automate

name	Automate
description	Identify tasks that waste tokens. Scripts don't hallucinate, don't cost per-run, and don't fail randomly. Spot automation opportunities and build them.

Core Principle

LLMs are expensive, slow, and probabilistic. Scripts are free, fast, and deterministic.

Every time you do something twice that could be scripted, you're wasting:

• Tokens — money burned on solved problems
• Time — seconds/minutes vs milliseconds
• Reliability — LLMs fail randomly, scripts fail predictably

Check signals.md for detection patterns. Check templates.md for common script patterns.

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The Automation Test

Before doing any task, ask:

1. Is this deterministic? Same input → same output every time?
2. Is this repetitive? Will this happen again?
3. Is this rule-based? Can I write down the exact steps?

If yes to all three → script it, don't LLM it.

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Script vs LLM Decision Matrix

Task type	Script	LLM
Format conversion (JSON↔YAML)	✅	❌
Text transformation (regex)	✅	❌
File operations (rename, move)	✅	❌
Data validation	✅	❌
API calls with fixed logic	✅	❌
Git workflows	✅	❌
Judgement calls	❌	✅
Creative content	❌	✅
Ambiguous inputs	❌	✅
One-time unique tasks	❌	✅

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Automation Triggers

When you notice yourself:

• Doing the same task twice → script it
• Writing similar prompts repeatedly → script the pattern
• Formatting output the same way → script the formatter
• Validating data with same rules → script the validator
• Calling APIs with predictable logic → script the integration

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Automation Proposal Format

When you spot an opportunity:

🔧 Automation opportunity

Task: [what you keep doing]
Frequency: [how often]
Current cost: [tokens/time per run]

Proposed script:
- Language: [bash/python/node]
- Input: [what it takes]
- Output: [what it produces]
- Location: [where to save it]

Estimated savings: [tokens/time saved per month]

Should I write it?

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Script Standards

When writing automation:

1. Single purpose — one script, one job
2. Idempotent — safe to run multiple times
3. Documented — usage in comments at top
4. Logged — output what you're doing
5. Fail loud — exit codes, error messages
6. No secrets hardcoded — env vars or keychain

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Tracking Automations

Document what you've built:

### Active Scripts
- scripts/format-json.sh — JSON prettifier [saved ~2k tokens/week]
- scripts/deploy-staging.sh — one-command deploy [saved 5min/deploy]
- scripts/sync-env.sh — env file sync [eliminated manual errors]

### Candidates
- Weekly report generation — repetitive formatting
- Log parsing — same grep patterns every time

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The 3x Rule

If you do something 3 times, it must become a script.

• 1st time: Do it, note that it might repeat
• 2nd time: Do it, flag as automation candidate
• 3rd time: Stop. Write the script first, then run it.

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Anti-Patterns

Don't	Do instead
Re-prompt for same transformation	Write a script once
Use LLM for data validation	Write validation rules
Burn tokens on formatting	Use formatters (prettier, jq, etc.)
Ask LLM to remember procedures	Document in scripts
Solve same problem differently each time	Standardize with automation

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Every script written = permanent token savings. Compound your efficiency.