Text & File Optimizer
Step 0: Load Rules
REQUIRED: Read
references/rules-review.mdbefore ANY optimization. If file not found -> ERROR + STOP. Do not proceed without rules reference.
Modes
Parse $ARGUMENTS: -l/--light | -s/--standard | -d/--deep | no flag -> medium (default) or auto-detect.
| Mode | Flag | Target | Compression | Human-readable | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light | -l, --light | Any | Minimal | Yes | None |
| Medium | (default) | Any | Moderate | Yes | None |
| Standard | -s, --standard | Docs, README | 30-50% | Yes | 1 round |
| Deep | -d, --deep | CLAUDE.md, system prompts, agent/skill defs, KNOWLEDGE | 2-3x | No (LLM-only) | 1-2 rounds |
Smart Auto-Detection
When no flag provided AND input suggests compression (not just optimization):
- Parse file path + content header
- Classify:
- LLM-only files (
CLAUDE.md,.claude/rules/*.md,.claude/agents/*.md,.claude/skills/**/SKILL.md,KNOWLEDGE.*, system prompts) → deep candidate README.md,docs/, API references, user-facing docs → standard candidate- Unknown / mixed → ask user via AskUserQuestion
- LLM-only files (
- If confident → tell user: "Selected mode: {mode} for {file} because {reason}"
- If ambiguous → AskUserQuestion with mode options
- User can override via flags regardless of auto-detection
Context Hints from Prompt Text
| Hint | Mode |
|---|---|
| "compress for CLAUDE.md / for context / for prompt / for LLM" | deep |
| "deep compress / deep encode / super compress / maximum" | deep |
| "compress / slim / tighten" (generic) | standard |
| "safe compress / human readable" | standard |
| Explicit target (e.g., "reduce by 70%") | adjust aggressiveness |
Rule ID Quick Reference
| Category | Rule IDs | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Claude behavior | C.1-C.8 | Literal following, avoid "think", positive framing, match style, descriptive instructions, overengineering, avoid ALL-CAPS, prompt format |
| Token efficiency | T.1-T.8, T.10 | Tables, bullets, one-liners, inline code, abbreviations, filler, comma lists, arrows, strip whitespace |
| Structure | S.1-S.8 | XML tags, imperative, single source, context/motivation, blockquotes, progressive disclosure, consistent terminology, ref depth |
| Reference integrity | R.1-R.3 | Verify file paths, check URLs, linearize circular refs |
| Perception | P.1-P.6 | Examples near rules, hierarchy, bold keywords, standard symbols, instruction order, default over options |
| LLM Comprehension | L.1-L.7 | Critical info position, documents-first, conciseness, quote-first, add WHY, reiterate constraint, prompt repetition |
ID-to-Rule Mapping
| ID | Rule | ID | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| C.1 | Literal instruction following | C.2 | Avoid "think" word |
| C.3 | Positive framing (do Y not don't X) | C.4 | Match prompt style to output |
| C.5 | Descriptive over emphatic instructions | C.6 | Overengineering prevention |
| T.1 | Tables over prose (multi-column) | T.2 | Bullets over numbered (~5-10%) |
| T.3 | One-liners for rules | T.4 | Inline code over blocks |
| T.5 | Standard abbreviations (tables only) | T.6 | Remove filler words |
| T.7 | Comma-separated inline lists | T.8 | Arrows for flow notation |
| S.1 | XML tags for sections | S.2 | Imperative form |
| S.3 | Single source of truth | S.4 | Add context/motivation |
| S.5 | Blockquotes for critical | S.6 | Progressive disclosure |
| R.1 | Verify file paths | R.2 | Check URLs |
| R.3 | Linearize circular refs | P.1 | Examples near rules |
| P.2 | Hierarchy via headers (max 3-4) | P.3 | Bold for keywords (max 2-3/100 lines) |
| P.4 | Standard symbols (→ + / ✅❌⚠️) | ||
| S.7 | Consistent terminology | S.8 | One-level reference depth |
| P.5 | Instruction order (anchoring) | P.6 | Default over options |
| C.7 | Avoid ALL-CAPS emphasis (4.x) | C.8 | Prompt format → output format |
| T.10 | Strip whitespace from code | ||
| L.1 | Critical info at START or END | L.2 | Documents first, query last |
| L.3 | Explicitly request conciseness | L.4 | Quote-first grounding |
| L.5 | Add WHY to instructions | L.6 | Reiterate constraint at END |
| L.7 | Prompt repetition (non-reasoning) |
Mode-to-Rules Mapping
| Mode | Applies | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Light | C.1-C.8, T.6, R.1-R.3, P.1-P.4, L.1-L.7 | Text cleanup only — no restructuring |
| Medium | All rules (C + T + S + R + P + L) | Balanced transformations |
| Standard | All rules (C + T + S + R + P + L) + references/standard-compression.md | 30-50% compression, human-readable, 1 verification round |
| Deep | All rules (C + T + S + R + P + L) + references/deep-compression.md | DICT header, symbol substitutions, 1-2 verification rounds (conditional) |
Usage Examples
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
/brewtools:text-optimize | Optimize ALL: CLAUDE.md, .claude/agents/*.md, .claude/skills/**/SKILL.md |
/brewtools:text-optimize file.md | Single file (medium mode) |
/brewtools:text-optimize -l file.md | Light mode — text cleanup only, structure untouched |
/brewtools:text-optimize -d file.md | Deep mode — max compression, review diff after |
/brewtools:text-optimize path1.md, path2.md | Multiple files — parallel processing |
/brewtools:text-optimize -d agents/ | Directory — all .md files with specified mode |
/brewtools:text-optimize -s README.md | Standard mode — 30-50% compression, human-readable |
/brewtools:text-optimize -d CLAUDE.md | Deep mode — dictionary compression, LLM-only output |
/brewtools:text-optimize CLAUDE.md | Auto-detect → selects deep for CLAUDE.md |
/brewtools:text-optimize README.md | Auto-detect → selects standard for README |
/brewtools:text-optimize "super compress" file.md | Prompt hint → deep mode |
File Processing
Input Parsing
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| No args | Optimize ALL: CLAUDE.md, .claude/agents/*.md, .claude/skills/**/SKILL.md |
| Single path | Process directly |
path1, path2 | Parallel processing |
2-Phase Execution
Orchestration: Phase 1+2 are executed by the SKILL in the main conversation (manager level). The text-optimizer agent handles single-file optimization only — it cannot spawn sub-agents.
Phase 1: Analysis — Parallel Explore agents
Task(subagent_type: "Explore", prompt: "Analyze {file}: structure, dependencies, cross-refs, redundancies")
Phase 2: Optimization — Parallel text-optimizer agents
Context: BT_PLUGIN_ROOT is available in your context (injected by pre-task.mjs hook). Use it to access plugin resources.
Task(subagent_type: "text-optimizer", prompt: "FIRST: Read $BT_PLUGIN_ROOT/skills/text-optimize/references/rules-review.md for validation rules. FOR STANDARD MODE: Also read $BT_PLUGIN_ROOT/skills/text-optimize/references/standard-compression.md. FOR DEEP MODE: Also read $BT_PLUGIN_ROOT/skills/text-optimize/references/deep-compression.md. THEN optimize {file} using {mode} mode. Apply transformations, verify refs, output report with metrics.")
Spawn parallel: For multiple files, spawn ALL agents in ONE message for speed.
Quality Checklist
Before
- Read entire text
- Identify type (prompt, docs, agent, skill)
- Note critical info and cross-references
During — Apply by Mode
| Check | Light | Med | Std | Deep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.1-C.8 (Claude behavior) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| T.6 (filler removal) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| T.1-T.5, T.7-T.8 (token compression) | - | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| S.1-S.8 (structure/clarity) | - | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| R.1-R.3 (reference integrity) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| P.1-P.4 (LLM perception) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| L.1-L.7 (LLM comprehension) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Standard compression ref | - | - | Yes | - |
| Deep compression ref + DICT | - | - | - | Yes |
| Aggressive |