Rules for Fact Preservation in Humanizer Rewrites

Humanizer enforces strict fact preservation by prohibiting invented details, verifying claims against source material, and prompting users for missing information rather than fabricating data.

The blader/humanizer repository provides an open-source tool designed to remove AI-style phrasing from text while enforcing strict fact preservation in every rewrite. Unlike generic paraphrasing tools, Humanizer implements specific safeguards that prevent hallucination and ensure every output remains traceable to the original source material.

Core Principles of Fact Preservation

Humanizer operates on four non-negotiable rules that govern every rewrite operation. These principles are documented in the project's README.md and enforced through the 35 rewrite patterns defined in SKILL.md.

Never Invent Facts

Humanizer will not add any name, number, date, quote, citation, or other factual detail that is not already present in the source material. According to the documentation at line 13 of README.md, "It does not make things up. A name, number, date, quote, citation, or other factual detail must come from the source or the writer."

If a required fact is missing, Humanizer will prompt for it rather than fabricate it.

Preserve Existing Facts

During the rewrite process, Humanizer employs a two-pass verification system. While the original structure is not treated as immutable, any factual claim that survives the first pass is checked against the original source before the second rewrite completes.

As documented at line 9 of README.md, the tool "makes a first pass … then it checks the draft against those patterns and the original claims before rewriting whatever still needs work." The fact is retained unchanged unless the source explicitly contradicts it.

Ask When Uncertain

When a factual element cannot be verified from the provided source, Humanizer will ask the user for clarification instead of guessing. Line 19 of README.md explicitly states that details such as "the month and neighborhood need to come from the writer. If they are missing, Humanizer should ask instead of making them up."

Safeguard Against Invented Facts

The repository explicitly records a rule that prevents invented facts, reinforced through version updates. Line 165 of README.md notes: "Added the rule against invented facts and updated every example to follow it (fixes #187)."

This safeguard ensures that the rewrite patterns in SKILL.md do not introduce hallucinated content during processing.

Fact Preservation in Practice

The following examples demonstrate how Humanizer handles factual content during rewrites.

Preserving Verified Facts

When specific numbers and dates appear in the source text, Humanizer maintains them exactly while removing AI-style phrasing.

/humanizer

Original text:
> According to the 2022 report, the project saved **$1.2 M** in operating costs.

Rewrite output:
> The 2022 report shows that the project saved **$1.2 M** in operating costs.

The monetary figure remains unchanged because it appears in the source.

Handling Missing Information

When critical facts are absent, Humanizer refuses to guess and instead requests clarification.

/humanizer

Original text:
> The new policy will be effective next quarter.

Humanizer response:
I don't see a specific start date for "next quarter". Could you provide the exact month or date?

Removing Unverified Claims

Humanizer strips assertions that cannot be traced to the provided source material.

/humanizer

Original text:
> The algorithm achieved a 99.9 % accuracy, beating all competitors.

Rewrite output:
> The algorithm performed well, but I need a source for the exact accuracy figure and comparison to competitors.

The unverified "99.9%" and "beating all competitors" are removed because they were not supplied in the original text.

Key Implementation Files

The fact-preservation behavior is defined in two critical files within the blader/humanizer repository:

• SKILL.md – Contains the 35 rewrite patterns and the fact-preservation safeguards that govern the rewriting process.
• README.md – Documents the specific rules against invented facts at lines 9, 13, 19, and 165, and tracks the evolution of these safeguards through issues like #187.

These files work together to ensure that Humanizer's output remains truthful, traceable, and trustworthy across all rewrite operations.

Summary

• Never invent facts: Humanizer cannot add names, numbers, dates, or citations not present in the source.
• Verify against source: The two-pass system checks drafts against original claims before finalizing rewrites.
• Prompt for missing data: When facts are missing, Humanizer asks the user rather than fabricating information.
• Explicit safeguards: Rule violations are tracked and fixed, as seen in issue #187 and the corresponding updates to README.md.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if Humanizer encounters a missing date or number?

Humanizer will ask the user for the specific detail rather than inventing it. According to the documentation at line 19 of README.md, if details like "the month and neighborhood" are missing, the tool "should ask instead of making them up."

How does Humanizer verify facts during the rewriting process?

Humanizer uses a two-pass verification system described at line 9 of README.md. After an initial draft, it "checks the draft against those patterns and the original claims" before completing the rewrite, ensuring factual elements remain intact unless explicitly contradicted by the source.

Can Humanizer add citations or quotes that weren't in the original text?

No. Line 13 of README.md explicitly prohibits this behavior, stating that the tool "does not make things up" and that citations and quotes "must come from the source or the writer." Adding new citations would violate the core principle of never inventing facts.

Where are the fact preservation rules defined in the codebase?

The rules are primarily defined in SKILL.md, which contains the 35 rewrite patterns and fact-preservation safeguards, and documented in README.md at lines 9, 13, 19, and 165. The README.md file specifically tracks the evolution of these safeguards, including the addition of the rule against invented facts in issue #187.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}