humanizer

# Humanizer 

sponsored by [cfo.ai](https://cfo.ai)

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Humanizer makes AI-written text sound like a person wrote it, without changing what it says. It is built on Wikipedia's [Signs of AI writing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing), the guide Wikipedia editors use to catch AI-generated text, and it works in Claude Code, Codex, and any other agent that supports skills.

**Before:**
> I'm thrilled to announce that shared drafts are finally here! 🚀 For months, our own team was drowning in files named final_v7.docx — and we knew there had to be a better way. Now two people can edit the same doc at once, with every change appearing live for both of them. It's not just a feature; it's a whole new way to collaborate. Comments stay anchored to the exact sentence they reference, even as the text around them evolves. And the best part? It's available today on every plan, completely free. Let that sink in.

**After:**
> Shared drafts are out today. For months our own team passed around files named final_v7.docx, so we built a way for two people to edit the same doc at once, with each person's changes showing up live for the other. Comments stay pinned to the sentence they're about, even when the text around them changes. It's free on every plan.

In a blind test, judges preferred Humanizer's rewrite over the original AI text 16 times out of 16 ([#229](https://github.com/blader/humanizer/issues/229)).

Humanizer edits for human readers. Getting past AI detectors is not a goal, and detectors still flag most of its output.

## The five strongest tells

These are the most common signs of AI writing, and Humanizer rewrites any of them on sight:

1. **Not X but Y:** "It's not just a feature, it's a shift."
2. **One-line closers:** "Let that sink in."
3. **Sayings that sound deep:** "At its core, what really matters is..."
4. **A staged run-up:** "Here's the thing." "Honestly?"
5. **Arguing with no one:** "I'm not saying X, but..."

Humanizer checks for [26 patterns](#the-26-patterns) in all.

## Installation

Once installed, the skill answers to `/humanizer`.

### Claude Code

```text
/plugin marketplace add blader/humanizer
/plugin install humanizer@humanizer
```

The plugin answers to `/humanizer:humanizer`. It needs Claude Code 2.1.142 or newer; on older versions, use `npx skills add blader/humanizer --global --agent claude-code`.

### Codex

```bash
npx skills add blader/humanizer --global --agent codex
```

### Claude.ai and Claude Desktop

Download this repository as a ZIP (**Code → Download ZIP**) and upload it as a skill in Settings.

### Other agents

```bash
npx skills add blader/humanizer --global --agent '*'
```

This installs Humanizer for every agent the Skills CLI supports, including Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot, and Windsurf. Leave off `--global` in any command above to install it only in the current project. For an agent the Skills CLI does not know, copy `SKILL.md` into its skill folder.

## Usage

Call the skill directly:

```
/humanizer

[paste your text here]
```

Or ask in plain language:

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

To rewrite a file, give Humanizer its path:

```
Humanize the prose in docs/launch-post.md
```

### Match your voice

If you want the rewrite to sound more like you, include a sample:

```
/humanizer

Here's a sample of my writing for voice matching:
[paste 2-3 paragraphs of your own writing]

Now humanize this text:
[paste AI text to humanize]
```

Humanizer follows the sample's rhythm, word choice, punctuation, and deliberate quirks, including dashes if you use them.

## How it works

A language model writes whatever is most likely to come next, so by default it makes the choice that fits the widest range of readers and subjects. A person chooses for one reader and one subject. Every tell Humanizer looks for is a form of that default choice: a sentence that signals importance instead of adding a fact, rhythm or formatting applied by rule, an ordinary fact dressed as a pivotal one, text left over from the chat, or a reply that re-explains what the reader already knows.

> "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."
> Wikipedia, ["Signs of AI writing"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing)

Humanizer marks every tell it finds, strongest first. It drafts a rewrite without treating the original structure as fixed, checks the draft against the patterns and the original claims, and then writes the final version. It does not make things up. A name, number, date, quote, citation, or other factual detail must come from the source or the writer, and if a sentence needs a detail that is missing, Humanizer asks instead of inventing one.

When you paste text, Humanizer shows its work: the first rewrite, a short critique of anything that still sounds artificial, and the final version. Point it at a file and it changes only the prose, leaving code, data, frontmatter, and link targets alone. Personal writing keeps the writer's opinions and quirks. Technical and reference prose stays neutral and plain.

## The 26 patterns

The patterns are numbered by strength and frequency. The first five justify an edit on a single sighting. Patterns marked *weak alone* count only when several tells share a passage, because a careful writer may use any one of them on purpose.

### A. Staging instead of stating

| # | Pattern | Before | After |
|---|---------|--------|-------|
| 1 | **Not X but Y** | "It's not just X, it's Y", "This doesn't mean X. It means Y." | State the point directly |
| 2 | **One-line closers and dramatic fragments** | "That is the real win." after every section; "This shows the importance of..." after an example; "No prior. No nostalgia." | Cut the closer that repeats or explains the example; merge fragments into a specific claim |
| 3 | **Sayings that sound deep** | "At its core, what matters is...", "Symmetry is the language of trust" | Replace the saying with the specific claim |
| 4 | **Staged run-up before the point** | "Let's dive in", "Honestly? It depends..." | Remove the run-up and state the point |
| 5 | **Arguing with no one** | "This isn't mainly about...", "A tempting approach would be..." | Remove the unraised objection or fake option; keep any real claim |

### B. Rhythm by rule

| # | Pattern | Before | After |
|---|---------|--------|-------|
| 6 | **Forced triads** | "innovation, inspiration, and insights"; three examples plus a lesson | Use the number of items the meaning needs |
| 7 | **Repeated sentence openings** | "She noted... She noted... She filed..." | Merge the sentences or change the subject |
| 8 | **Dashes as the universal connector** (*weak alone*) | "institutions—not the people—yet this continues—" | Use periods, commas, colons, or parentheses; match a sample that uses dashes |
| 9 | **Stacked qualifiers** (*weak alone*) | "could potentially possibly be argued" | Keep only qualifiers the source supports |
| 10 | **Hyphenated pairs everywhere** (*weak alone*) | "the report is high-quality" | Keep the hyphen before the noun or where the dictionary has one |
| 11 | **Passive voice and missing subjects** (*weak alone*) | "No configuration file needed" | Name the actor when that helps |

### C. Inflation and borrowed authority

| # | Pattern | Before | After |
|---|---------|--------|-------|
| 12 | **Overused AI words** | "delve... testament... landscape... showcasing" | Use plain words |
| 13 | **Inflated significance** | "marking a pivotal moment", "Despite challenges... continues to thrive", "The future looks bright" | Keep the fact and drop the significance; end on the last concrete fact |
| 14 | **Vague connection or association** | "associated with the leadership of", "in connection with" | State the relationship the source gives |
| 15 | **Shallow -ing riders** | "symbolizing... reflecting... showcasing..." | Keep only what the source supports |
| 16 | **Sales language** | "nestled within the breathtaking region" | State what the thing is |
| 17 | **Borrowed authority** | "Experts believe...", "cited in NYT, BBC, FT, and The Hindu" | Name a real source and what it said, or remove the claim or list |
| 18 | **Avoiding is, are, and has** | "serves as... features... boasts" | "is... has" |

### D. Formatting by rule

| # | Pattern | Before | After |
|---|---------|--------|-------|
| 19 | **Bold as decoration** | "**OKRs**, **KPIs**"; "**Performance:** Performance improved" | Remove the bold; turn a labeled list into prose |
| 20 | **Decorative headings** | "Strategic Negotiations And Partnerships", "🚀 Launch Phase:", "The decision, on one screen" | Sentence case; remove emojis and arrows; name what the section holds |
| 21 | **Curly quotation marks** (*weak alone*) | `said “the project”` | `said "the project"` |

### E. Leftovers from the chat and the draft

| # | Pattern | Before | After |
|---|---------|--------|-------|
| 22 | **Chatbot residue** | "Great question! ... I hope this helps!" | Remove the wrapper and keep the content |
| 23 | **Knowledge-limit disclaimers and guesses** | "While details are limited in available sources, it appears..." | State what the source shows, or remove the sentence |
| 24 | **A heading repeated in the first sentence** | "## Performance" + "Speed matters." | Let the heading do the work |
| 25 | **Writing about the document instead of its subject** | "This function was added to replace...", "compiled from...", "The table below compares..." | Describe the subject; state a convention only when the reader cannot see it |

### F. Writing for the wrong reader

| # | Pattern | Before | After |
|---|---------|--------|