Tighten File
Apply tighten-instruction at three levels: whole file, section, instruction.
Steps
Step 0 — Load
Invoke the tighten-instruction skill via the Skill tool. This file-level workflow owns the apply gate.
Step 1 — Pin meaning
State the file's purpose in one line. List every distinct instruction or fact that must survive, including exact tokens, anchors, output contracts, and load-bearing rationale.
Step 2 — Find and score edits
Apply the loaded lens at whole-file, section, and instruction level. For each independent edit, record:
- the current text;
- the proposed text, or
cut entirely; - the level: whole-file, section, or instruction;
- confidence
0.00–1.00that the edit improves clarity without changing meaning.
Keep load-bearing rationale. When a reason is the non-derivable fact, shape it as behaviour — constraint; do not cut it as explanation.
Step 3 — Gate and apply
Show the plan, then:
- apply every edit at
c ≥ 0.75; - hold lower-confidence proposals and leave their text unchanged;
- apply whole-file and section edits before instruction edits;
- drop any later proposal an applied edit dissolves.
**Tightening plan — <file>:**
- [0.92] section: <current> → <proposed>
- [0.61] instruction: <current> → <proposed> · held (< 0.75)
Write Nothing to tighten — already clear. when no edit qualifies.
Step 4 — Prove and report
Re-read the changed file cold. Confirm:
- every Step 1 invariant survived;
- every exact token and anchor remains valid;
- every cross-reference still resolves;
- no rationale lost its constraint.
Revert or fix any edit that fails this proof.
Report applied edits, held proposals, dissolved proposals, and net clauses, lines, and words removed.