# How to make AI-assisted writing sound less like slop

> Humanizer is an open-source agent skill that catches 33 AI writing patterns. Pair it with your own voice samples and ship cleaner drafts.

- Author: AI Kai
- Published: 2026-06-13
- Updated: 2026-08-24
- Topic: AI Dev Tools
- Tags: writing, skills, humanizer
- Canonical: https://hqman.me/blog/humanizer-skill/

Bowen Feng asked something a lot of us have hit:

> "I've started writing articles with the help of AI, and have tried some simple ways of making it sound 'less AI' - but the end result still has all the telltale signs. Has anyone come across good tools / methods / skills for actually having AI write in a particular style (like my old articles) that is convincing?"

You need two things.

## The tool: Humanizer

[Humanizer](https://github.com/blader/humanizer) is a popular open-source agent skill on GitHub.

Built on Wikipedia's ["Signs of AI writing"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing) guide, it catches 33 patterns. The five I keep seeing:

| Pattern | Example |
| --- | --- |
| Significance inflation | "marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of..." |
| Copula avoidance | "serves as" instead of "is" |
| Rule of three | "innovation, inspiration, and insights" |
| Em dash clusters | "institutions--not the people--yet this continues--" |
| Chatbot closers | "I hope this helps! Let me know if..." |

How to judge: a single pattern means nothing. Em dashes plus rule-of-three plus "vibrant tapestry" plus a generic closer in the same paragraph, that paragraph is cooked.

## Install

```bash
git clone https://github.com/blader/humanizer.git "$HOME/.claude/skills/humanizer"
```

```text
Humanize this article. Use my writing style from [file path] as a reference.
```

## How to use it

### 1. Give the model your voice

Paste one or two of your old articles into the prompt. Tell the agent to match that voice, including the rough edges.

```text
Humanize this draft. Match my writing style from the sample below.

[your old article]
```

This gets you most of the way. But the model still keeps AI patterns it does not know to remove.

### 2. Run Humanizer on the output

The skill scans for the 33 patterns, rewrites them, runs a second audit pass, and gives you the cleaned version.

## Before / after

Before:

> This innovative workflow serves as a testament to the power of agent-based automation, enabling developers to streamline their processes and unlock new levels of productivity. It's not just about speed; it's about fundamentally reshaping how we approach complex engineering challenges in today's rapidly evolving landscape.

After:

> The workflow saves about 20 minutes per PR review. You paste the diff, the agent checks for the patterns you always forget, and you get a summary without reading 400 lines. That is the whole value.

## Writing workflow

```text
1. Rough draft with AI
2. Paste 1-2 old articles as voice reference
3. Run Humanizer
4. Quick read. If nothing jumps out, ship it.
```