# What Is the No Invention Rule in Humanizer? Preventing AI Hallucinations at the Source > Discover Humanizer's no invention rule. Learn how this core safeguard prevents AI hallucinations by ensuring generated content strictly adheres to source material, avoiding fabricated information. - Repository: [Siqi Chen/humanizer](https://github.com/blader/humanizer) - Tags: deep-dive - Published: 2026-09-13 --- **Humanizer's "no invention" rule is a core safeguard that prohibits the skill from generating facts, numbers, names, dates, or quotes not explicitly present in the source material or supplied by the user.** The `blader/humanizer` repository provides a Claude skill designed to rewrite AI-generated text into natural human prose. Central to its architecture is a strict editorial policy that eliminates hallucinations by refusing to fabricate information, ensuring every output remains traceable to verifiable input. ## How the No Invention Rule Works The rule operates through three enforcement layers embedded in the skill's workflow. ### Preserving Existing Facts When processing text, Humanizer may shorten, merge, or restructure sentences, but the factual content must remain unchanged. In [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/blader/humanizer/blob/main/SKILL.md), the draft-stage instructions explicitly mandate that the skill **keeps every supported claim** intact. If a sentence requires a detail absent from the source, Humanizer does not interpolate; instead, it halts and requests clarification from the user. This behavior is codified in the Draft rewrite section at line 36 of [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/blader/humanizer/blob/main/SKILL.md). ### Explicit Prohibition of Fabricated Details The [`README.md`](https://github.com/blader/humanizer/blob/main/README.md) at line 73 reinforces this constraint in user-facing documentation, stating that Humanizer "does **not make things up**." Specifically, any name, number, date, quote, citation, or factual detail must originate from either the source text or direct user input. When encountering a gap in required information, the skill responds with a query rather than an invention, preventing the propagation of fabricated data downstream to consumers like Claude or OpenAI models. ### Versioned Enforcement The rule gained formal status in version 2.9.0, documented in the Version history section at line 181 of [`README.md`](https://github.com/blader/humanizer/blob/main/README.md). This versioning ensures that downstream systems can depend on consistent, fact-accurate behavior, as the safeguard is treated as a contractual guarantee rather than a loose guideline. ## Practical Examples of the Rule in Action The following examples demonstrate how Humanizer handles complete versus incomplete source material. ### Preserving Provided Facts When all necessary details are present, Humanizer restructures while maintaining accuracy: ```text /humanizer [Paste your AI-generated text here] # Example input "The new API will launch next quarter, and it will support 10,000 concurrent users." # Humanizer’s output (no invented detail) "The new API will launch next quarter and will support 10,000 concurrent users." ``` ### Requesting Clarification on Missing Data When a specific fact is missing, the skill refuses to hallucinate a value: ```text /humanizer [Paste your AI-generated text here] # Example input lacking a needed fact "The new API will launch next quarter and will support millions of users." # Humanizer’s response (asks for clarification) "I need clarification: how many concurrent users does the API support? The source does not provide that number." ``` ### Installation and Invocation To deploy the safeguarded skill locally: ```bash # Using the Skills CLI to install Humanizer npx skills add blader/humanizer --global # Then invoke the skill via the agent /humanizer ``` ## Where the Rule Is Enforced The no invention constraint is distributed across multiple files to ensure validation at different stages: - **[`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/blader/humanizer/blob/main/SKILL.md)** – Contains the authoritative prompt including the no-invention instruction in the Draft rewrite step. - **[`README.md`](https://github.com/blader/humanizer/blob/main/README.md)** – Documents the rule for users and tracks its formalization in the version history. - **[`.claude-plugin/plugin.json`](https://github.com/blader/humanizer/blob/main/.claude-plugin/plugin.json)** – Directs Claude agents to the skill, indirectly enforcing the rule for Claude-based usage. - **[`scripts/validate-package.py`](https://github.com/blader/humanizer/blob/main/scripts/validate-package.py)** – Validates that skill files are correctly structured before publication, ensuring the rule remains intact in distributed versions. ## Summary - The **no invention rule** prevents Humanizer from adding names, numbers, dates, or quotes not found in the source material. - **Missing information triggers clarification requests** rather than hallucinations, protecting downstream systems from fabricated data. - The rule is **hardcoded in [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/blader/humanizer/blob/main/SKILL.md)** and documented in [`README.md`](https://github.com/blader/humanizer/blob/main/README.md), with validation logic in [`scripts/validate-package.py`](https://github.com/blader/humanizer/blob/main/scripts/validate-package.py). - Version 2.9.0+ treats this safeguard as a **versioned contractual guarantee** for all consumers. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What happens if Humanizer encounters a statistic missing from the source text? When Humanizer requires a specific number, percentage, or metric absent from the input, it will output a request for clarification such as "I need clarification: [specific detail]? The source does not provide that number." This prevents the interpolation of plausible-sounding but fabricated statistics. ### Does the no invention rule apply to stylistic rephrasing? No. The rule specifically targets **factual claims**, not writing style. Humanizer may alter sentence structure, vocabulary, and tone freely, provided that every factual assertion in the original text remains intact and no new factual assertions are introduced. ### How do I verify that my installed version includes the no invention safeguard? Check the version tag in your installation against the [`README.md`](https://github.com/blader/humanizer/blob/main/README.md) version history. The rule was formally codified as "the rule against invented facts" in version 2.9.0. You can also inspect [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/blader/humanizer/blob/main/SKILL.md) line 36 to confirm the Draft rewrite instruction contains the prohibition against inventing facts. ### Can the rule be disabled or overridden in the configuration? No. According to the source code in [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/blader/humanizer/blob/main/SKILL.md) and the validation logic in [`scripts/validate-package.py`](https://github.com/blader/humanizer/blob/main/scripts/validate-package.py), the no invention constraint is baked into the core skill instructions. There is no configuration flag to disable it, ensuring consistent fact-accuracy across all deployments.