Swear jar

Counts the model's verbal tics, from "You're absolutely right" to the em dash.

Funv0.2.0

Swear jar running in Claude Code — An illustration of Swear jar, drawn from the mod's own text.

Tests33 passing

Model callsnone

Commands1

Settings2

Count Claude's verbal tics

Swear jar counts verbal tics such as "You're absolutely right" in Claude Code replies and shows a scoreboard. You choose the phrases; it never rewrites a reply.

Reported behavior and access

Files `Engine-managed mod store`

Counts tics in main-conversation replies and stores the all-time counts and the nudge switch. With the nudge on, one short line joins every request's system prompt.

Shell commands `None reported`

Counts tics in main-conversation replies and stores the all-time counts and the nudge switch. With the nudge on, one short line joins every request's system prompt.

Network `No network`

The reviewed README reports no network requests, including its described subprocess behavior.

Added model calls `None reported`

The reviewed README reports no model calls of its own. Ordinary Claude Code work still uses your model.

Sound `Not reviewed`

Behavior has not been source-reviewed for this version. Check the README before relying on its access.

Handled events `session.start, turn.step, prompt.compose, command.run /swear-jar, ui.render AbovePrompt, ui.render Pane`

Event registration does not mean blocking. Read the source for whether an event observes, changes or holds an action.

README-reported behavior, not a sandbox guarantee. Source v0.2.0, e9b3468, reviewed 22 Oct 2026

Original Claude Code validator report

files

Does not read or write files.

commands

Does not run commands.

network

Does not make network requests.

model

Does not call a model.

sound

Does not play sound.

Validator hook registrations

Does not use hooks.

Static validator signals can miss indirect effects, optional configuration and engine-managed storage.

How it works

Slash commands

/swear-jar

The jar for the model's verbal tics: scoreboard, reset, nudge on|off

Settings

ticsDefault: ["you're absolutely right","you are absolutely right","great question","excellent question","i apologize","certainly!","absolutely!","as an ai","it's worth noting","i hope this helps","let me know if","delve","em dash"]: The phrases to count, whole and regardless of case. The words 'em dash' count every em dash. Replaces the built-in list.
showDefault: band: Where the running count shows: band (a dim line above the prompt), status (the status line), both, or off. The scoreboard pane works either way.

Hook events

session.startturn.stepprompt.composecommand.run /swear-jarui.render AbovePromptui.render Pane

The prompt

swear-jar / prompt

Build me a Claude Code mod called "swear-jar": a counter for the model's verbal tics.

Count every reply Claude writes against a list of phrases I can edit in the settings, starting with "You're absolutely right", "Great question", "I apologize", "Certainly!", "As an AI", "It's worth noting", "I hope this helps", "delve", and every em dash. Count the text of each response as Claude Code receives it from the model, once per response, whole phrases, any case; skip subagents. Never rewrite Claude's words, never hold a tool call, never read files.

Show the top three counts for this session in one dim line above the prompt, drawn under whatever other mods draw there, nothing when every count is zero, and nothing at all while another mod's safety hold is waiting for me. Offer the status line as an alternative in the settings.

Details

A jar that counts the model's verbal tics ("You're absolutely right", "Great question", the em dash) in one dim line above the prompt and a scoreboard. It never rewrites a reply.

swear-jar: absolutely right 3 · great question 1 · em dashes 12

Swear jar
This session: 16
  em dashes            12
  absolutely right      3
  great question        1
All time: 140
  em dashes            98
  absolutely right     31
  i apologize          11
Worst offender: em dashes (98)
Last reply
  You're absolutely right, the cache key was wrong.
Plain-words nudge off (/swear-jar nudge on|off).

Use it

The band: one dim line above the prompt with this session's top three tics, drawn under whatever other mods draw there. Nothing is drawn while every count is zero, and nothing at all while another mod's safety hold waits for your answer.
/swear-jar opens the scoreboard: this session, all time, the worst offender, and the last reply's hits in their sentences with the tic in bold.
/swear-jar reset empties this session's jar; /swear-jar reset all empties it for good.
/swear-jar nudge on adds one short line to the system prompt asking for plain words and no praise openers; nudge off removes it. Off by default; the switch is remembered.

Counting is per response: every time Claude Code receives a reply from the model in the main conversation, the reply's text is searched for the tics, whole phrases, case aside. "You're absolutely right" and "You are absolutely right" share one jar. Every em dash counts.

Settings

Every setting has a default, so the notice at install about options not yet set is expected. Change them in /config (or on the install screen).

Setting	Default	What it does
`tics`	you're absolutely right, you are absolutely right, great question, excellent question, i apologize, certainly!, absolutely!, as an ai, it's worth noting, i hope this helps, let me know if, delve, em dash	The phrases to count, whole and regardless of case. The words `em dash` mean the character. Your list replaces the built-in one; an empty list brings it back.
`show`	`band`	Where the running count shows: `band` (the line above the prompt), `status` (the status line, as `16 tics`, which the engine shows as `swear-jar: 16 tics`), `both`, or `off`. The scoreboard pane works whatever you pick.

What it can touch

Reads: the text of each main-conversation response as Claude Code receives it from the model, counted once and kept in memory; its two settings; its own store. Not subagents' responses, not the transcript file, never your prompts.
Writes: two small values in its own store (the all-time counts, the nudge switch), the band, the status line, the pane, toasts, and a transcript row where no pane can be placed (the model does not read it).
Model calls: none of its own. With the nudge on, one line of about 30 tokens joins every request's system prompt, on the session side of the cache; with it off, nothing. /swear-jar answers with no command output, so the model never reads the scoreboard.
No files, no processes, no network. It never changes a reply's text and never holds a tool call.

Limits

Whole phrases in English, case aside: "You're absolutely, completely right" is not caught, and neither is a tic split across lines.
A reply that only called tools has no text and counts nothing. A reply cut short counts what came back.
Counts are a mirror, not a judgment: some "I apologize" are earned.
The band, the pane and the status line are checked through the engine's test kit on the terminal and desktop surfaces.

Built from a prompt

This mod was built from the Swear jar prompt.

added 12 Oct 2026updated 23 Oct 2026MITSource on GitHub

Pairs well with

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Count Claude's verbal tics

Reported behavior and access

Files Engine-managed mod store

Shell commands None reported

Network No network

Added model calls None reported

Sound Not reviewed

Handled events session.start, turn.step, prompt.compose, command.run /swear-jar, ui.render AbovePrompt, ui.render Pane

files

commands

network

model

sound

Validator hook registrations

How it works

Slash commands

Settings

Hook events

The prompt

Details

Use it

Settings

What it can touch

Limits

Built from a prompt

Pairs well with

Use it

Settings

What it can touch

Limits

Built from a prompt

Files `Engine-managed mod store`

Shell commands `None reported`

Network `No network`

Added model calls `None reported`

Sound `Not reviewed`

Handled events `session.start, turn.step, prompt.compose, command.run /swear-jar, ui.render AbovePrompt, ui.render Pane`