# Stdio > Stdio. Canonical terse command patterns, 13 terse equivalents, context-efficient bash, pairs with terse and rtk. - Skill: `arbazkhan971/stdio` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add arbazkhan971/stdio` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/arbazkhan971/stdio/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: arbazkhan971 (https://skillmd.com/u/arbazkhan971) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/arbazkhan971/stdio --- # Stdio — Canonical Command Patterns **Purpose.** Tool output is the largest source of wasted context in a coding loop. `ls -la` on a 500-file directory, `git log` with full bodies, `pytest` with verbose traces on a passing run — all emit kilobytes the model will re-read and never use. This skill is the godmode-native convention for reading input terse-by-default. It is pure behavior: no binary to install, no hook to register, just 13 patterns every skill should reach for before the verbose alternative. **Scope.** Governs the *input* side of every skill — what you pipe into context when you ask bash a question. Sibling to `terse` (output side) and `principles` (authoring side). On conflict with the Universal Protocol in `SKILL.md`, Protocol wins. ## Activate When - Any skill about to invoke bash to inspect repo state, tool output, container status, or test results - The verbose form would emit > ~40 lines and you only need a slice - You are in an autonomous loop where every emitted line is re-read by the next round's REVIEW step Do NOT activate for: explicit debugging sessions where the user asked to see full output, unfamiliar-codebase exploration (see Hard Rules), or error investigation (always read the full trace). ## The Four Layers Godmode has four context-discipline skills, one per phase of the loop: | Layer | Skill | Phase | |--|--|--| | Read input | `stdio` | Before REVIEW — what you pull into context | | Author code | `principles` | MODIFY — what you decide to write | | Emit output | `terse` | After DECIDE/LOG — what you print | | Measure | `bench` | VERIFY — how you compare variants honestly | `stdio` is the first gate. Verbose input pollutes every downstream phase. Cut it at the source. ## Canonical Patterns Prefer the terse form unless the Hard Rules section says otherwise. | Verbose | Terse | Why | Information preserved | |--|--|--|--| | `git log` | `git log --oneline -20` | Full bodies are rarely read; 20 commits covers a typical REVIEW window | Sha, subject, order | | `git diff` | `git diff --stat` (summary) OR `git diff --unified=1` (context) | `--stat` for "what changed", `-U1` for "show me the edit" — pick by intent | File list + line counts, or hunks with 1 line of context | | `cat ` | `wc -l ` (count only) OR `head -20 ` (preview) | Reading a whole file to check one thing is the #1 waste | Length, or top-of-file shape | | `ls -la` | `ls -1` | Permissions/owners/sizes rarely affect logic decisions | Filenames, one per line | | `npm test` | `npm test -- --silent` or `--reporter=minimal` | Dot reporters are ~10x smaller than spec reporters | Pass/fail count, failing test names | | `pytest` | `pytest -q --tb=line` | Quiet mode + one-line tracebacks keeps failures visible, drops noise | Pass/fail, single-line failure summaries | | `grep -r ` | `grep -rc ` (count) OR `grep -rl ` (files only) | "Does it exist?" rarely needs full matching lines | File list or per-file count | | `find .` | `find . -maxdepth 2 -type f` | Unbounded walks on large repos dump thousands of paths | Top-N levels, type-filtered | | `docker ps -a` | `docker ps --format 'table {{.Names}}\t{{.Status}}'` | Default columns include ports, command, image — usually irrelevant | Name + status | | `kubectl get pods -o yaml` | `kubectl get pods` | YAML is multi-kilobyte per pod; drop it unless you need a specific field | Name, ready, status, restarts, age | | `tree` | `tree -L 2` OR `ls -R \| head -40` | Unbounded recursion blows context on monorepos | Top 2 levels, directory shape | | `go test ./...` | `go test -run TestName ./pkg` (targeted) OR `go test -count=1 -failfast ./...` (first-fail) | Full suite is wasteful when you edited one package | Pass/fail for the code you actually touched | | `ps aux` | `ps -o pid,comm,stat --sort=-pcpu \| head -10` | Default columns dump env and args for every process | Top CPU consumers, named | 13 patterns. If a 14th is worth adding, it is probably worth adding as an rtk handler upstream instead — this list is intentionally small enough to memorize. ## Hard Rules — When NOT to Compress 1. **Errors need full stack traces.** A failing test, a panicking binary, a non-zero exit — always capture the complete output. `pytest --tb=line` is fine on a passing run; on a failing run, re-run with `--tb=long` before you diagnose. 2. **Writing a commit context needs `git log` with full bodies.** `--oneline` loses message body and is the wrong input for anything that will quote prior commits. 3. **Unfamiliar codebases need one full `ls -la` + one `tree -L 3` up front.** Terse patterns assume you already know the shape. First-contact exploration pays full freight once, then switches. 4. **Security / audit skills need everything.** `docker ps -a` with full fields, `kubectl get -o yaml`, `ps auxf` with args — these skills read fields other skills ignore. 5. **Reproducibility artifacts stay verbose.** Bench results, CI logs, anything that gets committed as evidence must be full-fidelity. If Hard Rules apply, use the verbose form — it is not `complexity_tax`, it is required context. ## Integration Contract Every skill that invokes bash for diagnostic reads SHOULD include one line in its Hard Rules section: ``` N. Prefer stdio patterns per skills/stdio/SKILL.md — terse input by default, verbose only when Hard Rules apply. ``` That is the entire contract. No code change, no dispatch, no env var. A skill is compliant iff its example commands in its own SKILL.md use the terse column of the table above. ## Interaction With rtk [rtk](https://github.com/rtk-ai/rtk) is a separate Rust binary that compresses 100+ tool outputs at the shell-hook level before they enter model context. If installed, rtk handles input compression automatically for every bash call — stdio patterns become belt-and-braces redundancy. Both are designed to coexist: - `rtk` installed → shell hook compresses everything, stdio is a written convention reinforcing what rtk already does - `rtk` not installed → stdio is the only compression on the input side; skills must actively choose terse forms Neither replaces the other. rtk covers 100+ tools; stdio caps at 13 patterns every author can memorize. rtk is opt-in infrastructure; stdio is always-on discipline. ## Keep / Discard Discipline Stdio compliance feeds the Universal Protocol's discard table: ``` KEEP if skill-example uses terse form from the table KEEP if skill-example uses verbose form AND a Hard Rule applies DISCARD if skill-example uses verbose form AND no Hard Rule applies → classify: unnecessary_verbosity ``` `unnecessary_verbosity` is a new failure class narrower than `complexity_tax`. It applies to input-side waste (verbose bash calls), not code-authoring waste. Log to `.godmode/-failures.tsv` with the same schema. ## Success Criterion A skill is stdio-compliant when: 1. Its SKILL.md Hard Rules reference stdio. 2. Every example bash command in its SKILL.md uses the terse form from the table, OR invokes a Hard Rule and annotates why. 3. `grep -n "git log$\|cat .*\.\(py\|ts\|go\|rs\)$\|ls -la$\|pytest$\|find \.$" skills//SKILL.md` returns zero lines. Check #3 is the mechanical verifier — a one-liner a reviewer can run. ## Stop Conditions - **fully_compliant** — all three success criteria met - **hard_rule_documented** — verbose form used, exception annotated in a comment on the same line - **unnecessary_verbosity** — verbose form used with no exception; discard per Keep/Discard rules above