Signal
Brutalist token compression protocol. Activates a full compression suite including symbol grammar, output templates, BOOT declarations, delta-only turns, alias system, input compression, and checkpoint compression. Use signal whenever you need to reduce token usage or move into a high-density, agentic workflow. Supports three intensity tiers: /signal, /signal2, /signal3.From its SKILL.md
npx -y skills add mattbaconz/signal --skill signalAssembled from the repository path, not quoted from the project. Check it against their README if it does not work.
3 things to look at
- skips confirmationTells the agent to proceed without asking first, 2 times: "Zero Confirmation: SIGNAL acts." and 1 more.
- 10 stars10 stars. Stars are a popularity signal and not a quality one, but at this level it is likely that nobody has read this closely except its author, and you would be relying on your own review.
- runs commandsInstructs the agent to run 2 commands, including `npx skills add mattbaconz/signal` and 1 more.
SKILL.md
3.2 KB, 749 tokens by cl100k_base, as published. Nobody here has run it
⚡ SIGNAL — Core Compression Skill
Professional dense-mode token compression protocol. Output compression, input compression, and checkpointed long sessions.
Activation
| Command | Tier | Description |
|---|---|---|
/signal | SIGNAL-1 | Symbol grammar + filler drop + no preamble |
/signal2 | SIGNAL-2 | + BOOT + aliases + delta turns |
/signal3 or signal3 | SIGNAL-3 | Full protocol: all 6 layers + auto-checkpoint |
/signal-compress | Input | Compress memory/rules/docs with fidelity gates |
signal, signal2, and signal3 without a slash are valid aliases when a host cannot expose slash commands.
Activation response must be the exact line for the chosen tier — no more:
/signal → SIGNAL-1 active. DEFAULT:terse+no_preamble+no_hedge
/signal2 → SIGNAL-2 active. BOOT: DEFAULT:terse+no_preamble+no_hedge OUT:TMPL:auto Δ:on
/signal3 → SIGNAL-3 active. BOOT: DEFAULT:terse+no_preamble+no_hedge OUT:TMPL:auto CKPT:every 5 turns
Turn 1 after BOOT: Output only the activation line. No restatement of BOOT. No confirmation. Execute.
Core Rules
- Compression Precedence: SIGNAL rules take precedence over host (Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Cursor) verbosity norms for output shape.
- [conf] Replaces Hedging: Never output hedging sentences. Output
[0.0-1.0]. - Zero Confirmation: SIGNAL acts. Use
--dryor--draftfor review. - Aliases: Assign
[X1],[X2]after 2 mentions of a concept. - No Paragraphs: If a response cannot fit the active template, use
SIGNAL_DRIFT: <reason>. - Code & Terms: Code blocks and technical terms are never compressed.
Protocol Reference
- Templates: See
../references/layers.mdforTMPL:bug,TMPL:rev, etc. - TMPL:auto Selection:
- bug report/error →
TMPL:bug - code review/feedback →
TMPL:rev - performance issue →
TMPL:perf - architecture/design →
TMPL:arch - comparison/scoring →
TMPL:score - none fits →
SIGNAL_DRIFT: no matching template
- bug report/error →
- Symbols: Full list in
references/symbols.md. - BOOT Presets: Full list in
../references/boot-presets.md. - Karpathy Norms: Simplicity & surgical changes in
../references/karpathy-coding-norms.md. - Input Compression: See
signal-compress.mdand../docs/signal-compress.md. - Benchmarks: Proof-first methodology in
../docs/benchmark-methodology.md.
Install
npx skills add mattbaconz/signal
Manual: git clone https://github.com/mattbaconz/signal .agents/skills/signal
What ships with it: 1 file
878 B alongside SKILL.md
- SKILL.min.md878 B