A Claude writing skill for plain, human prose.
PlainSpoken is a Claude writing skill that edits prose so it says what it means in ordinary words. A script scans the text for stock openers, filler, inflated vocabulary, hedges, dashes, exclamation marks, run-on sentences and repetitive rhythm, with line numbers. Claude then rewrites what it found, removes AI-sounding phrasing while keeping your meaning and voice, and scans again before handing it back.
01See it work
PlainSpoken, in real use.
3 screens from real runs of PlainSpoken. Every value shown is what the tool returned; click a screen to open it full size.
02How it works
Find, rewrite, then check again.
A script does the part that needs patience; Claude does the part that needs judgment. The text is checked twice, so nothing templated slips back in during the rewrite.
- 01Scancheck.py lists each templated phrase with its line, its group and a plainer option.
scripts/check.py - 02RewriteClaude opens with the point, uses ordinary words and keeps every fact, name and number.
- 03Check againThe script runs on the new version. Anything still flagged is fixed or kept on purpose.
- 04Hand backThe edited text, with what changed and anything left for you to decide.
03The phrase list
AI phrases to avoid, in six groups.
scripts/phrases.json holds 179 phrases and words. Each group has a reason and a suggestion, and you can add your own house rules.
| Group | Count | Examples | Why they are flagged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Openers | 22 | "In today's fast-paced world", "In the ever-evolving" | A warm-up before the point. Start with the point. |
| Closers | 14 | "In conclusion", "I hope this helps", "At the end of the day" | A summary or sign-off that repeats the text. |
| Filler | 24 | "It's worth noting that", "Needless to say" | Delays the point. State the fact. |
| Inflated words | 81 | leverage to use, seamlessly to smoothly, empower to let | A plainer word says the same. |
| Hedges | 17 | "Could potentially", "arguably", "to some extent" | Commit to the claim, or keep one qualifier where the doubt is real. |
| Constructions | 21 | "Not only", "Whether you're", "Look no further", "Say goodbye to" | Stock sentence shapes that read as templated. |
04Punctuation and rhythm
The em dash, and other habits.
Some patterns are not phrases, so the checker finds them in code. Readers now associate them with generated text, and each has a plainer alternative.
| Habit | What the checker looks for | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Dashes | An em or en dash used as punctuation between words | A comma, colon, brackets or a full stop |
| Exclamation marks | Any exclamation mark outside code | A full stop; let the sentence carry the energy |
| Repeated openings | Three sentences in a row that begin with the same word | Vary how the sentences begin, or merge them |
| Long sentences | Run-on sentences far past the text's usual length | Split at the natural break |
05Before and after
Plain English, without losing the facts.
A real run. The draft had 75 words and 10 findings; the rewrite has 35 words and none. The three facts in the draft are all still there, in the same order, and nothing was added.
In today's fast-paced digital landscape, scheduling
shifts can be a real challenge. That's where Shift
Planner comes in — a game-changing tool that empowers
managers to seamlessly plan a week of shifts in minutes.
Moreover, it's worth noting that Shift Planner flags
double bookings and missed rest breaks before the
schedule goes out. We believe staff deserve better.
We built shift swaps so they can trade shifts on their
phones. We think you'll love it!Shift Planner lets a manager plan a week of shifts
in minutes.
Before the schedule goes out, it flags double
bookings and missed rest breaks. Staff can swap
shifts with each other from their phones.06Install
Install PlainSpoken.
Install PlainSpoken in Claude Code from the Dude Lemon marketplace, or download it for the Claude apps. Its script needs Python 3.8+.
/plugin marketplace add https://plugins.dudelemon.cloud/marketplace.json/plugin install plainspoken@dudelemonClaude uses the skill when a task matches its description. You can also call it directly with /plainspoken:plainspoken.
07Inside
What is in the skill folder.
SKILL.md- The editing workflow and rules: open with the point, ordinary words, commit to claims, no dash habits, keep the author’s voice and facts.
scripts/check.py- Scans a file or stdin and lists every finding with its line number, reason and a plainer option. Skips code blocks. Text or JSON output.
scripts/phrases.json- About 180 phrases and words in six groups, each with a reason. Edit it to match your house style.
08Ask in your own words
Say what you need. PlainSpoken does the exact part.
Claude reaches for PlainSpoken when a request matches it. You can also ask for it by name.
- Edit this email so it sounds like me, not a template.
- Tighten this product description and keep it under 80 words.
- Check this blog post for AI-sounding phrases before we publish.
FAQ
PlainSpoken, answered
Anything we have not answered here, ask us directly. A senior engineer replies.
Will it change what I meant?
No. The rules forbid adding facts, figures or claims, and keep quotes, names, numbers, terms of art and your spelling conventions as written.
Does it just delete words from a list?
No. The script finds candidates; Claude decides each one in context and rewrites whole sentences where swapping a word is not enough. A flagged term can stay when it is the precise word.
Does the checker work on its own?
Yes. scripts/check.py runs anywhere with Python 3.8 or later and returns a non-zero exit code when it finds something, so you can use it in a docs pipeline too.
Is PlainSpoken free?
Yes. PlainSpoken is free and MIT licensed.
How do I install PlainSpoken?
In Claude Code run /plugin marketplace add https://plugins.dudelemon.cloud/marketplace.json, then /plugin install plainspoken@dudelemon. In the Claude apps, download https://plugins.dudelemon.cloud/skills/plainspoken.zip and upload it under Customize, Skills.
Is PlainSpoken an AI detector bypass?
No. It is an editor. It makes text clearer by removing filler and stock phrasing, and it will not add claims or change meaning. Whether text was written with AI is a separate question it does not try to answer.