Enforce anti-AI writing patterns with Vale

.github/styles/AIPatterns/AITics.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+extends: existence
+message: "'%s' is an AI-like writing pattern. State the point directly."
+ignorecase: true
+level: error
+tokens:
+  - It's important to note that
+  - It is important to note that
+  - It's worth mentioning that
+  - It is worth mentioning that
+  - It's worth noting that
+  - It is worth noting that
+  - It should be noted that
+  - It should be mentioned that
+  - As previously mentioned
+  - As mentioned earlier
+  - As noted above
+  - As discussed earlier
+  - As we discussed
+  - As we mentioned
+  - It bears mentioning
+  - It bears noting
+  - you might be wondering
+  - you may be wondering
+  - you may be asking yourself
+  - you might be asking yourself
+  - and that's okay
+  - and that's perfectly fine

.github/styles/AIPatterns/Antithesis.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+extends: existence
+message: "'%s' is the AI negation-antithesis construction. Keep only if the contrast is earned; otherwise state the point directly."
+ignorecase: true
+nonword: true
+level: suggestion
+tokens:
+  - '(it''s|it is|that''s|that is) not (just |merely |simply |only )?(about )?[^.]{1,45}[—–-] ?(it''s|it is|that''s|they''re|they are)'
+  - 'not only (does|is|do|are|will|can|did) [^.,]{1,45}, but (also |it also |they also )'
+  - 'that''s where [^.]{1,40} comes? in'

.github/styles/AIPatterns/Flourishes.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+extends: existence
+message: "'%s' is a dramatic flourish AI writing leans on. Fine if it's earned; cut it if it's filler."
+ignorecase: true
+level: warning
+tokens:
+  - Let that sink in
+  - Buckle up
+  - Spoiler alert
+  - Plot twist
+  - Here's the kicker
+  - Here is the kicker
+  - Here's the catch
+  - Here is the catch

.github/styles/AIPatterns/MetaCommentary.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+extends: existence
+message: "Avoid meta-commentary like '%s'. Just do it directly."
+ignorecase: true
+level: error
+tokens:
+  - Let's explore
+  - Let's dive into
+  - Let's take a look at
+  - Let's examine
+  - Let's consider
+  - Let's unpack
+  - Let's break down
+  - Let us explore
+  - Let us dive into

.github/styles/AIPatterns/PerformativeEnthusiasm.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+extends: existence
+message: "'%s' sounds like performative enthusiasm. Keep a measured, authentic tone."
+ignorecase: true
+nonword: true
+level: error
+tokens:
+  - Great question!
+  - Excellent point!
+  - Excellent question!
+  - Great point!
+  - Fantastic approach
+  - Fantastic question
+  - Wonderful point
+  - Brilliant observation
+  - Absolutely right
+  - Couldn't agree more

.github/styles/AIPatterns/RhetoricalQuestions.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+extends: existence
+message: "Avoid formulaic rhetorical questions like '%s'. Trust the reader to draw conclusions."
+ignorecase: true
+nonword: true
+level: suggestion
+tokens:
+  - 'So what does this mean\?'
+  - 'So what does that mean\?'
+  - 'So why does this matter\?'
+  - 'Why does this matter\?'
+  - 'What does this look like in practice\?'
+  - 'What does that look like in practice\?'
+  - But what does this mean
+  - But why does this matter
+  - So how do we
+  - So how do you

.github/styles/AIPatterns/SetupPhrases.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+extends: existence
+message: "'%s' is a setup phrase. Get to the point."
+ignorecase: true
+level: warning
+tokens:
+  - When it comes to
+  - In terms of
+  - In the context of
+  - In today's
+  - In an era
+  - In the world of
+  - In the realm of
+  - At its core
+  - At its heart
+  - In essence
+  - Gone are the days
+  - Rest assured
+  - Look no further

.github/styles/AIPatterns/ThisConstructions.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+extends: existence
+message: "'%s' is a common AI writing pattern. Rephrase for a more natural voice."
+ignorecase: true
+level: error
+tokens:
+  - This ensures that
+  - This allows for
+  - This enables teams
+  - This enables you
+  - This enables organizations
+  - This provides a
+  - This creates a
+  - This helps ensure
+  - This helps to ensure
+  - This makes it easy
+  - This makes it possible

.github/styles/AIPatterns/Transitions.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+extends: existence
+message: "'%s' is a formulaic transition. Use a natural transition or restructure."
+ignorecase: false
+nonword: true
+level: warning
+scope: sentence
+tokens:
+  - Furthermore,
+  - Moreover,
+  - Additionally,
+  - In addition,
+  - That being said,
+  - That said,
+  - In conclusion,
+  - To summarize,
+  - In summary,
+  - Overall,

.github/styles/AIPatterns/VagueIntensifiers.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+extends: existence
+message: "'%s' is a vague intensifier. Be specific or provide evidence."
+ignorecase: true
+level: suggestion
+tokens:
+  - very unique
+  - truly unique
+  - truly transformative
+  - incredibly important
+  - incredibly valuable
+  - incredibly powerful
+  - highly effective

.github/styles/AIPatterns/WeakOpenings.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+extends: existence
+message: "'%s' is a weak opening. Start with a stronger, more specific statement."
+ignorecase: true
+level: suggestion
+tokens:
+  - One of the most important
+  - One of the biggest
+  - One of the key
+  - An important thing to
+  - An important aspect of
+  - An important consideration

.github/workflows/ci.yml

@@ -77,10 +77,10 @@
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6
 
       - name: Set up Node.js
         uses: actions/setup-node@48b55a011bda9f5d6aeb4c2d9c7362e8dae4041e # v6
         with:
           node-version: ${{ env.NODE_VERSION }}
           cache: 'npm'
@@ -95,6 +95,22 @@
           curl -fSL "https://github.com/Automattic/harper/releases/download/${HARPER_VERSION}/harper-cli-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz" | tar xz
           sudo mv harper-cli /usr/local/bin/
 
+      - name: Install Vale
+        env:
+          VALE_VERSION: 3.14.2
+        run: |
+          curl -fSL "https://github.com/errata-ai/vale/releases/download/v${VALE_VERSION}/vale_${VALE_VERSION}_Linux_64-bit.tar.gz" | tar xz vale
+          sudo mv vale /usr/local/bin/
+
+      - name: Cache Vale styles
+        uses: actions/cache@27d5ce7f107fe9357f9df03efb73ab90386fccae # v5
+        with:
+          path: .github/styles
+          key: vale-styles-${{ hashFiles('.vale.ini', '.github/styles/AIPatterns/*.yml') }}
+
+      - name: Sync Vale packages
+        run: vale sync
+
       - name: script/cibuild-content
         run: script/cibuild-content
 

.gitignore

@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 node_modules
 /tmp
 .github/styles/*
+# Local Vale style is checked in; synced packages above are not
+!.github/styles/AIPatterns
 .frontmatter
 assets/css/style.css
 assets/js/bundle.js

.vale.ini

@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
 StylesPath = .github/styles
-Packages = Microsoft, alex, proselint, Readability, write-good, https://github.com/benbalter/vale-styles/releases/download/v0.0.1/BenBalter.zip
+Packages = Microsoft, alex, proselint, Readability, write-good, https://github.com/benbalter/vale-styles/releases/download/v0.0.2/BenBalter.zip
 
-[*.md]
-BasedOnStyles = Vale, Microsoft, alex, proselint, Readability, write-good, BenBalter
+[formats]
+mdx = md
+
+[*.{md,mdx}]
+BasedOnStyles = Vale, Microsoft, alex, proselint, Readability, write-good, BenBalter, AIPatterns
 alex.Condescending = warn
 Microsoft.Adverbs = NO
 Microsoft.Avoid = warn
@@ -15,4 +18,34 @@ Microsoft.Percentages = NO
 Microsoft.Quotes = NO
 Microsoft.Units = warn
 Microsoft.We = NO
-Vale.Spelling = NO
+Vale.Spelling = NO
+
+# Stylistic rules demoted to warning so CI (--minAlertLevel=error) gates on
+# genuine problems without re-litigating 15 years of conversational posts.
+# Where two packages flag the same concept, one source is disabled outright.
+proselint.Cliches = warning
+proselint.Very = warning
+proselint.Skunked = warning
+proselint.Uncomparables = warning
+proselint.GenderBias = warning
+write-good.ThereIs = warning
+write-good.So = NO
+BenBalter.So = warning
+proselint.But = NO
+BenBalter.But = warning
+proselint.CorporateSpeak = NO
+BenBalter.CorporateSpeak = warning
+BenBalter.FillerWords = warning
+BenBalter.CulturalInclusion = warning
+Microsoft.Plurals = warning
+proselint.Typography = warning
+proselint.Cursing = warning
+proselint.Hyperbole = warning
+proselint.Jargon = warning
+proselint.Hedging = warning
+proselint.DateSpacing = warning
+Microsoft.Foreign = warning
+Microsoft.DateOrder = warning
+Microsoft.AMPM = warning
+Microsoft.HeadingColons = warning
+Microsoft.Auto = warning

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# Contributing to Ben.Balter.com
+# Contributing to ben.balter.com
 
 Thank you for your interest in contributing to this project! This document provides guidelines and information for contributors.
 

script/vale

@@ -8,5 +8,10 @@ if ! [ -x "$(command -v vale)" ]; then
 	echo "Vale provides additional prose style and grammar checking."
 else
 	echo "Running Vale prose linter..."
-	vale ./*.md src/content/posts/*.md src/content/resume-positions/*.md --minAlertLevel=error
+	# Sync packages on first run (the local AIPatterns style is checked in)
+	if [ ! -d ".github/styles/proselint" ]; then
+		vale sync
+	fi
+	# Note: /bin/sh may be dash (no brace expansion) — keep globs explicit
+	vale ./*.md src/content/posts/*.md src/content/posts/*.mdx src/content/resume-positions/*.md --minAlertLevel=error
 fi

src/content/CLAUDE.md

@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@ These make writing feel machine-generated:
 **The coffee test**: read aloud — does it sound like something you'd actually say to a colleague?
 **The "anyone test"**: could this have been written by literally anyone? If there's no personality, rewrite it.
 
+Many of these patterns are enforced mechanically by the custom `AIPatterns` Vale style (`.github/styles/AIPatterns/`), which runs in CI via `script/vale`. Unambiguous AI tells (hedging openers, meta-commentary, "This ensures…", performative enthusiasm) are errors and block CI; transitions and setup phrases are warnings; patterns that overlap with deliberate stylistic choices (em-dash antithesis, rhetorical questions) are suggestions. Run `vale <file> --minAlertLevel=suggestion` to see everything.
+
 ## Grammar and Mechanics
 
 - **Em dashes** (`—`): no spaces — "Remote work—when done right—transforms teams"

src/content/posts/2010-11-06-removing-the-barriers-to-organizational-agility.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ description: Recording of a GW Tech Alumni panel discussion on removing the barr
 archived: true
 ---
 
-*Recorded at the [The George Washington University Tech Alumni Group](http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=154839957865223) Federal Executive Round Table, November 4, 2010.*
+*Recorded at [The George Washington University Tech Alumni Group](http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=154839957865223) Federal Executive Round Table, November 4, 2010.*
 
 <img src="https://ben.balter.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/68153_493302469280_603259280_5451391_4928024_n-300x199.jpg" alt="Photo of the panelists at the event" title="Steven Bucci, William Kirkendale, Brian Moran, Mark Rosenfeld, Mariano Tan " class="float-right ml-3 rounded" />
 

src/content/posts/2011-01-04-the-files-in-the-computer.md

@@ -33,6 +33,6 @@ Notes:
 
 [^3]: Beyond the obvious (email, phone, contact, calendars), there's [dinner reservations](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/opentable/id296581815?mt=8), [car rentals](http://www.zipcar.com/iphone/), [TV viewing habits](http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/15/comcast-xfinity-remote-app-for-iphone-ipad-launches-video-stre/), [financial data](http://www.mint.com/features/iphone/), [recent purchases](https://www.amazon.com/your-account), even [desktop browsing history](http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/mobile/home/) — it's like winning the lottery of personal information.
 
-[^4]: It's worth noting that the word "server" is not mentioned once in the opinion, yet the phrase "storage capacity" is used no less than five times — a concept that [even as early as 2007 was considered a thing of the past](http://mashable.com/2007/05/14/yahoo-mail-unlimited/).
+[^4]: The word "server" is not mentioned once in the opinion, yet the phrase "storage capacity" is used no less than five times — a concept that [even as early as 2007 was considered a thing of the past](http://mashable.com/2007/05/14/yahoo-mail-unlimited/).
 
 [^5]: A password may only delay the inevitable. *See* Gershowitz, Adam M., [*Password Protected? Can a Password Save Your Cell Phone from the Search Incident to Arrest Doctrine?*](http://ssrn.com/abstract=1669403) (August 31, 2010).

src/content/posts/2011-04-27-fair-use-excerpting-and-copying-content-in-the-internet-ecosystem.md

@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ The law aside, readers want you to digest and put ideas in your own voice. Take
 
 [^1]: Questions asked included: If there's no copyright symbol, is it still copyrighted?; If it's posted online, can I just copy it because its it's in the public domain?; Can I use it if I'm not selling it?; and It's okay to use if I credit the original author, right?.
 
-[^2]: It should be noted that [I'm not an attorney](https://ben.balter.com/fine-print/) and my writing should not be substituted for qualified legal advice.
+[^2]: [I'm not an attorney](https://ben.balter.com/fine-print/) and my writing should not be substituted for qualified legal advice.
 
 [^3]: This is a common misconception. While once true, under the [Berne Convention](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berne_Convention_for_the_Protection_of_Literary_and_Artistic_Works) the author of any content published today is assumed to retain copyright claims.
 

src/content/posts/2012-06-26-why-you-should-always-write-software-as-open-source.md

@@ -26,4 +26,4 @@ Justice Brandeis is famous for noting that "sunlight is the best disinfectant."
 
 [^2]: [twitter.com/BenBalter/status/209356982983999488](https://twitter.com/BenBalter/status/209356982983999488)
 
-[^3]: [coverity.com/library/PDF/coverity-scan-2011-open-source-integrity-report.PDF](http://www.coverity.com/library/pdf/coverity-scan-2011-open-source-integrity-report.pdf)
+[^3]: [coverity.com/library/pdf/coverity-scan-2011-open-source-integrity-report.pdf](http://www.coverity.com/library/pdf/coverity-scan-2011-open-source-integrity-report.pdf)

src/content/posts/2012-12-15-why-wordpress-next-version-should-just-give-it-a-rest-already.md

@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ At the least, lets expose all WordPress content in a machine readable format. Th
 
 1. Create a new format ("feed" in WordPress parlance) called JSON, and add the necessary rewrite rules such that I can simply add `.json` to any post and retrieve the underlying information in a machine readable format. This should contain not only the content of the post and information that would normally be accessible via HTML, but all the fields of the posts table (for example, date published, date updated, etc.), all the post's metadata (custom, post-specific information), and all the associated term objects (tags, categories, etc.). Sure we'll need to add a filter or two in their to ensure information folks want private stays private, but from a technical standpoint, we're talking a handful of lines of code here.
 
-2. Extend that format to indices (archives in WordPress terms). Again, just as above, every list of posts (by date, by associated term, search results) should have the capability to expose the list in that same machine-readable format. This allows for the programatic discovery of information. A little bit harder than #1, but again, nothing crazy here. Pretty basic stuff.
+2. Extend that format to indices (archives in WordPress terms). Again, just as above, every list of posts (by date, by associated term, search results) should have the capability to expose the list in that same machine-readable format, so that information can be discovered programatically. A little bit harder than #1, but again, nothing crazy here. Pretty basic stuff.
 
 ## Walk