Content Review Skill

Setup

Before starting: check .handoff/sessions/ for active sessions, read context status.yaml, run git status. Follow .rules/universal.md (Plan -> Approve -> Execute).

<!-- Rules loaded from .rules/universal.md -->

Review written content for authentic voice, AI tell-words, and technical writing best practices. This skill applies platform-wide to any content across all contexts.

When to Use

• After drafting or editing a blog post, article, or documentation
• When the user asks to review content for quality
• When the user asks if something "sounds like AI"
• Automatically as a final pass before publishing

Process

Step 1: Scan for AI Tell-Words

Search the content file for these overused AI words (case-insensitive):

Tier 1 — Always flag: delve, crucial, landscape, leverage, utilize, robust, seamless, comprehensive, foster, embark, elevate, encompass, cutting-edge, paradigm, synergy, spearhead, facilitate, underscores, bolster

Tier 2 — Flag if overused (more than once): Moreover, Furthermore, Additionally, Consequently, Nevertheless, navigate (metaphorical), streamline, empower, enable, dynamic

AI Tell Phrases — Always flag:

• "In today's rapidly evolving..."
• "In the ever-changing landscape..."
• "It's important to note that..."
• "It's worth mentioning that..."
• "This is not just about X — it's about Y"
• "Let's dive in" / "Let's delve into"
• "Without further ado"
• "In conclusion" / "To sum up"
• "Stands as a testament to"
• "Whether you're a beginner or an expert"
• "One should always keep in mind"

For each flag, suggest a specific replacement.

Step 2: Check Voice and Tone

Review for these patterns:

Passive/inverted constructions from paraphrasers:

• "X is introduced by Y" → "Y introduces X"
• "X is provided by Y" → "Y provides X"
• Sentences where the subject comes after the verb

Overly formal language:

• Missing contractions (do not → don't, will not → won't, it is → it's)
• "One should consider" → "You'll want to consider"
• "Organizations must" → "You need to"

Colons and dashes as sentence joiners (common LLM pattern):

• Titles and headings that use : or —/- to join two clauses instead of writing a cleaner sentence
• Example: "Automating DR Testing at Scale: Failover & Failback Patterns for Multi-Cluster Kubernetes" → "How to Automate Failover and Failback Testing Across Multiple Kubernetes Clusters"
• Mid-sentence colons used to introduce a rephrasing or elaboration — rewrite as a proper sentence instead
• Exception: colons and dashes are fine in bulleted/numbered lists and code
• Flag every occurrence and suggest a rewrite

Monotonous rhythm:

• Are all sentences roughly the same length?
• Are there any short punchy sentences for emphasis?
• Does any sentence start with "And", "But", or "So"?

Step 3: Check Structure

• Front-loaded points? Each section should state the point first, then explain
• Specific over abstract? Are there concrete numbers, names, dates instead of vague claims?
• One idea per paragraph? Split any paragraph covering two topics
• Code examples work? Every code block should be copy-pasteable
• Opening sentence interesting? Not a generic "In today's..." opener
• Conclusion short? No restating the whole article

Step 4: Check for Common Paraphraser Damage

If the content was run through a paraphraser, check for:

• Broken markdown — tables, code blocks, lists, headings on wrong lines
• Reversed noun order — "images of containers" instead of "container images"
• Garbled commands — code/CLI commands that were reworded
• Lost formatting — bold markers, bullet points, numbered lists
• Merged sections — headings embedded in paragraph text
• Inconsistent naming — step numbers changed ("Phase Three" vs "Step 3")

Output Format

## Content Review: {filename}

### AI Tell-Words Found
| Line | Word/Phrase | Suggested Fix |
|------|-------------|---------------|
| {n} | {word} | {replacement} |

### Voice Issues
- {issue description + suggestion}

### Structure Issues
- {issue description + suggestion}

### Paraphraser Damage (if applicable)
- {issue description}

### What Reads Well
- {positive observations}

### Verdict
{Ready for review / Needs revisions}

Reference

If you have a writing guide for your project, reference it here.

Word Replacement Quick Reference

Avoid	Use
delve	look at, dig into
leverage	use
utilize	use
crucial	important, key
landscape	space, ecosystem, world
foster	build, grow
streamline	simplify, speed up
robust	strong, solid
seamless	smooth, easy
comprehensive	full, complete
Moreover/Furthermore	Also, And, Plus
Additionally	Also, And
Consequently	So
facilitate	help, make possible
embark	start, begin
elevate	improve, raise

Self-Assessment (Internal)

Rate this skill execution 0-10. If < 8, write feedback to .handoff/feedback/{date}-{skill-name}.yaml with: skill, rating, friction, suggestion, context. Do not mention to user.