There's a specific feeling when you read AI-generated text.
You can't always name it. But you feel it immediately. Something is slightly off. The sentences are too balanced. Every paragraph is the same length. Words like "delve," "tapestry," "multifaceted," "it's worth noting" show up constantly. The rhythm never varies. Nothing sounds like a person said it.
People scroll past it. They trust it less. And if you're using AI to write anything that needs to sound like you, newsletters, LinkedIn posts, cold emails, proposals, this is costing you.
The fix isn't prompting harder. It's building a skill that teaches Claude exactly how you write, and making it run automatically every time.
This guide covers three things: why AI text sounds the way it does, how to build a humanizer markdown file that Claude uses as a permanent reference, and how to install a GitHub skill that enforces anti-AI writing rules on every output.
Why AI text sounds like AI.
Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and every other model was trained to be helpful, clear, and balanced. That training produces a very specific style.
Predictable structure. Every response has an intro, a middle, a conclusion. Every paragraph is 2-3 sentences. Every list has 3-5 items. Real human writing is messier. Some paragraphs are one sentence. Some are seven. Structure follows thought, not a template.
Safe vocabulary. Models default to words that are broadly understood and unlikely to offend. This produces corporate-speak: "leverage," "utilize," "it's important to note," "in conclusion." Real writers have verbal fingerprints, words they use, words they never use.
No voice. AI writing is neutral by design. It doesn't have opinions, pet phrases, strong preferences, or anything that sounds like a particular person said it. That neutrality is exactly what makes it feel hollow.
The word problem. There are about 20 words that models lean on constantly: delve, tapestry, elevate, comprehensive, robust, crucial, pivotal, multifaceted, nuanced, seamlessly, harness, foster, realm, underscores, in summary. If your output contains three of these in one paragraph, it reads as AI to anyone paying attention.
The solution isn't to avoid AI writing. It's to teach Claude your voice and make it enforce your rules before it shows you anything.
Part 1: Build your humanizer markdown file.
This is one of the most important things in this guide.
A humanizer markdown file is a document that describes exactly how you write. Claude reads it before producing any content. It knows your sentence style, your vocabulary rules, your structural preferences, what you say, and what you never say.
Here's how to build one.
Step 1: Interview yourself (or have Claude do it).
Open a new Claude chat. Paste this:
I want to create a writing style guide that captures exactly how I write,
so I can give it to AI and have it produce content that sounds like me.
Interview me with specific questions about:
1. My sentence length preferences and rhythm
2. Words and phrases I commonly use
3. Words and phrases I never use or hate
4. How I open pieces, do I use questions, bold statements, stories?
5. How I close pieces
6. What tone I aim for (direct, warm, funny, formal, conversational?)
7. What I think makes writing good vs. bad
8. Examples of writing I admire
Ask me one section at a time. After I answer everything, create a
clean markdown file I can download and use as a permanent reference.
Answer the questions. Be specific. "I don't like formal language" is useless. "I never use the word 'leverage' and I hate business-speak like 'circle back' and 'touch base'" is useful.
Step 2: Add the anti-AI word list.
After the interview, add a section to your markdown file called Words to never use. This is where you list every AI cliché you want eliminated from your outputs forever.
Start with these, they're the most common AI tells:
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