Token Optimizer

Token Optimizer Skill

Maintain context hygiene and minimize token consumption for faster, cheaper, and more accurate interactions.

Core Principles

1. Surgical Reads: Never read a whole file if you only need a specific section. Use start_line and end_line in read_file.
2. Surgical Context: Use the @ symbol to reference specific files or folders. Avoid loading the entire workspace.
3. Patch-First: Favor replace (patches) over write_file (full overwrites) for large files to reduce input/output tokens.
4. Caveman Style: For mechanical or high-frequency tasks, adopt a terse, article-free style.
5. Context Hygiene:
   • If a task is complete, start a fresh session with gemini reset or /clear.
   • Use /rewind (or Esc twice) to remove failed attempts or redundant context from history.

Workflow

1. Audit: Periodically check token usage with /stats.
2. Prune: Identify redundant history and suggest /rewind.
3. Optimize: Use the most specific tool possible (e.g., grep_search instead of reading multiple files to find a string).

Rationalization Table

Red Flags

• Outputting full files when only a few lines changed.
• Reading non-relevant files just because they are in the same directory.
• Not using /rewind after a major tool failure or correction.