claude-token-efficient

What this skill does

```markdown
---
name: claude-token-efficient
description: Drop-in CLAUDE.md file that reduces Claude output verbosity by ~63% through behavior rules targeting sycophancy, formatting noise, and scope creep
triggers:
  - reduce claude token usage
  - cut claude output verbosity
  - claude is too verbose
  - claude keeps adding sycophantic responses
  - optimize claude code output
  - drop in claude md to reduce tokens
  - claude adds unnecessary suggestions
  - stop claude from being wordy
---

# claude-token-efficient

> Skill by [ara.so](https://ara.so) — Daily 2026 Skills collection.

A single `CLAUDE.md` file you drop into any project root. Claude Code (and other AI coding agents that read context files) picks it up automatically and changes output behavior immediately — no code changes, no API wrappers, no configuration.

---

## What It Does

Injects behavioral rules into Claude's context that suppress:

- Sycophantic openers ("Sure!", "Great question!", "Absolutely!")
- Hollow closings ("I hope this helps! Let me know if anything!")
- Prompt restatement before answering
- Em dashes, smart quotes, Unicode characters that break parsers
- "As an AI..." framing
- Unnecessary disclaimers
- Unsolicited suggestions beyond the requested scope
- Over-engineered code abstractions
- Hallucination on uncertain facts (forces "I don't know")
- Scope creep into untouched files

Benchmarked at ~63% output token reduction on a 5-prompt test suite. Net positive only when output volume is high enough to offset the persistent input token cost of loading the file.

---

## Installation

### Universal (any project)

```bash
curl -o CLAUDE.md https://raw.githubusercontent.com/drona23/claude-token-efficient/main/CLAUDE.md
```

### Clone and select a profile

```bash
git clone https://github.com/drona23/claude-token-efficient
cd your-project

# Universal
cp ../claude-token-efficient/CLAUDE.md .

# Dev/coding projects
cp ../claude-token-efficient/profiles/CLAUDE.coding.md CLAUDE.md

# Automation pipelines and agent loops
cp ../claude-token-efficient/profiles/CLAUDE.agents.md CLAUDE.md

# Data analysis and research
cp ../claude-token-efficient/profiles/CLAUDE.analysis.md CLAUDE.md
```

### Manual

Copy the contents of `CLAUDE.md` from the repo and paste into `your-project/CLAUDE.md`.

### Global install (applies to all projects)

```bash
mkdir -p ~/.claude
curl -o ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md https://raw.githubusercontent.com/drona23/claude-token-efficient/main/CLAUDE.md
```

---

## Profile Selection

| Profile | File | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Universal | `CLAUDE.md` | Any project, general use |
| Coding | `profiles/CLAUDE.coding.md` | Dev, code review, debugging |
| Agents | `profiles/CLAUDE.agents.md` | Automation, multi-agent systems |
| Analysis | `profiles/CLAUDE.analysis.md` | Data analysis, research, reporting |

---

## File Structure After Install

```
your-project/
├── CLAUDE.md          <- behavior rules, read automatically by Claude Code
├── src/
└── ...
```

For layered rules using Claude's multi-file CLAUDE.md support:

```
~/.claude/CLAUDE.md                  <- global preferences (tone, ASCII, format)
your-project/CLAUDE.md               <- project-level constraints
your-project/src/CLAUDE.md           <- task/module-specific rules
```

---

## What the CLAUDE.md File Contains

The file is plain text — a set of behavioral directives Claude reads as context. Key rule categories included:

```
# Output Rules

- Answer is always line 1. No openers.
- No closing statements or offers to help further.
- Do not restate the prompt. Execute immediately.
- ASCII only. No em dashes, smart quotes, or Unicode symbols.
- Never say "As an AI".
- No disclaimers unless genuine safety risk.
- Do not add suggestions outside the requested scope.
- Write the simplest working solution. No unsolicited abstractions.
- On uncertain facts: say "I don't know". Do not guess.
- User corrections become session ground truth immediately.
- Never read the same file twice in one session.
- Do not touch code outside the explicit request.
```

---

## Usage in Automation Pipelines

When running Claude programmatically, pass the CLAUDE.md content as a system prompt prefix or include it in your project directory if using Claude Code's file-reading behavior.

### Python — prepend rules to system prompt

```python
import os
import anthropic

def load_claude_rules(path: str = "CLAUDE.md") -> str:
    if os.path.exists(path):
        with open(path, "r") as f:
            return f.read()
    return ""

client = anthropic.Anthropic(api_key=os.environ["ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"])

rules = load_claude_rules()

response = client.messages.create(
    model="claude-sonnet-4-5",
    max_tokens=1024,
    system=rules,
    messages=[
        {"role": "user", "content": "Review this function for bugs: def add(a, b): return a - b"}
    ]
)

print(response.content[0].text)
# Output: Bug: subtraction used instead of addition. Fix: return a + b
```

### Python — batch processing with token tracking

```python
import anthropic
import os

client = anthropic.Anthropic(api_key=os.environ["ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"])

def load_rules() -> str:
    with open("CLAUDE.md") as f:
        return f.read()

def process_prompts(prompts: list[str]) -> dict:
    rules = load_rules()
    total_input = 0
    total_output = 0
    results = []

    for prompt in prompts:
        response = client.messages.create(
            model="claude-sonnet-4-5",
            max_tokens=512,
            system=rules,
            messages=[{"role": "user", "content": prompt}]
        )
        total_input += response.usage.input_tokens
        total_output += response.usage.output_tokens
        results.append(response.content[0].text)

    return {
        "results": results,
        "total_input_tokens": total_input,
        "total_output_tokens": total_output,
    }

prompts = [
    "What is a closure in JavaScript?",
    "Review: for(let i=0; i<=arr.length; i++) console.log(arr[i])",
    "What does REST stand for?",
]

stats = process_prompts(prompts)
for i, result in enumerate(stats["results"]):
    print(f"--- Prompt {i+1} ---")
    print(result)

print(f"\nTotal input tokens: {stats['total_input_tokens']}")
print(f"Total output tokens: {stats['total_output_tokens']}")
```

### Node.js — pipeline usage

```javascript
import Anthropic from "@anthropic-ai/sdk";
import { readFileSync, existsSync } from "fs";

const client = new Anthropic({ apiKey: process.env.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY });

function loadRules(path = "CLAUDE.md") {
  if (existsSync(path)) {
    return readFileSync(path, "utf-8");
  }
  return "";
}

async function ask(prompt) {
  const rules = loadRules();

  const response = await client.messages.create({
    model: "claude-sonnet-4-5",
    max_tokens: 512,
    system: rules,
    messages: [{ role: "user", content: prompt }],
  });

  return {
    text: response.content[0].text,
    inputTokens: response.usage.input_tokens,
    outputTokens: response.usage.output_tokens,
  };
}

const result = await ask("Explain async/await in one paragraph.");
console.log(result.text);
console.log(`Output tokens: ${result.outputTokens}`);
```

---

## Composing Custom Rules

Extend the base file for your specific failure modes. Specific rules outperform generic ones.

```bash
cat CLAUDE.md > CLAUDE.project.md
cat >> CLAUDE.project.md << 'EOF'

# Project-Specific Rules

- Never modify files under /config without explicit confirmation.
- When a step fails, stop immediately and report the full error with traceback before attempting any fix.
- All database queries must use parameterized statements. Never interpolate user input into SQL strings.
- Output only valid JSON when the task involves data transformation. No prose before or after.
EOF

mv CLAUDE.project.md CLAUDE.md
```

---

## Override Rule

The file never fights you. If you explicitly ask for verbose output, detailed explanation, or debate on alternatives, Claude follows your instruction. User instructions alw