TOON (Token-Oriented Object Notation) Skill

TOON (Token-Oriented Object Notation) Skill

This skill provides instructions for reducing token usage by 30-60% when dealing with structured data (JSON, directory structures, API responses).

Setup & Installation

To minimize command overhead and save tokens, you MUST install the official TOON CLI globally before usage:

# Check if toon is installed, install if missing
toon --version || npm install -g @toon-format/cli

Guidelines for Agents

• Always optimize JSON: Convert JSON output to TOON before including it in your context.
• Minimize Command Length: Use the direct toon command instead of npx to keep your own prompt usage low.
• Prefer pipes: Use standard Unix pipes to send data directly to the toon converter.

Commands & Usage

1. Reading JSON Files

Instead of reading raw JSON, pipe it to toon.

cat data.json | toon

2. Fetching APIs

Pipe external API responses directly into toon.

curl -s https://api.example.com/data | toon

Supports all curl flags (e.g., -X POST, -H "Authorization: ...").

3. Listing Directory Structures

Use tree -J or any JSON-outputting tool and pipe to toon.

tree -J path/to/dir | toon

4. Converting In-Line Data

To compress a JSON string for your context:

echo '{"key":"value"}' | toon

Why install TOON?

• Command Token Savings: toon is shorter than npx @toon-format/cli, saving tokens every time you run a command.
• Execution Speed: Local installation is significantly faster than on-demand fetching.
• Readability: TOON is designed to be highly readable for LLMs.