DanielNoamTuby Token Saver
Reach the fewest-token result that still gets the work done and verified. A short session is not successful if it leaves the human to reconstruct what happened.
Where cost comes from
The main cost is input repeated across turns. Avoid:
- reading a whole file when a targeted range answers the question;
- rereading files immediately after a successful edit;
- using screenshots or large DOM dumps when text is enough;
- polling a slow job in a tight loop;
- narrating a plan, executing it, and then repeating the plan;
- dumping raw command output instead of summarizing the finding.
Cheap path
Locate before reading. Search for the symbol or relevant lines, then read only the needed range. When editing, read enough surrounding context to preserve the file's invariants.
Use the cheapest surface that answers the question:
CLI or API → filesystem → rendered UIShape output at the source: request selected JSON fields, inspect a diff summary before a full diff, and limit logs to the relevant interval.
Batch independent searches, reads, and commands in one turn.
Treat a successful edit or trusted green check as evidence. Recheck only when another process could have changed the result.
Prefer blocking waits, background jobs, or scheduled wakeups over polling.
Delegate only when the conclusion is cheaper than loading the search output into the current context. Do not duplicate the same investigation yourself.
Stop when the answer is reached. Do not add speculative cleanup.
Communication
- Ask one batched round of questions, or none when a sensible default exists.
- Do not narrate routine tool use.
- Report the one to three findings that carry the conclusion.
- Spend freely on verification that the task genuinely requires. Cheapness is never a reason to guess.
When to optimize less
Read broadly when changing a central or unfamiliar component, reviewing a large diff, or investigating a failure whose cause may be elsewhere. The rework from an incomplete mental model costs more than the initial context.
For completion reports, use the companion work-report skill.
Copyright (c) 2026 Daniel Noam Tuby. Licensed under the MIT License; see
../LICENSE-MIT.txt.