documentation

SLIM Engine Docs

Complete reference for the Semantic Lossless Intelligence Minimizer — the open-source token compression engine for Claude Code.

Installation

OPTION 1 — curl installer
curl -fsSL https://slim.sh/install | bash
OPTION 2 — manual (GitHub)
# 1. Download the skill
git clone https://github.com/hyperbridgedigital/slim
cd slim

# 2. Copy skill to Claude
cp -r skills/token-engine ~/.claude/skills/

# 3. Copy agent
cp agents/slim-engine.md ~/.claude/agents/

# 4. Done — activate in any Claude Code session:
# /token-engine
OPTION 3 — project-level only
# Install SLIM into a single project
mkdir -p .claude/skills/token-engine .claude/agents
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hyperbridgedigital/slim/main/skills/token-engine/SKILL.md \
  -o .claude/skills/token-engine/SKILL.md
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hyperbridgedigital/slim/main/agents/slim-engine.md \
  -o .claude/agents/slim-engine.md

Usage

/token-engineActivate SLIM-COMPACT (default mode). All three axes enforced. Persists for the session.
/token-engine nanoSLIM-NANO mode. 1-sentence responses. No tool calls. Best for quick Q&A.
/token-engine structuredSLIM-STRUCTURED mode. Axes 1+3 enforced; code output unrestricted. Best for multi-file features.
normal mode / offSay either phrase to deactivate SLIM and return to default behavior.
AXIS 1

Input Compression

1A — Grep Before Read

Never open a file to "see what's in it." Locate the exact symbol first, then read only surrounding lines.

# WRONG — reads 400 lines
Read("src/auth/middleware.ts")

# RIGHT — targeted
grep -n "validateToken" src/auth/middleware.ts
# → line 87
Read("src/auth/middleware.ts", offset=82, limit=30)

1B — Read Size Limits

< 100 lines
Full read allowed
100–500 lines
Max 80 lines per read
500–2000 lines
Max 50 lines per read
> 2000 lines
Max 30 lines; grep first

1F — Parallel Batching

All independent tool calls in one message. One round-trip, not three.

# WRONG — 3 sequential round-trips
Read(fileA) → Read(fileB) → Read(fileC)

# RIGHT — 1 round-trip (same message)
Read(fileA) + Read(fileB) + Read(fileC)
AXIS 2

Output Compression

2A — No Preamble

✕ WRONG
I'll help you with that! Let me update the config file to include the new value...
✓ RIGHT
Done. Config updated.

2B — No Trailing Summary

✕ WRONG
In summary, I made the following changes to resolve the issue you reported...
✓ RIGHT
(nothing — the diff is visible)

2F — Terse Confirmation

✕ WRONG
I've successfully completed the task and the changes are now saved. (32 tokens)
✓ RIGHT
Done. (8 tokens)
AXIS 3

Context Hygiene

3A — Memory-First
Check ~/.claude/projects/.../memory/ before any research. A memory hit costs ~0 tokens; a research pass costs 500–2000 tokens.
3B — Progressive Disclosure
Default to Level 1 (direct answer, 1–3 sentences). Only go deeper if the user asks 'why' or 'explain fully'.
3C — Delegate + Compress
Spawn the slim-engine agent for breadth exploration. It returns compressed structured JSON — never raw dumps.
3D — Context Checkpoint @ 50%
At 50% context: identify the 3 most token-heavy items. If non-load-bearing, prune them mentally — stop referencing them.
AUTO — 60% → SLIM-COMPACT
At 60% context fill, SLIM-COMPACT auto-activates even without /token-engine. Emits one line: 'Context 60%+ — SLIM-COMPACT activated.'

Token Budget Reference

OperationBudget
Read a config file80 tokens (use limit=)
Grep for a symbol20 tokens
Read a function body60 tokens (offset+limit)
Run build + check errors30 tokens (pipe to grep)
Answer a 'what is X' question50 tokens max
Explain a bug80 tokens max
Write a 10-line fix120 (code) + 20 (prose)
Write a 50-line feature600 (code) + 40 (prose)
End-of-task confirmation15 tokens max

Compatibility

SLIM is compatible with all other Claude Code skills. When another skill is active (e.g., /kynetraprime, /code-review), SLIM's compression rules apply to the delivery of that skill's output — not its substance. Never compress away accuracy. Compress away padding.

File Structure

~/.claude/
├── skills/
│   └── token-engine/
│       └── SKILL.md          # skill playbook — invoke with /token-engine
└── agents/
    └── slim-engine.md        # compression-aware sub-agent executor

# Source (GitHub)
github.com/hyperbridgedigital/slim
├── skills/token-engine/SKILL.md
├── agents/slim-engine.md
├── README.md
└── install.sh