unslop

/unslop — Strip AI Slop from Your Codebase

Three parallel analysis passes that detect and report AI-generated "slop" — generic, template-looking, over-enthusiastic output that makes code, comments, and UI feel artificial.

When to Use

• After completing a feature — check for slop before PR
• Before code review — pre-clean your changes
• When code "feels AI-generated" but you can't pinpoint why
• Periodic codebase hygiene — run on a directory
• After a long AI-assisted session to audit quality

Argument Parsing

Parse $ARGUMENTS for these tokens:

Token	Example	Effect
fix	/unslop fix	Auto-apply safe fixes after reporting
<path>	/unslop src/components/	Scope to specific file or directory
(none)	/unslop	Analyze all files changed since the base branch

Execution Flow

Stage 1: Determine Scope

If a file or directory path is provided:

Scope to that path. Use find or glob to list all code files under it.

If no argument (default):

Determine changed files since the base branch:

BASE=$(git merge-base HEAD origin/main 2>/dev/null || git merge-base HEAD origin/master 2>/dev/null || echo "HEAD~10")
echo "FILES:" && git diff --name-only $BASE
echo "DIFF:" && git diff -U5 $BASE

Classify files in scope:

File extensions	Passes to run
.ts, .tsx, .js, .jsx, .py, .go, .rb, .rs, .java, .cs, .swift, .kt	Code Slop + Comment Rot
.css, .scss, .less, .tsx, .jsx, .html, .vue, .svelte	+ Design Slop
.json, .yaml, .yml, .toml, .md	Code Slop + Comment Rot only

If no UI/style files are in scope, skip the Design Slop pass entirely.

Announce the scope:

De-slop scope: 14 files changed since origin/main
Passes: Code Slop | Comment Rot | Design Slop (3 UI files detected)

Stage 2: Parallel Analysis

Launch three sub-agents IN PARALLEL. Each receives the file list and diff content, and returns structured findings as text.

<parallel_tasks>

Pass 1: Code Slop Detector

You are a code simplification expert. Analyze the provided files for AI-generated slop patterns. Focus ONLY on slop — not correctness, security, or architecture.

What to flag:

1. Unnecessary complexity

   • Deep nesting (>3 levels) that could use early returns
   • Nested ternary operators — use if/else or switch
   • Dense one-liners that sacrifice readability for brevity

2. Redundant abstractions

   • Interfaces/types used only once — inline them
   • Wrapper functions that add no logic — call the wrapped function directly
   • Abstract base classes with a single implementation
   • Premature generalization ("just in case" extensibility points)

3. YAGNI violations

   • Features not required by current use cases
   • Configuration options nobody uses
   • Generic solutions for specific problems
   • "Future-proofing" code that adds complexity now

4. Dead weight

   • Commented-out code blocks (>3 lines)
   • Unused imports, variables, or functions
   • Duplicate error checks (caller already validates)
   • Defensive code that can never trigger (type system prevents it)

5. Over-engineering

   • Factory patterns for creating a single type
   • Strategy patterns with one strategy
   • Event systems for synchronous single-consumer flows
   • Dependency injection where direct instantiation is clearer

Return format:

{
  "pass": "code-slop",
  "findings": [
    {
      "file": "src/auth.ts",
      "line": 42,
      "issue": "Nested ternary — use if/else for readability",
      "severity": "medium",
      "fix_safe": true,
      "suggested_fix": "Replace ternary chain with if/else block"
    }
  ]
}

Pass 2: Comment Rot Detector

You are a technical documentation expert specializing in comment quality. Analyze the provided files for comment rot — inaccurate, redundant, or AI-generated filler comments.

What to flag:

1. Obvious restatements

   • // increment counter above counter++
   • // return the result above return result
   • // set the name above this.name = name
   • Comments that repeat the function/variable name in prose

2. AI-generated filler phrases (hard bans — flag these immediately)

   • "This function is responsible for handling..."
   • "The following code implements..."
   • "This is a comprehensive solution that..."
   • "This method provides a robust and scalable..."
   • "leverages" or "utilizes" (when "uses" works fine)
   • "seamlessly integrates"
   • "In today's rapidly evolving..."
   • "game-changer", "revolutionary", "cutting-edge"
   • "This class encapsulates the logic for..."
   • "Ensures proper handling of..."

3. Factual inaccuracy

   • Documented parameters that don't match the function signature
   • Return type descriptions that don't match the actual return
   • Described behavior that doesn't match the code logic
   • Edge case documentation for cases not actually handled

4. Stale comments

   • TODOs/FIXMEs for work that's already been done
   • References to removed/renamed functions, classes, or files
   • Version-specific notes for versions no longer supported
   • "Temporary" markers on permanent code

5. Over-documentation

   • JSDoc/docstrings on trivial getters/setters
   • Multi-line comments on self-explanatory one-liners
   • Repeating type information already in the signature
   • Section divider comments (// ==================)

Return format:

{
  "pass": "comment-rot",
  "findings": [
    {
      "file": "src/auth.ts",
      "line": 10,
      "issue": "\"This function handles authentication\" — restates the function name",
      "severity": "low",
      "fix_safe": true,
      "suggested_fix": "Remove comment — function name is self-documenting"
    }
  ]
}

Pass 3: Design Slop Detector

Only run this pass when UI/style files are in scope.

You are a design quality expert. Analyze the provided UI files for AI-generated visual slop — generic, template-looking patterns that signal "an AI made this, not a designer."

What to flag:

1. Generic color patterns

   • Purple-to-blue gradients (the AI default palette)
   • Gratuitous gradients on everything (buttons, cards, backgrounds)
   • Safe gray-on-white with one decorative accent color
   • Unintentional color usage (decorative, not semantic)

2. Template layouts

   • Default card grids with uniform spacing and no hierarchy
   • Generic hero: centered headline + subtitle + gradient blob + CTA
   • Dashboard-by-numbers: sidebar + cards + charts with no point of view
   • Uniform radius, spacing, and shadows across every component

3. Missing interaction states

   • No hover states on interactive elements
   • No focus states (accessibility gap)
   • No active/pressed states
   • No loading/empty/error states

4. Lazy defaults

   • Unmodified library defaults (default shadcn/Tailwind without customization)
   • Default font stacks with no intentional pairing
   • Glassmorphism cards that serve no UI purpose
   • Rounded corners on elements that shouldn't be rounded (tables, code blocks)
   • Excessive scroll-triggered animations

5. No visual hierarchy

   • Flat layouts with no layering, depth, or motion
   • Uniform emphasis on everything (nothing stands out)
   • No intentional rhythm in spacing

Return format:

{
  "pass": "design-slop",
  "findings": [
    {
      "file": "src/Hero.tsx",
      "line": 22,
      "issue": "Generic purple-to-blue gradient — replace with brand palette",
      "severity": "medium",
      "fix_safe": false,
      "suggested_fix": "Define an intentional brand gradient in design tokens"
    }
  ]
}

</parallel_tasks>

Stage 3: Merge & Deduplicate

WAIT for all Stage 2 sub-agents to complete.

1. Collect findings from all passes that ran
2. Deduplicate: if two passes flag the same file+line (within 3 lines), keep the more specific finding and note both passes
3. Sort by severity: High → Medium → Low
4. Group by pass for the report

Stage 4: Present Report

Format the consolidated report using pipe-delimited markdown tables:

De-slop Report
==============
Scope: [N] files changed since [base]
Passes: Code Slop [✓|✗] | Comment Rot [✓|✗] | Design Slop [✓|skipped]

## Code Slop ([N] findings)

| # | File | Line | Issue | Severity |
|---|------|------|-------|----------|
| 1 | path | line | description | High/Medium/Low |

## Comment Rot ([N] findings)

| # | File | Line | Issue | Severity |
|---|------|------|-------|----------|
| 1 | path | line | description | High/Medium/Low |

## Design Slop ([N] findings)

| # | File | Line | Issue | Severity |
|---|------|------|-------|----------|
| 1 | path | line | description | High/Medium/Low |

─────────────────────────────
Summary: [N] findings ([H] High, [M] Medium, [L] Low)
Potential LOC reduction: ~[N] lines

Omit any pass section with zero findings. If all passes return zero findings:

De-slop Report: Clean! No slop detected in [N] files.

Stage 5: Auto-Fix (only if fix argument was provided)

If the user invoked /unslop fix:

1. Collect all findings where fix_safe: true
2. Apply fixes in file order:
   • Code Slop safe fixes: Remove commented-out code blocks, remove unused imports
   • Comment Rot safe fixes: Delete obvious restatement comments, remove stale TODOs
3. Do NOT auto-fix:
   • Design slop (requires design judgment)
   • Factually inaccurate comments (requires understanding intent)
   • YAGNI violations (requires knowing the roadmap)
   • Abstractions (requires understanding the broader architecture)
4. Report what was fixed:

Auto-fix applied:
  ✓ Removed 3 commented-out code blocks (42 lines)
  ✓ Deleted 5 obvious-restatement comments
  ✓ Removed 2 stale TODOs

  Remaining (manual review needed): 4 findings

If fix was NOT provided but fixable findings exist, suggest it:

Tip: Run /unslop fix to auto-apply [N] safe fixes

Severity Guide

Level	Meaning	Examples
High	Actively misleading or creates maintenance burden	Inaccurate comment, missing hover states, large dead code block
Medium	Noticeable slop that reduces quality	Unnecessary abstraction, AI filler phrase, generic gradient
Low	Minor quality improvement	Restatement comment, unused import, over-documentation

Slop is never "Critical" — it's a quality concern, not a correctness or security issue.

Quality Gates

Before presenting findings:

1. Every finding must be actionable. Don't say "could be simpler" — say what to change and where.
2. No false positives from skimming. Verify the abstraction isn't used elsewhere before flagging it. Verify the comment is truly redundant.
3. Line numbers must be accurate. Check each cited line against file content.
4. Respect project conventions. If the project uses JSDoc everywhere, don't flag JSDoc as over-documentation.
5. Don't flag generated code. Skip files in dist/, build/, node_modules/, .next/, vendor/, or similar generated directories.

Notes

• This skill is read-only by default. It reports but does not edit files unless fix is specified.
• Design Slop pass is automatically skipped for backend-only projects.
• Works on any language/framework — the slop patterns are universal.
• Pairs well with /ce-review (which checks correctness) — /unslop checks aesthetics and quality.