# 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
