# Token Efficiency

> Comprehensive token optimization: RTK (Rust Token Killer) command-output compression, efficient file/command strategies, hard model-routing rules (Sonnet 4.6 coders, Opus 4.6 orchestrator, Haiku 4.5 logging), Source-of-Truth keyword framework, hybrid SQLite agent memory with checkpoints, and concise output style. Use this skill whenever running dev CLI commands (git, cargo, npm, pytest, docker),…

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-m4nush7-niche-claude-code-token-efficiency`
- **Verified:** Pending review
- **Seller:** [M4NUSH7](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/m4nush7)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Databases](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/databases)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [M4NUSH7](https://github.com/M4NUSH7)
- **Source:** https://github.com/M4NUSH7/Niche-Claude-Code/tree/main/skills/token-efficiency

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-m4nush7-niche-claude-code-token-efficiency
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# Token Efficiency

Five pillars, each detailed in a reference file. Apply all of them by default; the user saying "verbose" or naming a model lifts the relevant rule.

Pillars engage by project condition, not all-or-nothing: no dev commands means RTK stays dormant; no subagents means routing is idle; pillars 2, 4, and 5 apply to any project, code or not (SoT categories seed from the project goal, whatever the domain - a writing project seeds BRIEF/VOICE/PLATFORM the same way a web app seeds AUTH/DB/API). Never force an inapplicable pillar.

| Pillar | What it saves | Read |
|---|---|---|
| 1. RTK command proxy | 60-90% of command output | this file, `references/rtk-awareness.md` |
| 2. Efficient file/command ops | wasteful reads and dumps | `references/strategies.md` |
| 3. Model routing (hard rules) | Opus tokens on Sonnet/Haiku work | `references/model-routing.md` |
| 4. SoT keywords + hybrid memory | blind scanning and re-planning | `references/sot-framework.md`, `references/memory-system.md` |
| 5. Concise output | narration and filler | `references/output-style.md` |

## 1. RTK (Rust Token Killer)

Single Rust binary proxying dev CLI commands, compressing output with ` gives raw output. `rtk gain` shows savings.

- Verify FIRST, never reinstall blindly: `rtk --version && rtk gain` (if `rtk gain` fails you have the wrong rtk - Rust Type Kit is a different project).
- Install (only if missing): Windows - bundled `bin/rtk.exe`, add to PATH (`%USERPROFILE%\.claude\skills\token-efficiency\bin` when global); macOS - `brew install rtk`; Linux - `curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rtk-ai/rtk/refs/heads/master/install.sh | sh`. Avoid `cargo install` when GNU coreutils shadows MSVC link.exe (symptom: "link: extra operand"). Full guide: `references/install.md`.
- Claude Code hook (auto-rewrites commands): `rtk init -g`; verify `rtk init --show`. Bundled hook copy + tests: `scripts/rtk-rewrite.sh`, `scripts/test-rtk-rewrite.sh`, `scripts/check-installation.sh`. Details: `references/hooks-setup.md`.
- Full filter reference: run `rtk --help`, or see the rtk upstream docs (not vendored here - avoids shipping stale/un-localized copies). Quick start: `references/quick-start.md`.

## 2. Efficient file and command operations

Core rules (detail + cost math in `references/strategies.md`, `references/examples.md`): quiet flags by default; never read whole log files (tail/grep first); check lightweight sources (git status --short, package.json) before big files; grep instead of read; read with offset/limit after `wc -l`; bash transforms (cp, sed, cat) instead of Read+Write for non-code files - but Read+Edit for code so diffs stay reviewable; filter output (head, -maxdepth); summarize, don't dump. Learning/exploration patterns: `references/learning-mode.md`. Long-running analysis projects: `references/project-patterns.md`.

## 3. Model routing - hard rules

| Role | Model |
|---|---|
| Master Orchestrator (primary chat) | Opus latest (user's setting) |
| Coding Subagent Orchestrator | `claude-opus-4-6` - pinned, NOT latest |
| Coding Agents (repetitive codegen) | `claude-sonnet-4-6` - pinned, NOT latest |
| Logging and comments | `claude-haiku-4-5` - always |

These are cost-tier choices, not "latest" - verify each ID is still Active before a project bumps it. Override only when the user explicitly names a model. Ready-made agent definitions: `templates/agents/` (coder, orchestrator, logger) - copy to `.claude/agents/`. Detail: `references/model-routing.md`.

> ### How to actually pin a subagent (measured 2026-07-17, not assumed)
>
> **This section previously said "Pass model explicitly when spawning subagents." That instruction defeated its own pinning rule and is corrected here.**
>
> The Agent tool's `model:` parameter takes a **tier alias** (`sonnet`/`opus`/`haiku`), **not** a model ID. Passing it resolves to *latest of that tier* and **silently overrides** the pinned ID in the agent's frontmatter. Passing `model:` to "enforce" the pin is the one thing that breaks it.
>
> | Spawn | Runs as |
> |---|---|
> | `subagent_type: coder`, **no `model:`** | **`claude-sonnet-4-6`** - the frontmatter pin [OK] |
> | `subagent_type: coder`, `model: "sonnet"` | `claude-sonnet-5` - pin overridden [WARN] |
>
> **Rule: to pin, put the model ID in the agent definition's frontmatter (`model: claude-sonnet-4-6`) and pass NO `model:` argument.** Pass `model:` only for ad-hoc `general-purpose`/`Explore` agents that carry no frontmatter pin - there a tier alias is the only lever, and latest-of-tier is the honest expectation.
>
> **Verify, don't assume.** Config, `settings.json`, and frontmatter agreeing is *not* proof - none of them is the runtime. One probe (spawn with no `model:`, ask it to name its model, assert it matches the pin) settles it. Applies to this skill's own claims too.
>
> **Effort: default `high`, never `max`.** `max` is a deliberate per-task escalation the user asks for - never a default. A harness shipping `max` burns reasoning budget on mechanical work forever, silently.

## 4. SoT keywords + hybrid memory

Never blind-scan code or re-read log piles. Standardized `[SOT:CATEGORY:name]` tokens live in code comments and log headers; the README SoT index maps them; agents grep the tags then read only matched blocks. Categories seed at project init from the project goal; one-offs get `[SOT:IDX:name]`; promotion to category at frequency >= 5 (during checkpoints). Grammar + workflow: `references/sot-framework.md`. Index template: `templates/sot-readme-template.md`.

Memory is SQLite, not endless md files: `.agents/memory.db` (init: `sqlite3 .agents/memory.db 1) into dense learnings rows and deletes the folded raw rows in one transaction; the agent then promotes keywords and appends verified "what worked" learnings to agent instructions. Detail: `references/memory-system.md`.

CLAUDE.md also carries an inline, glanceable learnings-block (`...:end -->`), regenerated at checkpoint time and topic-grouped, each line tagged with its measured "~N tokens/session saved" - complements the SQLite query-based recall above rather than replacing it. Structure + regeneration: `references/memory-system.md`; marker block ships in `templates/CLAUDE-md-snippet.md`.

## 5. Concise output

Answer directly, minimum words. Never narrate actions - announce as `{tool {optimized args}}` (e.g. `{browser search {rust profilers 2026}}`), distilling the user's phrasing into the optimized request, then do the real work in the background; applies to all tools and outputs. Cite code as `file:line`, never re-explain context. Brevity governs narration/status/confirmations only - never substantive answers or error diagnoses. Content-type compression rules (what to compress vs. protect, when to use `rtk proxy` raw): `references/strategies.md`. Full output rules: `references/output-style.md`.

## Setup shortcut

For always-on enforcement (skills load on trigger; routing and output style should govern every turn), append `templates/CLAUDE-md-snippet.md` (~100 tokens) to `~/.claude/CLAUDE.md`.

Config-edit rollback hygiene (fenced managed blocks, timestamped backups, reversible uninstall) for any settings.json/CLAUDE.md edit this skill makes: `references/hooks-setup.md`.

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [M4NUSH7](https://github.com/M4NUSH7)
- **Source:** [M4NUSH7/Niche-Claude-Code](https://github.com/M4NUSH7/Niche-Claude-Code)
- **License:** MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** yes
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** no
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: flagged — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-m4nush7-niche-claude-code-token-efficiency
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/m4nush7
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

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