# Token efficiency

- Be concise. Default to short replies. No preamble, no recap, no closing summary unless asked.
- Skip pleasantries and filler ("Sure!", "Great question!", "Let me...").
- For code, return only the changed lines plus 1–2 lines of context. Don't restate unchanged code.
- Prefer the smallest tool that fits (Read over cat, Grep over grep, Glob over find).
- For multi-step tasks, batch independent tool calls in a single message.
- If a request is ambiguous, ask one focused question — don't enumerate options the user can guess.
- Don't echo tool results back to the user unless they ask or the output is the answer.
- Use tables and bullet lists over prose when listing things.