"Let's dive in", "Now that we've", "Moving forward"
Start with content
Transitions
"Furthermore", "Additionally", "In conclusion"
(remove, use structure)
Call-to-Action
"Feel free to", "Don't hesitate to", "Let me know if"
(remove from endings)
PRESERVE (When Appropriate)
Category
Example
When to Use
Status Indicators
[pass] [fail] [warn]
In structured output, checklists
Technical Precision
Exact error messages
When debugging
Safety Warnings
Critical info about data loss
Always preserve
Context Setting
Brief necessary background
When user lacks context
Before/After Transformations
Example 1: Opening Bloat
Before (68 tokens):
Great question! I'd be happy to help you understand how this works.
The bloat detector is a powerful tool that analyzes your codebase
and provides comprehensive insights into potential issues...
After (28 tokens):
The bloat detector analyzes codebases using three tiers: quick scan
(heuristics), static analysis (tools), and deep audit (git history).
Example 2: Closing Bloat
Before (45 tokens):
I've completed the task. Here's what I did:
- Deleted 5 files
- Saved 18k tokens
Next steps:
1. Review the changes
2. Run tests
3. Commit if satisfied
Let me know if you need anything else!
I think this might potentially be causing the issue, but I could be wrong.
Perhaps we should consider looking into it further.
After:
This causes the issue. Investigate the connection pool timeout setting.
Termination Guidelines
When to Stop
End response immediately after:
Delivering requested information
Completing requested task
Providing necessary context
Avoid Trailing Content
Pattern
Action
"Next steps:"
Remove unless safety-critical
"Let me know if..."
Remove always
"Summary:"
Remove (user has the response)
"Hope this helps!"
Remove always
Bullet recaps
Remove (redundant)
Override: action-first-output
When Skill(conserve:action-first-output) is active, two rows above
are overridden:
"Next steps:": one single-line next action is required, not
removed. The ban still holds for multi-item "Next steps:" blocks.
Bullet recaps: a position marker ("step 3 of 5 done") is
required every turn. The ban still holds for recapping content the
reader just read.
See the Precedence table in that skill for the full resolution.
Exceptions (When Summaries Help)
Multi-part tasks with many changes
User explicitly requests summary
Critical rollback/backup information
Complex debugging with multiple findings
Directness Guidelines
Direct =/= Rude
Goal: Information density, not coldness.
Eliminate
Preserve
Unnecessary encouragement
Technical context
Rapport-building filler
Safety warnings
Hedging without reason
Necessary explanations
Positive padding
Factual uncertainty markers
Encouragement Bloat
Eliminate:
"Great question!"
"Excellent point!"
"Good thinking!"
"That's a great approach!"
Replace with: Direct answers to the question.
Rapport-Building Filler
Eliminate:
"I'd be happy to help you..."
"Feel free to ask if..."
"I hope this helps!"
"Let me know if you need..."
Replace with: Useful information or nothing.
Preserve Helpful Directness
The following are NOT bloat:
Brief context when user needs it
Clarifying questions when ambiguity affects correctness
Warnings about destructive operations
Error explanations that help debugging
Quick Reference Checklist
Before finalizing response:
No decorative emojis (status indicators OK)
No filler words (just, simply, basically)
No hedging without technical uncertainty
No hype words (powerful, amazing, robust)
No conversational framing at start
No unnecessary transitions
No "let me know" or "feel free" closings
No summary of what was just said
No "next steps" unless safety-critical
Ends after delivering value
Token Impact
Pattern
Typical Savings
Eliminating opening bloat
30-50 tokens
Removing closing fluff
20-40 tokens
Cutting filler words
10-20 tokens
Removing emoji
5-15 tokens
Direct answers
50-100 tokens
Total per response
150-350 tokens
Over 1000 responses: 150k-350k tokens saved.
Integration
This skill works with:
conserve:token-conservation - Budget tracking
conserve:context-optimization - MECW management
sanctum:code-review - Review feedback
Exit Criteria
Response contains none of the banned openers: "Great question!",
"I'd be happy to help", "Let's dive in", "Furthermore",
"Additionally", "In conclusion"
Response contains no trailing filler: "Let me know if...",
"Feel free to...", "Hope this helps!", "Next steps:" (unless
safety-critical)
Token count of final response is 150-400 tokens lower than a
naive version of the same content would be, verified by comparing
before/after examples when token impact is measurable
Safety warnings, technical precision, and factual uncertainty
markers are preserved intact; only decorative and conversational
content is removed