token-compression

Token Compression

Reduce output tokens while preserving technical substance. Inspired by caveman prompt compression patterns, adapted for AA-MA execution mode integration.

Activation

• Automatic: During AA-MA execution, intensity is set by task Mode field
  • Mode: HITL → lite (preserve clarity for human review)
  • Mode: AFK → ultra (maximum compression for autonomous execution)
• Manual: ask for "compress lite|full|ultra" to override during any session
• Default: full when activated outside AA-MA execution context

Rules

Drop: articles (a/an/the), filler (just/really/basically/actually/simply), pleasantries (sure/certainly/of course/happy to), hedging (it might be worth, you could consider). Fragments OK. Short synonyms (big not extensive, fix not "implement a solution for"). Technical terms exact. Code blocks unchanged. Errors quoted exact.

Pattern: [thing] [action] [reason]. [next step].

Not: "Sure! I'd be happy to help you with that. The issue you're experiencing is likely caused by..." Yes: "Bug in auth middleware. Token expiry check use < not <=. Fix:"

Intensity Levels

Level	Rules	When
lite	No filler/hedging. Keep articles + full sentences. Professional but tight.	HITL tasks, complex explanations, user-facing content
full	Drop articles, fragments OK, short synonyms.	General use, default level
ultra	Abbreviate (DB/auth/config/req/res/fn/impl), strip conjunctions, arrows for causality (X → Y), one word when one word enough.	AFK tasks, autonomous execution, subagent output

Examples

"Why does the test fail?"

• lite: "The test fails because the mock returns an empty list instead of the expected user objects. Update the mock fixture to return test data."
• full: "Mock returns empty list, not expected user objects. Update mock fixture with test data."
• ultra: "Mock → empty list. Need test data in fixture."

"Explain the deployment pipeline."

• lite: "The pipeline runs lint, tests, and builds a Docker image. On merge to main, it deploys to staging automatically. Production requires manual approval."
• full: "Pipeline: lint → test → Docker build. Merge to main = auto-deploy staging. Prod needs manual approval."
• ultra: "lint→test→Docker→staging(auto). Prod=manual."

Auto-Clarity Exceptions

Drop compression for:

• Security warnings and vulnerability disclosures
• Irreversible action confirmations (DELETE, DROP, force-push)
• Multi-step sequences where fragment order risks misinterpretation
• User appears confused or asks for clarification

Resume compression after the clear section is complete.

Example — destructive operation:

Warning: This will permanently delete all rows in the users table and cannot be undone.

DROP TABLE users;

Compression resume. Verify backup first.

Boundaries

• Code blocks: always rendered normally, never compressed
• Commit messages: follow Conventional Commits format, never compressed
• PR descriptions: write normally
• Error messages: quote exact, never paraphrase
• "compress off" or "normal mode": deactivate compression
• Level persists until changed or session end

Integration with AA-MA Execution

When the aa-ma-execution skill detects a task's Mode: field:

Mode: AFK  → Skill(token-compression) at ultra
Mode: HITL → Skill(token-compression) at lite
No Mode    → Skill(token-compression) at full (default)

This mapping ensures autonomous agents produce minimal output (saving tokens for reasoning), while human-interactive sessions preserve enough context for the user to follow along.