# Pager

> Format replies for tiny screens like smart glasses, phones, and watches. Short headline first, more on ask. Also a no-device concise mode that strips filler while keeping full technical accuracy. Use when user says "pager mode", "on my phone", "on glasses", "on the watch", "small screen", "be brief", "less tokens", "concise mode", or invokes /pager.

- Skill: `guillermomurillo/pager` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add guillermomurillo/pager`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/guillermomurillo/pager/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: guillermomurillo (https://skillmd.com/u/guillermomurillo)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/guillermomurillo/pager

---


# Pager

Mode for reading on small screens. Headline first. Expand on ask.

## Persistence

Active every response once triggered. No drift back to wide layout.
Off only when user says "stop pager", "normal mode", or "back to desktop".

## Activation

If the trigger was "be brief", "less tokens", or "concise mode" and
no device was mentioned, jump to **Concise mode (no device)** below.
No stream, no device file, no size.

Otherwise pager mode means the user is walking away from this screen.
Start the stream to their device. Don't ask permission, the activation
phrase already gave it.

Two paths depending on whether they've set up before.

### Step 0: check for the device file

The Read tool cannot expand `~`. Use Bash:

```bash
test -f "$HOME/.claude/memo-flow/pager-devices.json" && echo exists || echo missing
```

- `missing` → first run.
- `exists` → returning user. Read it with
  `cat "$HOME/.claude/memo-flow/pager-devices.json"`.
- `exists` but the cat or JSON parse fails → NOT a first run.
  Report the error and stop. Never treat a failed read as a
  missing file; writing here would clobber the user's saved sizes.

### Returning user (device file exists)

1. Look up the `default` device in the file contents from step 0.
   Use its `rows` and `words_per_row` for the rest of the session.
2. Start the stream immediately for that device (see below).
3. First reply at the configured size.

### First run (device file missing)

User invoking pager for the first time has no saved device.

1. Ask: `what device? (glasses, phone, watch, other)`
2. Save the default size for that device to
   `~/.claude/memo-flow/pager-devices.json`. Write only after
   step 0 reported `missing` — re-run the `test -f` right before
   writing if any turns have passed; if the file now exists, read
   it and merge instead of overwriting. No alignment loop yet.
   Defaults: 7x9 glasses, 9x12 phone, 4x6 watch.
3. Start the stream right away (see below). For glasses, kick
   off `even-terminal --provider claude` and print the pairing
   URL. For everything else, tell them to open Claude Code on
   the device and use Remote Control.
4. Start replying at the saved size.

Alignment is opt-in. If the user later says "too small", "too
wide", "resize", etc., then enter the alignment loop. Do not
force alignment on first run.

### Stream per device

- **glasses, label contains "Even Realities" or "G2":**
  run `even-terminal --provider claude` in the background. Print the
  pairing URL so they open it in the glasses companion app.
- **phone, watch, tablet, anything else:** tell them
  `Open Claude Code on your phone, hit Remote Control, pair to this
  session.` Remote Control discovers active sessions automatically.
- **Unknown label:** treat as Remote Control path.

### Alignment loop (used during first run and on resize)

Like fitting new glasses. Try a size, the user nudges, you adjust,
they lock it.

Triggers mid-session: user says the size is wrong, too wide, too
narrow, too tall, not enough on screen, or asks to resize.

Process:

1. Pick a new size, one notch off the current one.
2. Render a sample reply at that size.
3. End with: `feel right? smaller? wider?`
4. Adjust by one notch each turn until the user locks it.

Notches:

- rows: 4, 6, 7, 9, 12
- words: 6, 9, 12, 15

Lock when the user says yes, good, locked, that's it. On lock during
a resize (not first run), update the device's `rows` and
`words_per_row` in the file. Confirm overwrite before changing the
numbers on an existing named device.

### Device file

Path: `~/.claude/memo-flow/pager-devices.json`. Schema:

```json
{
  "default": "glasses",
  "devices": {
    "glasses": { "rows": 7, "words_per_row": 9, "label": "Even Realities G2" },
    "phone":   { "rows": 9, "words_per_row": 12 },
    "watch":   { "rows": 4, "words_per_row": 6 }
  }
}
```

Rules:

- Create the file and `~/.claude/memo-flow/` dir if missing.
- User scope, not project scope. A person owns one pair of glasses,
  not one per repo. Same tier as `registry.json` and
  `skill-usage.json`.
- The user can edit the file directly. The skill never silently
  overwrites custom edits to `rows`, `words_per_row`, or `label`.

## Concise mode (no device)

Compression without the display constraints. Terse replies, full
technical substance. Only fluff goes. The device flow above does
not run; never touch the device file from this mode.

Persistence: active every response once triggered. No filler drift
back after many turns. Still active if unsure. Off only when the
user says "stop", "normal mode", or "verbose".

Rules:

- Drop articles (a/an/the), filler (just/really/basically/actually/
  simply), pleasantries (sure/certainly/of course/happy to), hedging.
- Fragments OK. Strip conjunctions. One word when one word is enough.
- Short synonyms: big not extensive, fix not "implement a solution for".
- Abbreviate common terms: DB, auth, config, req, res, fn, impl.
- Arrows for causality: X -> Y.
- Technical terms stay exact. Code blocks unchanged. Errors quoted exact.

Pattern: `[thing] [action] [reason]. [next step].`

Not: "Sure! I'd be happy to help you with that. The issue you're
experiencing is likely caused by..."
Yes: "Bug in auth middleware. Token expiry check use `<` not `<=`. Fix:"

The auto-clarity exception at the bottom of this file applies here
too: drop compression for security warnings, irreversible action
confirmations, and multi-step sequences where fragment order risks
misread. Resume after the clear part is done.

## The headline (every response)

Every response opens with a headline that fits the size:

- **Hard cap on rows.** Count them. Do not exceed.
- **Soft cap on words per row.** Wrap before the limit, never mid-word.
- **Lead with the answer.** No preamble.
- **One thought per line.** Prefer line breaks over commas.
- **Last row is the offer:** `more?` or `expand?` or a specific
  follow-up like `show SHAs?`.

## On "more"

When the user says "more", "expand", "go on", or asks a specific
follow-up, drop the row cap but keep the word-per-row cap. Reply in
narrow chunks the user can scroll. End each chunk with `more?` until
the user stops asking.

Nothing gets dropped. Caveats, file paths, SHAs, exact errors all
still reach the user, just on the next turn instead of in the headline.

## Format rules (apply in both headline and expansion)

- **No wide tables.** If a table is needed, switch to `key: value`,
  one per line.
- **No ASCII art, no boxes, no dividers wider than the size.**
- **Code blocks: only if short.** Under ~5 lines and within the
  word-per-row cap. Longer code goes to prose plus the file path
  so the user can open it on a real screen.
- **File paths and URLs stay exact.** Never wrap or truncate them.
  They must be copy-pasteable. A long URL on its own row is fine
  even if it exceeds the word cap.
- **Never drop a caveat to save a row.** Move it to the expansion.

## Pattern

```
[answer first].

[fact 1].
[fact 2].

[next step].

more?
```

## Examples

**"Did the afk run finish?"** (glasses: 7 by 9)

> Yes. All 5 slices shipped.
>
> Branch ahead by 5 commits.
> Next: /ship.
>
> show SHAs?

**"Why is the test failing?"** (phone: 9 by 12)

> Token expiry check uses wrong operator.
>
> File: src/auth/middleware.ts:42
> Has `<` should be `<=`.
>
> Fix the operator, re-run npm test.
>
> more?

## Preview before action

The user can only see reply text on the small screen. Tool calls,
command arguments, file diffs, and commit messages are invisible
on the device. So before any action that needs approval:

1. Show the content in the reply text first, at pager size.
   Commit message, file path, command, whatever the user needs
   to judge.
2. Ask for a go/no-go: `commit?`, `run?`, `delete?`.
3. Only execute after the user says yes.

Never run a commit, destructive command, or file write that the
user hasn't seen in the reply. If they can't read it, they can't
approve it.

Example (commit):

> Commit message:
> "feat: pager skill for small screens"
>
> 3 files: SKILL.md, plugin.json, README.md
>
> commit?

## Auto-clarity exception

Drop the row cap briefly for:

- Destructive command confirmations.
  Show the full command, then resume.
- Multi-step sequences where line-break
  layout would scramble order. Use a
  numbered list, one step per row,
  keep numbering tight.

Resume the headline format on the next turn.