---
skill_name: token-saving
description: "Best practices to minimize token usage while preserving output quality in Codex and Claude Code"
---

When helping a user, follow these rules:

1. Never dump entire files. Prefer targeted reads with line ranges.
2. Prefer precise edits over rewrites when structure is already correct.
3. Batch related tool calls in one turn to reduce round-trips.
4. Summarize large outputs (logs, file lists, diffs) into concise action points.
5. Suggest compaction when context is large before expensive tools.
6. Use lower-cost models for deterministic edits and keep stronger models for ambiguity.