unslop CLI

Humanize Markdown and text files from the command line. unslop removes common AI tells, varies rhythm, and preserves code, URLs, headings, tables, blockquotes, and YAML frontmatter.

Use it for docs, memory files, posts, bios, cover letters, and other prose where voice matters. Do not use it for secrets, legal text, medical advice, runbooks, or anything where exact wording matters more than readability.

Install

pipx install unslop
# or
uv tool install unslop

That is enough for deterministic local rewriting. For Anthropic API-backed LLM mode:

pipx install 'unslop[llm]'
# or
uv tool install 'unslop[llm]'

Local-model features use separate extras: unslop[surprisal] for DivEye readings and unslop[detector] for detector feedback.

For a one-off local checkout:

cd unslop
python3 -m scripts.cli --deterministic README.md

Quick Start

unslop --deterministic doc.md

Deterministic mode is local-only. No API key, no subprocess, no network call.

unslop doc.md

LLM mode uses ANTHROPIC_API_KEY when set, otherwise falls back to claude --print if the Claude CLI is installed. API calls default to claude-sonnet-5; set UNSLOP_MODEL to pin another active Claude model. Before any LLM call, the CLI refuses secret-like content such as private keys and common API token shapes. Use --deterministic for sensitive local files.

Common Commands

unslop --deterministic --diff doc.md          # preview changes
unslop --deterministic --dry-run --json doc.md
unslop --deterministic --report audit.json doc.md
unslop --mode full doc.md
unslop --no-structural --no-soul doc.md       # extra conservative
cat draft.md | unslop --stdin --deterministic

What Files Work

What Stays Exact

• Fenced code blocks
• Indented code blocks
• Inline backticks
• URLs and markdown links
• Headings
• Markdown tables
• Blockquotes
• YAML frontmatter

Deterministic mode validates these after rewriting. If preservation fails, the command exits non-zero and does not overwrite the file.

Backups And Sidecars

In file mode, unslop writes FILE.original.md before overwriting the target. If --strip-reasoning removes hidden reasoning traces, the stripped content is written to FILE.reasoning.md; those sidecars are gitignored by the repo template because they can contain process notes you did not mean to publish.

Why This Exists

Project memory files, READMEs, resumes, and draft posts often get polished by assistants until they all sound the same. unslop is a cleanup pass: remove the stock phrases, keep the facts, keep the code, and make the text readable again.

Part Of The Unslop Plugin

License

MIT.