# Humanizer

A Claude Code skill that removes signs of AI-generated writing from text, making it sound more natural and human.

## Installation

### Recommended (clone directly into Claude Code skills directory)

```bash
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
git clone https://github.com/blader/humanizer.git ~/.claude/skills/humanizer
```

### Manual install/update (only the skill file)

If you already have this repo cloned (or you downloaded `SKILL.md`), copy the skill file into Claude Code’s skills directory:

```bash
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/humanizer
cp SKILL.md ~/.claude/skills/humanizer/
```

## Usage

In Claude Code, invoke the skill:

```
/humanizer

[paste your text here]
```

Or ask Claude to humanize text directly:

```
Please humanize this text: [your text]
```

## Overview

Based on [Wikipedia's "Signs of AI writing"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing) guide, maintained by WikiProject AI Cleanup. This comprehensive guide comes from observations of thousands of instances of AI-generated text.

### Key Insight from Wikipedia

> "LLMs use statistical algorithms to guess what should come next. The result tends toward the most statistically likely result that applies to the widest variety of cases."

## 24 Patterns Detected (with Before/After Examples)

### Content Patterns

| #   | Pattern                       | Before                                            | After                                                    |
| --- | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| 1   | **Significance inflation**    | "marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of..." | "was established in 1989 to collect regional statistics" |
| 2   | **Notability name-dropping**  | "cited in NYT, BBC, FT, and The Hindu"            | "In a 2024 NYT interview, she argued..."                 |
| 3   | **Superficial -ing analyses** | "symbolizing... reflecting... showcasing..."      | Remove or expand with actual sources                     |
| 4   | **Promotional language**      | "nestled within the breathtaking region"          | "is a town in the Gonder region"                         |
| 5   | **Vague attributions**        | "Experts believe it plays a crucial role"         | "according to a 2019 survey by..."                       |
| 6   | **Formulaic challenges**      | "Despite challenges... continues to thrive"       | Specific facts about actual challenges                   |

### Language Patterns

| #   | Pattern                   | Before                                                    | After                                |
| --- | ------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| 7   | **AI vocabulary**         | "Additionally... testament... landscape... showcasing"    | "also... remain common"              |
| 8   | **Copula avoidance**      | "serves as... features... boasts"                         | "is... has"                          |
| 9   | **Negative parallelisms** | "It's not just X, it's Y"                                 | State the point directly             |
| 10  | **Rule of three**         | "innovation, inspiration, and insights"                   | Use natural number of items          |
| 11  | **Synonym cycling**       | "protagonist... main character... central figure... hero" | "protagonist" (repeat when clearest) |
| 12  | **False ranges**          | "from the Big Bang to dark matter"                        | List topics directly                 |

### Style Patterns

| #   | Pattern                 | Before                                            | After                                     |
| --- | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| 13  | **Em dash overuse**     | "institutions—not the people—yet this continues—" | Use commas or periods                     |
| 14  | **Boldface overuse**    | "**OKRs**, **KPIs**, **BMC**"                     | "OKRs, KPIs, BMC"                         |
| 15  | **Inline-header lists** | "**Performance:** Performance improved"           | Convert to prose                          |
| 16  | **Title Case Headings** | "Strategic Negotiations And Partnerships"         | "Strategic negotiations and partnerships" |
| 17  | **Emojis**              | "🚀 Launch Phase: 💡 Key Insight:"                | Remove emojis                             |
| 18  | **Curly quotes**        | `said “the project”`                              | `said "the project"`                      |

### Communication Patterns

| #   | Pattern                | Before                                              | After                  |
| --- | ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------- |
| 19  | **Chatbot artifacts**  | "I hope this helps! Let me know if..."              | Remove entirely        |
| 20  | **Cutoff disclaimers** | "While details are limited in available sources..." | Find sources or remove |
| 21  | **Sycophantic tone**   | "Great question! You're absolutely right!"          | Respond directly       |

### Filler and Hedging

| #   | Pattern                 | Before                                | After                   |
| --- | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------- | ----------------------- |
| 22  | **Filler phrases**      | "In order to", "Due to the fact that" | "To", "Because"         |
| 23  | **Excessive hedging**   | "could potentially possibly"          | "may"                   |
| 24  | **Generic conclusions** | "The future looks bright"             | Specific plans or facts |

## Full Example

**Before (AI-sounding):**

> The new software update serves as a testament to the company's commitment to innovation. Moreover, it provides a seamless, intuitive, and powerful user experience—ensuring that users can accomplish their goals efficiently. It's not just an update, it's a revolution in how we think about productivity. Industry experts believe this will have a lasting impact on the entire sector, highlighting the company's pivotal role in the evolving technological landscape.

**After (Humanized):**

> The software update adds batch processing, keyboard shortcuts, and offline mode. Early feedback from beta testers has been positive, with most reporting faster task completion.

## References

- [Wikipedia: Signs of AI writing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing) - Primary source
- [WikiProject AI Cleanup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_AI_Cleanup) - Maintaining organization

## Version History

- **2.1.1** - Fixed pattern #18 example (curly quotes vs straight quotes)
- **2.1.0** - Added before/after examples for all 24 patterns
- **2.0.0** - Complete rewrite based on raw Wikipedia article content
- **1.0.0** - Initial release

## License

MIT
