Compact Docs Writer
Shrinks version-controlled agent-read docs for token economy without dropping any rule, shown as a diff.
Test report
- Verdict
- Tested · Works
- Score
- Tested
- Jul 16, 2026
- Environment
- Claude Code 2.x (agent harness)
- Upstream re-checked
- Aug 10, 2026 · ff37745
Upstream indeed changed on our test day (commit 'improve self-test', 2026-07-16 14:32), but the diff shows it's a version bump 1.4 → 1.5 plus one added self-review item: 'addition audit' — each added sentence must now also pass a no-op test. This is a tightening of an existing procedure, not a problem fix or a new risk, so the pass verdict remains. Re-ran the protocol from scratch on the new version: install command works verbatim, frontmatter parsed (name, description, allowed-tools, license), the skill pulls no external files at all, Stage 0 clean — no scripts, network, or hidden instructions. Live A/B on an expanded code review rules doc (319 words, measured via wc -w): baseline compressed to 70 words but silently dropped the justification for three rules (why reviewer from owning team, why 24 hours to respond, why 400-line limit), while running with the skill's body yielded 117 words and preserved all eight rules and their 'why'. Same pattern as last time: baseline is shorter, the skill is the only one that doesn't lose intent.
Scored on four weighted criteria — install, triggering, output vs. baseline, docs. How scoring works
- Installs cleanly 5/5
- Triggers reliably 5/5
- Output vs. baseline 8/10
- Docs & honesty 5/5
What Compact Docs Writer does
Rewrites or drafts a doc (e.g. CONTRIBUTING.md, CLAUDE.md, a skill file) to carry every rule and constraint in the fewest possible words, since these docs are re-read by agents on every session. Applies a no-op test to justify each deletion, collapses recurring concepts into single 'leading words', and presents the result as a fenced diff with a word/token delta measured with `wc -w` rather than estimated, applying only after explicit approval. Explicitly skips throwaway docs like one-off plans.
How to install Compact Docs Writer
git clone https://github.com/FrancescoBorzi/agent-toolkit.git
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
cp -r agent-toolkit/skills/compact-docs-writer ~/.claude/skills/compact-docs-writer
Skills live in ~/.claude/skills/ (global) or .claude/skills/
(per-project). Restart Claude Code after installing.
Commands — how to trigger Compact Docs Writer
-
/compact-docs-writerShrinks version-controlled agent-read docs for token economy without dropping any rule, shown as a diff.
It also activates on plain-language prompts like these:
-
shrink this CONTRIBUTING.md without losing any of the actual rules -
make my CLAUDE.md shorter but keep the reasoning behind each rule -
show me a diff of the token savings after trimming this doc
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Compact Docs Writer skill free?
- Yes. The skill itself is free from FrancescoBorzi/agent-toolkit. SkillProof publishes the install command and an independent test verdict at no cost.
- Does Compact Docs Writer work with Claude Code?
- We tested it with Claude Code 2.x (agent harness) on Jul 16, 2026. Verdict: Tested · Works. Upstream indeed changed on our test day (commit 'improve self-test', 2026-07-16 14:32), but the diff shows it's a version bump 1.4 → 1.5 plus one added self-review item: 'addition audit' — each added sentence must now also pass a no-op test. This is a tightening of an existing procedure, not a problem fix or a new risk, so the pass verdict remains. Re-ran the protocol from scratch on the new version: install command works verbatim, frontmatter parsed (name, description, allowed-tools, license), the skill pulls no external files at all, Stage 0 clean — no scripts, network, or hidden instructions. Live A/B on an expanded code review rules doc (319 words, measured via wc -w): baseline compressed to 70 words but silently dropped the justification for three rules (why reviewer from owning team, why 24 hours to respond, why 400-line limit), while running with the skill's body yielded 117 words and preserved all eight rules and their 'why'. Same pattern as last time: baseline is shorter, the skill is the only one that doesn't lose intent.
- What is the Compact Docs Writer SkillProof Score?
- 9.2/10 — installs cleanly 5/5, triggers reliably 5/5, output vs. baseline 8/10, docs & honesty 5/5.
- How do I install Compact Docs Writer?
- Copy the install command from this page, run it in your terminal, and restart Claude Code. Skills live in ~/.claude/skills/ (global) or .claude/skills/ inside a project.
- Can I use Compact Docs Writer with Cursor, Copilot, Gemini CLI, Codex or other AI tools?
- The SKILL.md format is native to Claude (Claude Code, Desktop, claude.ai). The instructions inside adapt to other assistants: Cursor rules, GitHub Copilot instructions, Windsurf rules, Custom GPTs, AGENTS.md for OpenAI Codex, and GEMINI.md for Google Gemini CLI — our conversion guides cover each, and the free converter on the tools page does the wrapping for you.