silent-execution

name	silent-execution
description	Automatically wraps verbose commands (pytest, ruff, builds) with silent execution for context-efficient output. Use this proactively when running tests, linters, formatters, or build commands to minimize context usage while preserving error information. Use when this capability is needed.
metadata	{"author":"elliotsteene"}

Silent Execution for Context Efficiency

Use silent execution wrappers to run verbose commands with minimal context usage. The wrapper suppresses successful output but preserves complete error information.

When to Use This Skill

IMPORTANT: Use this skill proactively (without user request) whenever running these types of commands:

Always Wrap These Commands

1. Test Commands

   • pytest or python -m pytest
   • uv run pytest
   • Any test runner that produces verbose output

2. Linting and Formatting

   • ruff check or ruff format
   • pyrefly, mypy, pylint
   • black, isort
   • Any code quality tool

3. Build Commands

   • docker build
   • cargo build
   • npm run build
   • make build

4. Installation Commands

   • uv sync
   • pip install
   • npm install, yarn install

5. Git Remote Operations

   • git push, git pull, git fetch

DO NOT Wrap These Commands

• ls, cat, grep, find - Output is valuable
• git status, git diff, git log, git branch - Output is essential
• Any command where you need to see the output

How to Use

Replace direct command execution with the smart wrapper script:

Standard Approach (Less Context Efficient)

uv run pytest tests/

Silent Execution Approach (Context Efficient)

${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/smart_wrap.sh "uv run pytest tests/"

Important: Always wrap the command in double quotes to preserve argument boundaries and handle special characters correctly.

The script will:

• ✅ Show a clean success indicator: ✓ Running tests (45 tests, in 2.3s)
• ❌ Show full error output on failure with the actual command that failed
• 🎯 Automatically detect which commands need wrapping

Examples

Example 1: Running Tests

Without silent execution:

$ uv run pytest tests/
============================= test session starts ==============================
platform darwin -- Python 3.11.5, pytest-7.4.3, pluggy-1.3.0
rootdir: /Users/user/project
collected 45 items

tests/test_connection.py ....                                            [  8%]
tests/test_parser.py .........                                           [ 28%]
tests/test_orderbook.py ....................                             [ 72%]
tests/test_integration.py ............                                   [100%]

============================= 45 passed in 2.34s ===============================

(Uses significant context for success information)

With silent execution:

$ ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/smart_wrap.sh "uv run pytest tests/"
  ✓ Running tests (45 tests, in 2.3s)

(Minimal context usage, same information)

Example 2: Running Linter

Without silent execution:

$ uv run ruff check .
All checks passed!

With silent execution:

$ ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/smart_wrap.sh "uv run ruff check ."
  ✓ Ruff check

Example 3: Command Failure (Full Output Preserved)

Silent execution on failure:

$ ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/smart_wrap.sh "uv run pytest tests/"
  ✗ Running tests
Command failed: uv run pytest tests/
============================= test session starts ==============================
FAILED tests/test_parser.py::test_invalid_message - AssertionError: ...
ERROR tests/test_connection.py::test_reconnect - ConnectionError: ...
=========================== 2 failed, 43 passed in 2.1s =======================

(Full error output preserved for debugging)

Integration with Commands

When implementing commands that run multiple checks, use silent execution throughout:

# Standard approach (verbose)
uv run pytest tests/
uv run ruff check .
uv run ruff format --check .

# Silent execution approach (context efficient)
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/smart_wrap.sh "uv run pytest tests/"
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/smart_wrap.sh "uv run ruff check ."
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/smart_wrap.sh "uv run ruff format --check ."

How It Works

The smart_wrap.sh script:

1. Analyzes the command to determine if it should be wrapped
2. If verbose, redirects output to temporary file
3. On success: Shows clean indicator with key metrics (test count, duration)
4. On failure: Shows full output for debugging
5. If not verbose, runs command normally

The script uses pattern matching to detect verbose commands automatically.

Verbose Mode

Set VERBOSE=1 to see all output (useful for debugging):

VERBOSE=1 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/smart_wrap.sh "uv run pytest tests/"

Important Notes

• Always use proactively - Don't wait for user to request it
• Preserves all error information - Never hides failures
• Works with any shell command - Not language-specific
• Reduces context usage by 80-95% for successful operations
• Scripts are located in scripts/ at plugin root
• Use ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} for portable paths across installations

Technical Details

Scripts

• smart_wrap.sh: Main wrapper that detects and wraps verbose commands
• run_silent.sh: Core execution engine with output management

Both scripts are in scripts/ directory (plugin-level, shared across components).

Exit Codes

The wrapper preserves exit codes from wrapped commands, so CI/CD pipelines work correctly.

Best Practices

1. Use consistently: Apply to all verbose commands in your workflow
2. Check the output: The wrapper shows when commands pass/fail
3. Trust the wrapper: It preserves all error information
4. Context efficiency: Enables running more checks without context limits
5. Automatic detection: The script knows which commands to wrap

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