# Rtk Token Optimizer > ```markdown - Skill: `aradotso-trending-skills/rtk-token-optimizer` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add aradotso-trending-skills/rtk-token-optimizer` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/aradotso-trending-skills/rtk-token-optimizer/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Docs & Writing - Author: aradotso (https://skillmd.com/u/aradotso-trending-skills) - Updated: 2026-09-21 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/aradotso-trending-skills/rtk-token-optimizer --- ```markdown --- name: rtk-token-optimizer description: CLI proxy that reduces LLM token consumption by 60-90% on common dev commands using a single Rust binary triggers: - reduce token usage with rtk - install rtk for claude code - rtk token savings setup - optimize llm context with rtk - rtk git status compact output - set up rtk hook for ai coding - rtk command not working - how to use rtk with cursor or windsurf --- # RTK Token Optimizer > Skill by [ara.so](https://ara.so) — Daily 2026 Skills collection. RTK is a high-performance CLI proxy written in Rust that intercepts common dev commands (`git`, `ls`, `cargo test`, `pytest`, etc.) and compresses their output before it reaches your LLM context window. A single static binary with zero runtime dependencies adds less than 10ms overhead while cutting token usage by 60–90%. --- ## Installation ### Homebrew (recommended) ```bash brew install rtk ``` ### Quick install (Linux/macOS) ```bash curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rtk-ai/rtk/refs/heads/master/install.sh | sh # Add to PATH if needed: echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc ``` ### Cargo (from source) ```bash cargo install --git https://github.com/rtk-ai/rtk ``` ### Verify ```bash rtk --version # rtk 0.28.2 rtk gain # shows token savings stats ``` > **Crates.io collision**: A different package called "rtk" exists on crates.io. Always use `--git` with cargo. --- ## Hook Setup (Auto-Rewrite) The hook transparently rewrites Bash tool calls (e.g., `git status` → `rtk git status`) before execution. Claude never sees the rewrite — it just receives compressed output. ```bash rtk init -g # Claude Code / Copilot (global, recommended) rtk init -g --gemini # Gemini CLI rtk init -g --codex # Codex / OpenAI rtk init -g --agent cursor # Cursor rtk init --agent windsurf # Windsurf (project-scoped) rtk init --agent cline # Cline / Roo Code (project-scoped) rtk init -g --opencode # OpenCode plugin rtk init -g --auto-patch # Non-interactive (CI/CD) rtk init --show # Verify current installation ``` **After installing, restart your AI tool.** > **Scope**: The hook only applies to Bash tool calls. Claude Code built-in tools (`Read`, `Grep`, `Glob`) bypass it. Use shell equivalents (`cat`, `rg`, `find`) or explicit `rtk` commands for those workflows. --- ## Core Commands ### Files ```bash rtk ls . # Token-optimized directory tree rtk read src/main.rs # Smart file reading rtk read src/main.rs -l aggressive # Signatures only (strips function bodies) rtk smart src/main.rs # 2-line heuristic code summary rtk find "*.rs" . # Compact find results rtk grep "fn parse" src/ # Grouped search results rtk diff file1.rs file2.rs # Condensed diff ``` ### Git ```bash rtk git status # Compact status (~200 tokens vs ~2000) rtk git log -n 10 # One-line commits rtk git diff # Condensed diff rtk git add . # Output: "ok" rtk git commit -m "fix: parse" # Output: "ok abc1234" rtk git push # Output: "ok main" rtk git pull # Output: "ok 3 files +10 -2" ``` ### Test Runners ```bash rtk cargo test # Rust — failures only (-90%) rtk test cargo test # Explicit test wrapper rtk pytest # Python — failures only (-90%) rtk go test # Go — NDJSON compact (-90%) rtk rspec # Ruby — JSON compact (-60%+) rtk vitest run # Vitest — failures only rtk playwright test # E2E — failures only rtk rake test # Ruby minitest (-90%) ``` ### Build & Lint ```bash rtk cargo build # Rust build (-80%) rtk cargo clippy # Clippy warnings grouped (-80%) rtk tsc # TypeScript errors by file rtk lint # ESLint grouped by rule/file rtk lint biome # Biome linter rtk ruff check # Python lint (JSON, -80%) rtk golangci-lint run # Go lint (JSON, -85%) rtk rubocop # Ruby lint (JSON, -60%+) rtk next build # Next.js compact build output rtk prettier --check . # Files needing formatting only ``` ### GitHub CLI ```bash rtk gh pr list # Compact PR listing rtk gh pr view 42 # PR details + check status rtk gh issue list # Compact issue listing rtk gh run list # Workflow run status ``` ### Containers & Infra ```bash rtk docker ps # Compact container list rtk docker images # Compact image list rtk docker logs # Deduplicated log lines rtk docker compose ps # Compose services rtk kubectl pods # Compact pod list rtk kubectl logs # Deduplicated pod logs rtk kubectl services # Compact service list ``` ### Data & Utilities ```bash rtk json config.json # Structure without values (schema view) rtk env -f AWS # Filtered env vars (e.g., AWS_*) rtk log app.log # Deduplicated application logs rtk curl https://api.example.com # Auto-detect JSON + print schema rtk deps # Dependency summary rtk summary # Heuristic summary of any command rtk proxy # Raw passthrough + token tracking ``` ### Package Managers ```bash rtk pnpm list # Compact dependency tree rtk pip list # Python packages (auto-detects uv) rtk pip outdated # Outdated packages only rtk bundle install # Ruby gems (strips "Using" lines) rtk prisma generate # Schema generation (no ASCII art) ``` --- ## Global Flags ```bash rtk -u # --ultra-compact: ASCII icons, inline format rtk -v # --verbose (stack: -v, -vv, -vvv) ``` --- ## Token Savings Analytics ```bash rtk gain # Summary stats rtk gain --graph # ASCII graph (last 30 days) rtk gain --history # Recent command history with savings rtk gain --daily # Day-by-day breakdown rtk gain --all --format json # JSON export for dashboards rtk discover # Find missed savings opportunities rtk discover --all --since 7 # All projects, last 7 days rtk session # RTK adoption across recent sessions ``` --- ## Real-World Usage Patterns ### Pattern 1: Rust project CI loop ```bash # Instead of: cargo test 2>&1 (200+ lines on failure) rtk cargo test # Output (~20 lines): # FAILED: 2/15 tests # test_edge_case: assertion failed at utils.rs:42 # test_overflow: panic at utils.rs:18 rtk cargo clippy # Output: grouped warnings by lint rule, not raw rustc noise ``` ### Pattern 2: Python project ```bash rtk pytest # Only failing tests + tracebacks rtk ruff check # JSON-parsed, grouped by rule rtk pip outdated # Table of outdated packages only ``` ### Pattern 3: Node/TypeScript project ```bash rtk tsc # TypeScript errors grouped by file rtk lint # ESLint violations grouped by rule rtk next build # Next.js build, key metrics only rtk vitest run # Failures only, not 300 "✓ pass" lines ``` ### Pattern 4: Reading large files intelligently ```bash # Full file (smart truncation) rtk read src/lib.rs # Signatures only — ideal for understanding module structure rtk read src/lib.rs -l aggressive # 2-line summary heuristic rtk smart src/lib.rs ``` ### Pattern 5: Git workflow in AI sessions ```bash rtk git status # ~200 tokens (vs raw ~2000) rtk git diff HEAD~1 # Condensed patch rtk git log -n 5 # 5 one-liners rtk git add . && rtk git commit -m "feat: add parser" # Output: "ok" then "ok a3f9c12" ``` --- ## Configuration RTK is configuration-free by default. All tuning is via CLI flags: | Flag | Effect | |------|--------| | `-u` / `--ultra-compact` | Maximum compression with ASCII icons | | `-v` / `-vv` / `-vvv` | Increase verbosity for debugging | | `-l aggressive` | Aggressive level for `rtk read` (signatures only) | The `rtk init` command writes hooks to your AI tool's config directory (global `-g`) or the current project directory (no `-g`). --- ## Troubleshooting ### `rtk gain` fails after `cargo install rtk` Wrong package from crates.io. Reinstall from source: ```bash cargo install --git https://github.com/rtk-ai/rtk ``` ### Hook not intercepting commands ```bash rtk init --show # Check hook installation status rtk init -g # Reinstall hook # Then restart your AI tool (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.) ``` ### Commands not compressed / hook bypassed Built-in AI tool operations (`Read`, `Grep`, `Glob` in Claude Code) bypass the Bash hook. Use shell equivalents: ```bash # Instead of Claude's Read tool, ask it to run: rtk read src/main.rs # Instead of Grep tool: rtk grep "pattern" src/ ``` ### PATH not found after quick install ```bash export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH" # Persist it: echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc source ~/.zshrc ``` ### Wrong binary architecture (macOS) Download the correct release asset: - Apple Silicon: `rtk-aarch64-apple-darwin.tar.gz` - Intel Mac: `rtk-x86_64-apple-darwin.tar.gz` ### Verify savings are being tracked ```bash rtk gain --history # Should show recent commands rtk session # Should show adoption % ``` If empty, the hook may not be active. Run `rtk init --show`. --- ## How RTK Works Internally RTK applies four compression strategies per command type: 1. **Smart Filtering** — removes comments, blank lines, boilerplate (`Using gem...`, progress bars) 2. **Grouping** — aggregates similar items (files by directory, errors by lint rule) 3. **Truncation** — keeps relevant context, discards redundant repetition 4. **Deduplication** — collapses repeated log lines with occurrence counts ``` Without RTK: Agent → "git status" → shell → git → ~2,000 tokens raw → Agent With RTK: Agent → "git status" → RTK → git → filter/group/truncate → ~200 tokens → Agent ``` The binary runs in-process before output is returned to the shell, adding <10ms latency. --- ## Supported AI Tools Summary | Tool | Command | Scope | |------|---------|-------| | Claude Code | `rtk init -g` | Global | | GitHub Copilot | `rtk init -g` | Global | | Cursor | `rtk init -g --agent cursor` | Global | | Gemini CLI | `rtk init -g --gemini` | Global | | Codex | `rtk init -g --codex` | Global | | Windsurf | `rtk init --agent windsurf` | Project | | Cline / Roo Code | `rtk init --agent cline` | Project | | OpenCode | `rtk init -g --opencode` | Global | --- ## Quick Reference Card ```bash # Setup brew install rtk && rtk init -g && # Most used rtk git status / diff / log / add / commit / push rtk cargo test / build / clippy rtk pytest / go test / vitest run rtk read / rtk ls . / rtk grep rtk tsc / rtk lint / rtk ruff check # Analytics rtk gain --graph rtk discover # Flags rtk -u # ultra-compact rtk -v # verbose/debug ``` ```