Condense

Condense

Strip prose filler from .md files. Preserve every instruction. This skill practices what it preaches.

Phase 1: SCOPE

Identify targets.

1. Single file: User names a path. Read it.
2. Glob: User gives a pattern (agents/*.md). Expand, list matches, confirm with user.
3. Batch (10+ files): Dispatch parallel agents, one per file.

Mechanical pre-pass (deterministic, run before LLM condensing): strip trailing whitespace and consecutive blank lines that inflate Opus token counts. The script handles the mechanical reduction so the LLM phase focuses on prose density.

python3 scripts/check-whitespace.py --fix    # 0=clean, 1=violations fixed

Run on the scoped targets (defaults to agents/**/*.md and skills/**/*.md when no path given). Then proceed to the LLM pass on the same files.

Gate: At least one target file identified and readable; mechanical pre-pass run.

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Phase 2: CONDENSE

For each file:

1. Read the full file. Record word count.
2. Rewrite in place applying the rules below.
3. Record new word count.

Rules

KEEP (never cut):

• Every instruction, rule, gate, phase, step
• Tables, code blocks, commands, paths
• YAML frontmatter (do not alter)
• Structure: headers, numbered lists, phase ordering
• Technical terms naming specific things
• Reference loading tables
• Error handling sections
• Non-obvious "because X" reasoning

CUT:

• Redundant restatements of the same rule
• "Because X" on obvious rules
• Motivational framing ("this will help you", "it is important to note")
• Filler phrases: "in order to", "it should be noted that", "it is worth mentioning"
• Examples that repeat what the phase already says
• Paragraphs saying the same thing from different angles -- merge to one

STYLE: Short sentences. Active voice. Concrete words. If you can cut a word without losing an instruction, cut it.

DELETE TEST

Before cutting any sentence: "If I remove this, does the reader lose an instruction, rule, or decision?" No = cut. Yes = keep.

Boundaries

Do not reorganize sections, change meaning, add ideas, alter paths/commands, drop tables or code blocks, or modify YAML frontmatter values.

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Phase 3: VERIFY

For each condensed file:

1. YAML check: Confirm frontmatter parses.

``bash python3 -c "import yaml; yaml.safe_load(open('').read().split('---')[1])" ``

1. Report: Show | File | Before | After | Reduction | table with word counts.
2. Instruction check: Grep original for key terms (phase names, gate names, commands). Confirm each appears in condensed version. If any missing, restore from original.

Gate: YAML parses. No instructions lost. Reduction reported.

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Error Handling

No prose to cut: Report 0% reduction, move to next file.

Instruction removed: Re-read original, restore missing instruction, re-verify.

YAML broken: Restore original frontmatter verbatim, re-condense body only.

Non-.md file: Skip with warning.

Source & license

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

• Author: notque
• Source: notque/vexjoy-agent
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://vexjoy.com

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