The slow-roll approximation neglects relative to and kinetic energy relative to the potential. It is self-consistent on the attractor when the potential slow-roll parameter and the second potential slow-roll parameter . Thus
Here, as in the inflaton equations, denotes the reduced Planck mass, not the unreduced mass used in the thermal calculation. The slow-roll curvature power spectrum becomes
so
To differentiate with respect to horizon-exit scale, write , increasing with physical time. Along the slow-roll trajectory,
The difference between differentiating with respect to and contributes only at second slow-roll order to the tilt. Since ,
Therefore the scalar spectral index in potential slow-roll parameters is
All background quantities in these expressions are evaluated when the particular mode exits the Hubble radius.