Faster ✅ Cheaper ✅ Better"
Better: A plain sentence.

F-04 Title Case Headings

Every Word Capitalized In Headings.

Bad: "How To Grow Your Audience On LinkedIn"
Better: "How to grow your audience on LinkedIn"

F-05 Colon-label lines

Every line starts with a bold label and a colon.

Bad: "Speed: fast. Price: low. Support: great."
Better: A sentence about the one that matters.

F-06 Markdown in the wrong place

Asterisks, hashtags or headers pasted into emails, posts or forms.

Bad: "Subject: ..." inside a LinkedIn post.
Better: Plain text.

F-07 Curly-quote and character mix

Curly quotes, special dashes and non-breaking spaces mixed with plain text.

Bad: “quotes” next to "quotes" in one paragraph.
Better: Pick one style.

F-08 Exclamation inflation

Exclamation marks on ordinary sentences.

Bad: "We updated the settings page!"
Better: "We updated the settings page."

F-09 Unicode bold and fancy fonts in long posts

𝗕𝗼𝗹𝗱 or 𝓈𝒸𝓇𝒾𝓅𝓉 letters across whole lines.

Bad: An entire LinkedIn post in Unicode bold.
Better: Plain text, one bold phrase at most (screen readers can't read these).

F-10 Tables for two facts

A table where a sentence would do.

Bad: A 2x2 table comparing price and speed.
Better: "A is cheaper; B is faster."

Chatbot residue

Text that was clearly copied out of a chat window.

B-01 Assistant openers

Certainly!, Absolutely!, Great question!, Of course!

Bad: "Certainly! Here's a LinkedIn post about..."
Better: Delete it.

B-02 Sycophancy

You're absolutely right, what a great idea, I love this.

Bad: An email reply starting "Great point, you're absolutely right!"
Better: Answer the point.

B-03 Offer to do more

Would you like me to..., Let me know if you'd like a shorter version.

Bad: A published post ending "Would you like me to adjust the tone?"
Better: Delete it.

B-04 Here is a...

Lead-ins like "Here is a polished version of your post:" left in the final text.

Better: Delete the line.

B-05 Placeholder text

[Your Name], [Company], [insert statistic], XX%.

Better: Fill it in or cut the sentence.

B-06 AI disclaimers

As an AI, I don't have personal opinions; my knowledge is limited to...

Better: Delete it.

B-07 Source hedging

"Based on available information", "specific details are limited".

Bad: "While specific figures are not widely available, ..."
Better: Find the figure or don't mention it.

B-08 Citation debris

Leftover markers like [1], contentReference, oaicite, turn0search0.

Better: Remove them, and check the claim they were attached to.

Social media and LinkedIn

Patterns that turn a post into "LinkedIn slop".

L-01 Broetry

One sentence per line, top to bottom.

Bad: A 20-line post where every line is a new sentence.
Better: Short paragraphs.

L-02 Hook formulas

"I was fired. Best thing that ever happened.", "Unpopular opinion:", "Stop doing X."

Better: Open with the specific thing that happened or the specific claim.

L-03 Thrilled to announce

I'm thrilled/excited/humbled to announce, I'm proud to share.

Bad: "I'm thrilled to announce I've joined Acme!"
Better: "I joined Acme to lead the growth team."

L-04 Read that again

Read that again., Let that sink in., I'll say it louder.

Better: Delete it. If the line needs a second read, rewrite it.

L-05 Agree? / Thoughts?

Engagement-bait closers.

Bad: "Agree? 👇"
Better: Ask a real question, or don't.

L-06 The lesson list

"Here are 7 lessons I learned from..." with generic lessons.

Better: One lesson with the story behind it.

L-07 Humblebrag setup

"I don't usually post this, but...", "This might be controversial, but..."

Better: Post it without the preamble.

L-08 Thread markers

🧵, 1/, "A thread" on content that isn't a thread.

Better: Write the post.

L-09 Hashtag walls

Ten or more hashtags at the end.

Better: Three relevant ones, or none.

L-10 That's it. That's the post

Self-aware closers that announce the ending.

Bad: "That's it. That's the tweet."
Better: Just stop.

L-11 P.S. engagement

"P.S. Repost ♻️ if this helped." on every post.

Better: Drop it, or use it rarely.

L-12 No fluff, just value

Announcing quality instead of delivering it: no fluff, just value; straight to the point; real talk.

Better: Delete the announcement.

L-13 Comment slop

Generic replies: "Great insights!", "So true!", "Thanks for sharing, this is gold."

Better: Reply to something specific in the post, or don't reply.

L-14 Fake vulnerability arc

"I failed. I was broke. Then I discovered X." built to sell.

Better: Tell what happened, with dates and numbers.

L-15 Contrarian template

"Everyone says X. They're wrong."

Better: Make your claim and back it up; skip the strawman.

License

MIT. Use it, change it and ship it in your own tools.