Token Optimization Fix

Token Optimization Fix

Applies the remediations surfaced by token-optimization-check. Edits files in place after explicit user confirmation per change set.

When to use

• User asks: "apply token optimization fixes", "compress copilot-instructions", "fix the audit findings", "shrink AGENTS.md", "prune MCP servers", "add output-control directive".
• Immediately after token-optimization-check produced findings.

Inputs

One of:

1. Findings report from token-optimization-check (preferred — re-run if stale).
2. User-specified target ("just compress copilot-instructions.md", "only dedupe AGENTS.md").

If neither given → invoke logic of token-optimization-check first to discover findings, then proceed.

Fix catalog

Each fix maps to a rule ID from the audit. Apply in this order (highest ROI first).

F5 — Add output-control directive (R5)

Append to .github/copilot-instructions.md (create file if missing):

Be concise. Code only for generation. No explanations unless asked.
Bullets over paragraphs.

One-line, ~12 tokens, ~40–70% output savings on code tasks.

F1 — Compress oversized always-on file (R1, R3)

Target: .github/copilot-instructions.md, AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md. Procedure per file:

1. Read full file.
2. Show user a diff preview before writing.
3. Apply transforms:
   • Drop articles: the, a, an when removable.
   • Drop filler: just, really, basically, actually, simply, very.
   • Drop pleasantries: please, kindly, feel free to, I'd like you to, could you.
   • Drop hedging: maybe, perhaps, might want to, you should probably, it's important to, make sure to.
   • Collapse multi-sentence prose into fragments: [thing] [action] [reason].
   • Bullets instead of paragraphs where lists fit.
   • Preserve verbatim: code blocks, inline code, URLs, file paths, technical terms, headings structure.
4. Target: ≤80 lines / ~600 tokens for copilot-instructions.md; ≤120 for AGENTS.md/CLAUDE.md.
5. Write file. Report before/after line + char counts.

F4 — Strip discoverable facts (R4)

Remove lines matching:

• \b(this (project|repo) (uses|is)|we use|tests? (are|live) in|main branch is)\b
• Stack declarations that any manifest reveals (package.json, tsconfig.json, pyproject.toml, *.csproj, Cargo.toml, go.mod).
• Restatements of obvious directory structure. Confirm each removal with user (batch: list candidates, ask "delete all? y/n/select").

F2 — Dedupe AGENTS.md ↔ copilot-instructions.md (R2)

1. Diff the two files. Show overlapping lines.
2. Ask user: keep in which file? (default: keep in AGENTS.md as the cross-tool source, leave Copilot-specific rules in copilot-instructions.md).
3. Remove duplicates from the non-canonical file.

F6 — Prune MCP servers (R6)

1. Read .vscode/mcp.json / .copilot/mcp-config.json.
2. List each server with brief purpose.
3. Ask user to mark keep/disable per server.
4. For "disable" → remove from workspace config (do NOT touch user-global config).
5. Report estimated savings: removed_servers × 5 × 200 × est_steps tokens per agent task.

F9 — Add Conventional Commits hint (R9, optional)

If copilot-instructions.md lacks commit guidance and user wants it, append:

Commits: Conventional Commits. Subject ≤72 chars, imperative. Body only if "why" non-obvious.

F8 — Translate non-English always-on content (R8)

Detect CJK/Cyrillic/Hebrew blocks. Offer English equivalent. User approves before replace.

Workflow

1. Confirm scope: full audit fix-up vs targeted fix.
2. For each fix to apply:
   • Show before/after preview (diff or summary).
   • Wait for confirmation (y / n / edit).
   • Apply only on y.
3. After all fixes, run token-optimization-check logic again. Report new score.
4. Suggest git diff --stat for the user to review.

Safety rules

• NEVER modify files outside: .github/copilot-instructions.md, AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, .cursorrules, .github/instructions/**, .vscode/mcp.json, .copilot/mcp-config.json, .mcp.json.
• NEVER touch user-global config (~/.vscode/, ~/.config/).
• NEVER delete files outright — only edit contents, or empty + leave with a header comment.
• Preserve code blocks, URLs, file paths, headings verbatim during compression.
• If a transform would change technical meaning, skip it and flag for manual review.
• Show diff preview before every write. No silent edits.

Output

After each fix:

[F<id>] <file> — <before> → <after> (Δ <n> lines, Δ ~<n> tokens)

Final summary:

## Applied fixes
- F5: added output-control directive (+12 tokens, ~50% output savings ongoing)
- F1: compressed copilot-instructions.md (142 → 68 lines, ~980 → ~520 tokens)
- F6: pruned 4 MCP servers (~3200 tokens/agent-step saved)

## New audit score
<old> → <new> / 100

## Next steps
- Review `git diff`
- Commit with: `chore: optimize copilot token usage`

Notes

• Token counts are estimates (chars / 4).
• Never claim exact billing savings — say "estimated".
• If user says "apply all", still surface a single combined preview before writing.
• Pair skill: token-optimization-check (read-only audit).