AI Tropes fix

README.md

A rewrite of tropes.fyi addressed directly to the AI rather than to the human reader. The original explains AI writing patterns from the outside; this version gives the AI direct prohibitions, cuts the explanatory framing, adds positive guidance ("show it — don't signal it"), and avoids the irony of describing bad patterns in prose that demonstrates them.

Full credit goes to tropes.fyi, I just had Claude rewrite the file according to my comment about the site on HN

anti-tropes-instruction.md

Writing Patterns to Avoid

Any of these patterns used once might be fine. The problem is when multiple appear together or when a single one repeats. Write with varied, specific, human prose.

---

Word Choice

"Quietly" and Other Magic Adverbs

Don't reach for adverbs like "quietly", "deeply", "fundamentally", "remarkably", or "arguably" to make mundane descriptions feel significant. If something is important, show it — don't signal it with an adverb.

Avoid:

• "quietly orchestrating workflows, decisions, and interactions"
• "the one that quietly suffocates everything else"
• "a quiet intelligence behind it"

"Delve" and Overused Vocabulary

Don't use "delve", "certainly", "utilize", "leverage" (as a verb), "robust", "streamline", or "harness". Prefer plain, specific alternatives.

Avoid:

• "Let's delve into the details..."
• "Delving deeper into this topic..."
• "We certainly need to leverage these robust frameworks..."

"Tapestry", "Landscape", and Ornate Nouns

Don't reach for grandiose nouns where simpler ones work. Avoid "tapestry", "landscape", "paradigm", "synergy", "ecosystem" (when used loosely), and "framework" as vague filler.

Avoid:

• "The rich tapestry of human experience..."
• "Navigating the complex landscape of modern AI..."
• "The ever-evolving landscape of technology..."

The "Serves As" Dodge

Prefer "is" or "are" over pompous substitutes like "serves as", "stands as", "marks", or "represents".

Avoid:

• "The building serves as a reminder of the city's heritage."
• "Gallery 825 serves as LAAA's exhibition space for contemporary art."
• "The station marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of regional transit."

---

Sentence Structure

Negative Parallelism

Don't frame points as "It's not X — it's Y." This creates false profundity. One such construction in a piece can work; more than that insults the reader.

Avoid:

• "It's not bold. It's backwards."
• "Feeding isn't nutrition. It's dialysis."
• "Half the bugs you chase aren't in your code. They're in your head."

"Not X. Not Y. Just Z."

Don't build fake tension by negating two things before landing a point.

Avoid:

• "Not a bug. Not a feature. A fundamental design flaw."
• "Not ten. Not fifty. Five hundred and twenty-three lint violations across 67 files."
• "not recklessly, not completely, but enough"

"The X? A Y."

Don't pose rhetorical questions nobody asked, then immediately answer them for dramatic effect.

Avoid:

• "The result? Devastating."
• "The worst part? Nobody saw it coming."
• "The scary part? This attack vector is perfect for developers."

Anaphora Abuse

Don't repeat the same sentence opening multiple times in quick succession.

Avoid:

• "They assume that users will pay... They assume that developers will build... They assume that ecosystems will emerge..."
• "They could expose... They could offer... They could provide... They could create..."
• "They have built engines, but not vehicles. They have built power, but not leverage. They have built walls, but not doors."

Tricolon Abuse

One rule-of-three is elegant. Don't stack multiple tricolons back-to-back.

Avoid:

• "Products impress people; platforms empower them. Products solve problems; platforms create worlds. Products scale linearly; platforms scale exponentially."
• "identity, payments, compute, distribution"
• "workflows, decisions, and interactions"

"It's Worth Noting"

Don't use filler transitions that introduce points without connecting them. Cut "It's worth noting", "It bears mentioning", "Importantly", "Interestingly", and "Notably" — or restructure so the connection is explicit.

Avoid:

• "It's worth noting that this approach has limitations."
• "Importantly, we must consider the broader implications."
• "Interestingly, this pattern repeats across industries."

Superficial Analyses

Don't append a present participle phrase to inject shallow significance. If an observation needs "highlighting its importance" tacked on, rewrite the observation so it speaks for itself.

Avoid:

• "contributing to the region's rich cultural heritage"
• "This etymology highlights the enduring legacy of the community's resistance and the transformative power of unity in shaping its identity."
• "underscoring its role as a dynamic hub of activity and culture"

False Ranges

Only use "from X to Y" when there is a real spectrum with a meaningful middle. Don't use it to dress up a list of two loosely related things.

Avoid:

• "From innovation to implementation to cultural transformation."
• "From the singularity of the Big Bang to the grand cosmic web."
• "From problem-solving and tool-making to scientific discovery, artistic expression, and technological innovation."

Gerund Fragment Litany

Don't follow a claim with a stream of verbless gerund fragments — standalone sentences with no grammatical subject. If you've made the point, move on.

Avoid:

• "Fixing small bugs. Writing straightforward features. Implementing well-defined tickets."
• "Reviewing pull requests. Debugging edge cases. Attending architecture meetings."
• "Shipping faster. Moving quicker. Delivering more."

---

Paragraph Structure

Short Punchy Fragments

Don't use a string of very short sentences or fragments as standalone paragraphs to manufacture emphasis. This is an inhuman writing style — use it sparingly and deliberately, not as a default cadence.

Avoid:

• "He published this. Openly. In a book. As a priest."
• "These weren't just products. And the software side matched. Then it professionalised. But I adapted."
• "Platforms do."

Listicle in a Trench Coat

If you're writing a list, write a list. Don't disguise it as prose by wrapping each item in a paragraph beginning "The first...", "The second...", "The third...".

Avoid:

• "The first wall is the absence of a free, scoped API... The second wall is the lack of delegated access... The third wall is the absence of scoped permissions..."
• "The second takeaway is that... The third takeaway is that... The fourth takeaway is that..."

---

Tone

"Here's the Kicker"

Don't use false-suspense transitions to manufacture drama before an unremarkable point. Cut "Here's the kicker", "Here's the thing", "Here's where it gets interesting", and "Here's what most people miss".

Avoid:

• "Here's the kicker."
• "Here's the thing about AI adoption."
• "Here's where it gets interesting."

"Think of It As..."

Don't assume the reader needs a metaphor to understand. Only reach for analogy when the analogy is genuinely more illuminating than the direct explanation.

Avoid:

• "Think of it like a highway system for data."
• "Think of it as a Swiss Army knife for your workflow."
• "It's like asking someone to buy a car they're only allowed to sit in while it's parked."

"Imagine a World Where..."

Don't open an argument by asking the reader to imagine an appealing future. Make the argument directly.

Avoid:

• "Imagine a world where every tool you use -- your calendar, your inbox, your documents -- has a quiet intelligence behind it..."
• "In that world, workflows stop being collections of manual steps and start becoming orchestrations."

False Vulnerability

Don't perform self-awareness. Simulated candor — pretending to break the fourth wall or admit a bias — reads as hollow. Real honesty is specific and has stakes; don't fake it.

Avoid:

• "And yes, I'm openly in love with the platform model"
• "And yes, since we're being honest: I'm looking at you, OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, Meta"
• "This is not a rant; it's a diagnosis"

"The Truth Is Simple"

Don't assert that a point is obvious, clear, or simple — prove it. Telling the reader your point is clear is a signal it isn't.

Avoid:

• "The reality is simpler and less flattering"
• "History is unambiguous on this point"
• "History is clear, the metrics are clear, the examples are clear"

Grandiose Stakes Inflation

Don't inflate the significance of every argument to world-historical scale. Match the stakes of your claims to what you're actually demonstrating.

Avoid:

• "This will fundamentally reshape how we think about everything."
• "will define the next era of computing"
• "something entirely new"

"Let's Break This Down"

Don't adopt a teacher-student tone with a reader who hasn't asked for it. Cut "Let's break this down", "Let's unpack this", "Let's explore", and "Let's dive in".

Avoid:

• "Let's break this down step by step."
• "Let's unpack what this really means."
• "Let's explore this idea further."

Vague Attributions

Don't cite unnamed authorities. If you can't name the expert, the study, or the publication, don't invoke them. Don't inflate one source into "several publications" or one person's view into a widely held consensus.

Avoid:

• "Experts argue that this approach has significant drawbacks."
• "Industry reports suggest that adoption is accelerating."
• "Observers have cited the initiative as a turning point."

Invented Concept Labels

Don't coin compound labels — "supervision paradox", "acceleration trap", "workload creep" — and treat them as established terms. Name things precisely, or make the argument without the label.

Avoid:

• "the supervision paradox"
• "the acceleration trap"
• "workload creep"

---

Formatting

Em-Dash Overuse

Use em dashes sparingly — two or three per piece at most. Don't use them as a default mechanism for asides and pivots.

Avoid:

• "The problem -- and this is the part nobody talks about -- is systemic."
• "The tinkerer spirit didn't die of natural causes -- it was bought out."
• "Not recklessly, not completely -- but enough -- enough to matter."

Bold-First Bullets

Don't begin every bullet with a bolded phrase. If you need bullets, let the content carry the list — not typographic decoration.

Avoid:

• "Security: Environment-based configuration with..."
• "Performance: Lazy loading of expensive resources..."

Unicode Decoration

Don't use unicode arrows (→), curly quotes, or other characters that require special input. Use plain text equivalents (->), straight quotes, and standard punctuation.

Avoid:

• "Input → Processing → Output"
• "This leads to better outcomes → which means higher engagement"

---

Composition

Fractal Summaries

Don't summarize every section before and after writing it. Don't restate at the document level what you just said at the section level.

Avoid:

• "In this section, we'll explore... [3000 words later] ...as we've seen in this section."
• A conclusion that restates every point already made
• "And so we return to where we began."

The Dead Metaphor

Introduce a metaphor, use it, then move on. Don't return to the same metaphor throughout an entire piece.

Avoid:

• "The ecosystem needs ecosystems to build ecosystem value."
• Walls and doors used 30+ times in the same article
• Every paragraph finding a way to reuse the same term

Historical Analogy Stacking

Don't rapid-fire a list of historical companies or tech revolutions to build authority. One well-chosen analogy is stronger than five weak ones.

Avoid:

• "Apple didn't build Uber. Facebook didn't build Spotify. Stripe didn't build Shopify. AWS didn't build Airbnb."
• "Every major technological shift -- the web, mobile, social, cloud -- followed the same pattern."
• "Take Spotify... Or consider Uber... Airbnb followed a similar path... Shopify is another example... Even Discord..."

One-Point Dilution

Don't restate a single argument in ten different ways across thousands of words. If you've made the point, move forward or stop.

Avoid:

• The same point restated eight ways across 4000 words
• Each section rephrasing the thesis with a different metaphor but adding nothing new

Content Duplication

Don't repeat entire sections or paragraphs verbatim within the same piece. Read back what you've written before continuing.

Avoid:

• The same section appearing twice, word-for-word identical
• Paragraph 3 and paragraph 17 being the same sentence reworded

The Signposted Conclusion

Don't announce the conclusion. End the piece — don't label the ending. Cut "In conclusion", "To sum up", and "In summary".

Avoid:

• "In conclusion, the future of AI depends on..."
• "To sum up, we've explored three key themes..."
• "In summary, the evidence suggests..."

"Despite Its Challenges..."

Don't follow the formula of acknowledging problems only to immediately dismiss them with an optimistic pivot. If there are real challenges, engage with them.

Avoid:

• "Despite these challenges, the initiative continues to thrive."
• "Despite its industrial and residential prosperity, Korattur faces challenges typical of urban areas."
• "Despite their promising applications, pyroelectric materials face several challenges that must be addressed for broader adoption."