rtk-skill

name	rtk-skill
description	Use when running shell commands that produce verbose output (git, test, build, lint, package managers, docker). Prefix with rtk to save 60-90% tokens. MindMesh projects use explicit rtk prefix (no global hook).
version	1.1.0

RTK Skill (Rust Token Killer)

RTK is a CLI proxy that filters and compresses command output before it reaches the LLM (typically 60–90% token savings).

MindMesh setup (this repo)

MindMesh integrates RTK via AGENTS.md + this skill — we do not run rtk init / global hooks.

You must prefix commands explicitly:

rtk <original-command-and-args>

Resolve binary (try in order):

1. rtk on PATH (common in dev environments)
2. bunx rtk (project-local via @mind-mesh/rtk)
3. ./node_modules/.bin/rtk

Verify:

rtk gain          # must print savings stats (not "command not found")
rtk --version     # must show rtk-ai/rtk, NOT Rust Type Kit from crates.io

Golden rule

For any shell command that prints more than a few lines, run it as rtk <cmd> instead of bare <cmd>.

Applies to: git, tests, builds, linters, package managers, docker/kubectl, ls/grep/find, gh, etc.

Critical: built-in Read / Grep / Glob

Claude Code, Cursor, and similar agents often have native Read/Grep tools that bypass Bash hooks.

Those tools do not auto-rewrite to RTK. For token-efficient file/search workflows, use:

Instead of native tool	Use
Read large source file	rtk read path/to/file.rs
Read signatures only	rtk read path/to/file.rs -l aggressive
Grep / search repo	rtk grep "pattern" . or rtk rg "pattern"
Find files	rtk find "*.ts" .
List directory	rtk ls .

Exception: .mind-mesh/agent/context.md and short knowledge/*.md — read directly (already dense).

Command reference (by category)

Git (high savings)

rtk git status
rtk git log -n 20 --oneline
rtk git diff
rtk git diff --staged
rtk add -A && rtk git commit -m "msg"   # commit/push often collapse to "ok ..."
rtk git push
rtk git pull

Tests (failures-focused, ~90% savings)

rtk cargo test
rtk test cargo test          # generic wrapper — failures only
rtk bun test                 # or: rtk npm test / rtk pnpm test
rtk vitest
rtk jest
rtk pytest
rtk go test

Build & lint

rtk cargo build
rtk cargo clippy
rtk tsc
rtk eslint .                 # or: rtk lint
rtk ruff check
rtk next build

Package managers

rtk pnpm list
rtk bun install
rtk pip list

Files & search

rtk ls src/
rtk read src/lib/foo.rs
rtk read src/lib/foo.rs -l aggressive   # signatures only
rtk grep "fn handle_" .
rtk find "*.svelte" .
rtk diff file1 file2

Containers / cloud (when used)

rtk docker ps
rtk docker logs <container>
rtk kubectl get pods
rtk gh pr list

Errors only

rtk err npm run build        # stderr / errors from any command

Global flags

rtk -u git status            # --ultra-compact (extra compression)
rtk -v cargo test            # more verbose when debugging

When command fails

RTK may collapse output but preserves exit codes. On failure, look for a tee path in output:

FAILED: 2/15 tests
[full output: ~/.local/share/rtk/tee/....log]

Read that log if you need the full unfiltered output — do not blindly re-run the same verbose command.

Bypass RTK (rare)

RTK_DISABLED=1 git status    # one-off full output

When NOT to use RTK

Use RTK	Use other MindMesh skills instead
Shell command output	Architecture → mind-mesh-knowledge-skill / context.md
git test build lint	Symbol relations → codegraph-skill
rtk read for code slices	Structured repomix index → repomix-context-skill

Workflow order: MindMesh knowledge → codegraph → repomix slices → rtk for remaining shell work.

Analytics (optional)

rtk gain                     # session savings summary
rtk gain --history           # recent commands
rtk discover                 # missed optimization opportunities

Do not

• Run rtk init or rtk init -g — MindMesh owns agent guidance via AGENTS.md
• Assume hooks rewrite commands — you must type rtk prefix
• Re-run identical verbose commands after RTK already summarized them
• Use wrong rtk package (verify with rtk gain)

Complements

• mind-mesh-knowledge-skill — what project knowledge to read first
• codegraph-skill — AST/call-graph queries
• repomix-context-skill — grep repomix pack for source sections