# Refine Skill Terse

> Tighten a SKILL.md so agents (not humans) read it fast - cut prose, keep the procedure, move rationale out. Use when the user says "make the skill succinct", "skill improvement keep it minimal", "스킬 간결하게/개선", or a SKILL.md body has grown wordy.

- Skill: `cskwork/refine-skill-terse` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add cskwork/refine-skill-terse`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/cskwork/refine-skill-terse/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: cskwork (https://skillmd.com/u/cskwork)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/cskwork/refine-skill-terse

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# refine-skill-terse

A skill is read by agents on every load; trim it to the minimum that still drives the procedure correctly.

## When to use
- "make skill improvement, keep succinct - agents use it not humans", "스킬 간결하게 다듬어"
- A SKILL.md body is wordy, repeats itself, or carries rationale that belongs in a changelog.

Not for: writing a brand-new skill (use the skill template), or changing what the skill does.

## Steps
1. Read the target `SKILL.md`. Note its required procedure and trigger phrases (do not lose these).
2. Cut: filler sentences, restated context, motivation/rationale prose, duplicated lines.
3. Keep: imperative steps, the gate/stop conditions, and the trigger phrases in `description`.
4. Move rationale ("why we chose X") to a `log/changelog-*.md` entry, not the body.
5. Keep body <~5k tokens; push long reference/data to a sibling file loaded on demand.
6. Re-check: the directory-name command still resolves; `description`+`when_to_use` <=1536 chars.

## Notes
Terseness is for the agent's token budget, not style. If cutting a line could change behavior, keep it.