c9f6186b4b
Consolidates ghost-writer/resolve-todos/tldr-this into doc-help, hr-manager/interview into common, and the ckb-*/meeting-notes/meeting-prep/quiz skills into cascade-knowledge-base (renaming the latter three to ckb-meeting-notes, ckb-meeting-prep, ckb-quiz for naming consistency). Updates marketplace.json and README.md to match the new plugin set.
6.5 KiB
AI Writing Signs — Detection Checklist
Reference for the ghost_writer skill. Scan input text against these patterns before rewriting.
Category A: Surface-Level Tells (Easy to Spot)
1. Em Dash Overuse
Signal: More than 3 em dashes per 500 words
Fix: Replace with period, comma, or restructure the sentence
2. Banned Vocabulary
Signal: Any cluster of these words: delve, showcase, underscores, noteworthy, pivotal, realm, tapestry, beacon, multifaceted, commendable, meticulous, intricate, vibrant, bolstered, fostering, highlighting, crucial, emphasizing, enhance, align with
Fix: Replace with plain, direct language. "Shows" not "showcases." "Important" not "pivotal."
3. Perfect Grammar, Zero Personality
Signal: No fragments, no deliberate rule-bending, no contractions, no personality
Fix: Add a fragment. Use a contraction. Let a short sentence stand alone. Like this.
4. Formulaic Paragraph Structure
Signal: Every paragraph follows: topic sentence → evidence → summary
Fix: Vary openings. Start a paragraph with a question, an example, or a one-sentence punch.
5. Excessive Hedging
Signal: High density of: arguably, potentially, it's worth noting, it could be said, in many ways, some might argue, one could suggest
Fix: If the author means it, say it. Cut the hedge or restructure to a genuine conditional.
6. Meta-Commentary and Structural Narration
Signal: "In this article, we will explore…" / "As we can see…" / "In conclusion, we have discussed…"
Fix: Delete sentences that describe the document instead of saying the thing.
7. Identical Sentence Length
Signal: Every sentence runs 15–20 words with no variation
Fix: Vary aggressively. Mix a 4-word sentence with a 30-word one.
8. Transition Word Saturation
Signal: High frequency of: furthermore, moreover, additionally, consequently, thus, hence, in addition, it is important to note
Fix: Remove or replace with direct connectives ("but," "so," "and") or restructure without them.
9. The Rule of Three — Always
Signal: Every list has exactly three items; every comparison hits three points
Fix: Use two sometimes. Use four sometimes. Break the pattern intentionally.
10. Overuse of "-ing" Openers
Signal: Multiple sentences per paragraph starting with an -ing phrase ("Offering a wide range…", "Giving users the ability…")
Fix: Restructure to lead with the subject.
Category B: Deep Patterns (Harder to Spot, More Damaging)
11. The Abstraction Trap ⚠️ HIGH PRIORITY
Signal: Vague language where concrete details belong. "The experience was positive" instead of "Cut setup time from 3 days to 4 hours."
Fix: For every abstract claim, add one specific detail, number, or named example.
12. The Treadmill Effect
Signal: Text circles the same idea across multiple paragraphs without advancing the information
Fix: Cut restatements ruthlessly. If the same idea appears twice, keep the best version, delete the rest.
13. Latinate Bias ⚠️ HIGH PRIORITY
Signal: Preference for long, formal Latinate words over short Anglo-Saxon ones:
- "utilize" → "use"
- "facilitate" → "help"
- "commence" → "start"
- "demonstrate" → "show"
- "approximately" → "about"
- "endeavor" → "try"
- "in order to" → "to"
- "due to the fact that" → "because"
Fix: Audit every 3+ syllable word. Is there a shorter one? Use it.
14. Sensing Without Sensing
Signal: Sensory descriptions that feel generic ("the warm, inviting atmosphere" / "a rich blend of flavors")
Fix: Replace with specific, idiosyncratic detail that only someone who was there would know.
15. The Both-Sides Seesaw
Signal: AI presents "both sides" of claims the author clearly believes in, or softens assertions with unnecessary counterpoints
Fix: If the author has a position, let it land. Remove false balance.
16. Model-Specific First-Word Fingerprints
Signal:
- ChatGPT: sentences starting with "Certainly!", "As an AI…", "Sure!", "Here's…"
- Claude: "I'd be happy to", "Based on", "I understand"
- Generic: "Absolutely!", "Great question!"
Fix: Delete or fully restructure these openers.
17. Passive Voice Overuse
Signal: Actions where the agent is hidden: "Mistakes were made." / "The analysis was conducted."
Fix: Say who did it. "The team made mistakes." "We ran the analysis."
18. Uniform Paragraph Length
Signal: All paragraphs roughly the same length (3-5 sentences each)
Fix: Vary paragraph length. Use a 1-sentence paragraph for impact.
19. Overclaiming Comprehensiveness
Signal: "This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about…" / "A complete overview of…"
Fix: Say what it actually covers. "This covers the three most common setup errors."
20. Fake Urgency / Motivational Padding
Signal: Closing with generic positivity: "Now that you have the tools, you're ready to succeed!" / "The possibilities are endless!"
Fix: End with a specific, useful next step or a genuine observation.
Category C: Structural Red Flags
21. Symmetrical Bullet Lists
Signal: Every bullet item is the same length; every list has the same count
Fix: Vary. Let some bullets be 1 sentence, others 3. Cut a list to 2 items or expand to 6.
22. Overuse of Bold Headers in Short Text
Signal: H2/H3 headers every 2-3 paragraphs in a short document
Fix: Reserve headers for genuine section breaks in longer content.
23. Redundant Section Summaries
Signal: A paragraph that restates the preceding section at the end of each section
Fix: Cut. The section speaks for itself.
24. The "Despite / However" Pivot Formula
Signal: "Despite its many advantages, [X] faces challenges…" appears formulaically
Fix: Restructure the critique directly without the softening setup.
Quick Scan Protocol
When scanning a new text, check in this order:
- Ctrl+F for banned vocabulary (see #2 above)
- Read first sentence of every paragraph — are they all the same structure?
- Count em dashes — more than 3 per page is a flag
- Find one factual claim — is it specific or vague? (abstraction trap)
- Find one transition word — does it appear more than twice per page?
- Read aloud for 30 seconds — does it have rhythm, or is it a metronome?
Sources: vrid.ai/blog/signs-of-ai-writing (Feb 2026), Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing, academic research from CMU, theaugmentededucator.com, bethz.com pattern analysis