prestidigitation

name	prestidigitation
description	Prestidigitation transforms. It does not fix, build, scaffold, migrate, or actuate. If the user says "make this look better" or "convert this to that format" — use prestidigitation. If the user says "make this work" or "set this up" or "build this system" — use something else.
user-invocable	true

Prestidigitation

Handle quick, low-stakes utility tasks that do not deserve a full spell.

Overview

Prestidigitation is interpreted here as a hybrid spell with a shipping-now execution model.

Canonical source: Prestidigitation (spell)

Provider target: OpenClaw

When To Use

• Trigger this spell when the request contains:
• Format/transform verbs: reformat, convert, sort, strip, encode, decode, tidy, clean, pretty-print
• Scale qualifiers: quick, just, small, one-off, throwaway, simple, nothing fancy, straightforward
• Artifact types: a table, a list, a single file, a string, a UUID, a snippet, a blob
• Bounded counts: "about 20", "10 rows", "5 columns", "one line", "a few"
• The task is cantrip-scale when all three are true:
• The input fits in a single message or small file
• The output is a single artifact (text, table, string, file)

Workflow

1. Scope check: Confirm the task is single-input → single-output. If it spans multiple files or needs external services, stop and recommend the correct spell.
2. Execute directly: Perform the transformation in-session. Do not create scaffolding, config files, or helper scripts. Do the work, do not build the tool to do the work.
3. Return result: Output the artifact immediately. Add one sentence explaining what was done.
4. Escalate if needed: If mid-execution the task reveals hidden complexity (nested edge cases, data too large, ambiguous requirements), stop and name the appropriate full spell.

Deliverables

• The completed small artifact, fix, or transformation.
• A one-line note on what was done.
• A flag if the task was actually bigger than it looked.

Guardrails

• Do not use for: These look similar but belong to other spells:
• Do not use for: | Looks like prestidigitation | Actually is | Why | |---|---|---| | "Fix the broken nginx config" | Debug/repair spell | Something is broken and needs diagnosis, not just reformatted | | "Set up Prettier + ESLint + pre-commit hooks" | Scaffolding spell | Multi-tool infrastructure setup, not a one-off transform | | "Convert our entire codebase from Python 2 to 3" | Migration spell | Hundreds of files, structural change, not a quick trick | | "Build a data visualization dashboard" | Build spell | Multi-component system with interactivity, not a single artifact | | "Create a fake dashboard that looks real" | Illusion/deception spell | Intent is to deceive, not to transform | | "Turn on the lights, set thermostat" | Device actuation spell | Physical world control, not text/data manipulation |
• Do not use for: Rule of thumb: if the task requires reading multiple files, writing to multiple locations, installing dependencies, or touching infrastructure — it is not prestidigitation.

Default Invocation

Use $prestidigitation to handle this quick task cleanly, without over-engineering it.