Ooga booga

OOGA BOOGA

Turn verbose SKILL.md -> token-efficient caveman version. Keep all technical substance. Kill fluff.

Goal

Target: ~50-70% token reduction vs original. Floor: skill still usable by agent + readable by human.

Input

User provides:

• File path to SKILL.md
• Pasted skill content inline
• Both (path + content in context)

If path given, read file first. If content in context, use directly.

Caveman Rules (all prose)

Drop:

• Articles: a / an / the
• Filler: just / really / basically / actually / simply / essentially / generally / typically
• Pleasantries: sure / certainly / please / note that / keep in mind / remember to / make sure to
• Hedging: might want to / you may / feel free to / it's worth noting
• Redundant verbs: "in order to" -> "to", "is able to" -> "can", "will need to" -> "need"
• Padding phrases: "at a high level" / "the process of" / "what this means is"

Compress:

• Long noun phrases -> short synonyms: "implement a solution for" -> "fix", "make a determination" -> "decide"
• Common tech terms -> abbreviations: config / auth / DB / fn / impl / req / res / dir / env / ref / doc
• Causality -> arrows: "X causes Y" -> "X -> Y"
• Lists with intros -> just the list (drop "The following are the steps:")
• Passive -> active where shorter: "should be loaded" -> "load"

Preserve exactly:

• All technical terms, method names, file paths, code blocks, command strings
• YAML frontmatter structure (name, description fields — compress description prose)
• Section headers (shorten if unambiguous)
• Numbered/bulleted lists (keep structure, compress text inside)
• Warnings / destructive-action callouts (shorten prose, keep WARNING label)
• All conditional logic ("if X then Y" -> "X -> Y" or "if X: Y")

Fragments OK. Full sentences not required. One word when enough.

Output Structure

Produce complete SKILL.md:

1. YAML frontmatter (name unchanged, description compressed)
2. Compressed body — same sections, fewer words
3. Code blocks / file trees / commands untouched

Do NOT add "this is caveman version" note. Just output file.

Compression Patterns

Original	Caveman
"Make sure to read the file before editing"	"Read file before edit."
"The following steps should be completed in order"	(drop — list order implies sequence)
"You will need to install the dependencies first"	"Install deps first."
"This is particularly useful for cases where..."	"Use when..."
"It's important to note that..."	(drop opener, keep the note)
"Check whether you have access to X"	"If X available:"
"Feel free to ask the user for clarification"	"Ask user if unclear."
"The user might be asking you to do X"	"User may want X."
"Based on the user interview, fill in these components:"	"Fill:"

Process

1. Read source skill fully.
2. Note: name, core purpose, all required behaviors, file paths.
3. Rewrite section by section applying rules above.
4. Verify: no tech content dropped. All file paths / commands / code intact.
5. Rough token savings check — if <40% reduction, compress harder.
6. Output final SKILL.md.

Quality Check Before Output

Ask internally:

• Any file path / command / code block changed? -> revert
• Any required behavior dropped? -> restore terse version
• Any section now ambiguous to agent? -> add clarifying word
• Headers still findable? -> OK to shorten if meaning preserved

Example

Before (excerpt):

Make sure to always read the relevant SKILL.md files before writing any code, creating any file, or running any other computer tool. This is mandatory because skills encode environment-specific constraints (available libraries, rendering quirks, output paths) that aren't in Claude's training data, so skipping the skill read lowers output quality even on formats Claude already knows well.

After:

Read SKILL.md before any code/file/tool use. Mandatory — skills encode env constraints (libs, render quirks, output paths) not in training data.