Writer
rileyhilliard/claude-essentials
Writing style and tone guide for human-sounding content. An agent skill from rileyhilliard/claude-essentials.
Detect and eliminate common AI writing tropes from generated text.
Install No Tropes
$ npx skills add OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills --skill no-tropes -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills no-tropes --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/no-tropes .claude/skills/no-tropes && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "no-tropes" agent skill from https://github.com/OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills/tree/main/skills/no-tropes into .claude/skills/no-tropes/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "no-tropes", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills/tree/main/skills/no-tropesType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills --skill no-tropes -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills no-tropes --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/no-tropes .agents/skills/no-tropes && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "no-tropes" agent skill from https://github.com/OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills/tree/main/skills/no-tropes into .agents/skills/no-tropes/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "no-tropes", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills --skill no-tropes -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills no-tropes --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/no-tropes .cursor/skills/no-tropes && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "no-tropes" agent skill from https://github.com/OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills/tree/main/skills/no-tropes into .cursor/skills/no-tropes/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "no-tropes", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills.git --path skills/no-tropes--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills --skill no-tropes -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills no-tropes --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/no-tropes .gemini/skills/no-tropes && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "no-tropes" agent skill from https://github.com/OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills/tree/main/skills/no-tropes into .gemini/skills/no-tropes/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "no-tropes", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills no-tropesInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills --skill no-tropes -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/no-tropes .github/skills/no-tropes && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "no-tropes" agent skill from https://github.com/OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills/tree/main/skills/no-tropes into .github/skills/no-tropes/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "no-tropes", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills --skill no-tropes -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills no-tropes --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/no-tropes .opencode/skills/no-tropes && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "no-tropes" agent skill from https://github.com/OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills/tree/main/skills/no-tropes into .opencode/skills/no-tropes/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "no-tropes", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
no-tropes- GitHub stars
- 199
- Token cost
- ~455 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 202 words
- Files
- 2
- Skills in repo
- 22
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Detect and eliminate common AI writing tropes from generated text.
- Works in 6 steps: Read the full draft → Flag any trope matches from the reference → Rewrite flagged passages using plain,… → …
- Commit messages
- SKILL.md covers Core Principle, Quick Checklist and Revision Protocol
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
No Tropes is an agent skill from OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills. Detect and eliminate common AI writing tropes from generated text. Use when writing or revising prose, documentation, READMEs, commit messages, PR descriptions, blog posts, comments, or any non-code text output. Automatically applied as a self-revision pass (tropes.fyi).
Its SKILL.md is about 460 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 1 other file (for example `tropes-reference.md`).
It sits in Development, covering Humanizing AI text, Pull requests and Commit messages. The repository describes itself as: Skills that drive best-in-class engineering. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- Commit messages
- PR descriptions
- Any non-code text output
Example prompts
- “/no-tropes”
Workflow steps
6 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- Read the full draft
- Flag any trope matches from the reference
- Rewrite flagged passages using plain, direct language
- Prefer simple verbs ("is" over "serves as"), concrete nouns, and varied sentence structure
- Cut filler transitions ("It's worth noting", "Importantly", "Interestingly")
- If you catch yourself writing the same structural pattern 3+ times, break the pattern
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 8a97904. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
No Tropes loads about 455 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 70 tokens; SKILL.md has 202 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills at commit 8a97904, republished under its MIT licence (© OutThisLife). 202 words, ~455 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/no-tropes/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.- name
- no-tropes
- description
- Detect and eliminate common AI writing tropes from generated text. Use when writing or revising prose, documentation, READMEs, commit messages, PR descriptions, blog posts, comments, or any non-code text output. Automatically applied as a self-revision pass (tropes.fyi).
No Tropes (AI writing tells)
After drafting any prose, revise it against the tropes catalog in tropes-reference.md.
Core Principle
Write like a human: varied, imperfect, specific. Any single trope used once might be fine. The problem is when multiple tropes stack or a single trope repeats.
Quick Checklist
Before finalizing text, scan for:
- Word choice: "quietly", "delve", "tapestry", "landscape", "serves as", "leverage", "robust"
- Sentence structure: "It's not X — it's Y", "The X? A Y.", tricolons, anaphora, false ranges, "-ing" tacked-on analysis
- Paragraph structure: Short punchy fragments as standalone paragraphs, listicles disguised as prose
- Tone: "Here's the thing", "Think of it as", "Imagine a world", "Let's break this down", invented concept labels, grandiose stakes inflation
- Formatting: Em-dash overuse (2-3 max per piece), bold-first bullets, unicode arrows (→)
- Composition: Fractal summaries, dead metaphors beaten into the ground, historical analogy stacking, one-point dilution, "In conclusion"
Revision Protocol
- Read the full draft
- Flag any trope matches from the reference
- Rewrite flagged passages using plain, direct language
- Prefer simple verbs ("is" over "serves as"), concrete nouns, and varied sentence structure
- Cut filler transitions ("It's worth noting", "Importantly", "Interestingly")
- If you catch yourself writing the same structural pattern 3+ times, break the pattern
© OutThisLife, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
SKILL.md and 1 other file in skills/no-tropes of OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills.
- SKILL.md
- tropes-reference.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 8a97904
Compare with similar skills
No Tropes next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Tropes this skillOutThisLife/brooklyn-skills | 199 | — | ~455 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Writerrileyhilliard/claude-essentials | 130 | — | ~2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Writewaynesutton/markdown-site | 627 | — | ~3k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Simple History Voicebonny/WordPress-Simple-History | 317 | — | ~775 | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| Natural Writinga2ui-project/a2ui | 17k | 1 repos | ~2.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Writing Styleumputun/cc-thingz | 485 | — | ~1.3k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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Categories
Questions about No Tropes
What does No Tropes do?
Detect and eliminate common AI writing tropes from generated text. No Tropes is an agent skill from OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills. Detect and eliminate common AI writing tropes from generated text.
When should I use No Tropes?
No Tropes fits situations like: commit messages; PR descriptions; any non-code text output.
How do I install No Tropes in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills --skill no-tropes -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/no-tropes in OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills) into .claude/skills/no-tropes in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install No Tropes in Codex?
Run `npx skills add OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills --skill no-tropes -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/no-tropes in OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills) into .agents/skills/no-tropes in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use No Tropes in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills --skill no-tropes -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/no-tropes, .gemini/skills/no-tropes, .github/skills/no-tropes and .opencode/skills/no-tropes in your project.
What does No Tropes need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: No Tropes is instructions for the agent only.
Does No Tropes access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is No Tropes safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does No Tropes use?
No Tropes is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does No Tropes use?
About 455 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 1.8k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to No Tropes?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with No Tropes: Writer (rileyhilliard/claude-essentials, 130 stars), Write (waynesutton/markdown-site, 627 stars), Simple History Voice (bonny/WordPress-Simple-History, 317 stars) and Natural Writing (a2ui-project/a2ui, 17k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains No Tropes?
OutThisLife (a GitHub user) maintains it in OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills, which has 199 GitHub stars. The repository holds 22 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 5, 2026.
Source: OutThisLife/brooklyn-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.