efficient-execution

Efficient Execution

Reduce token waste and task completion time by choosing the simplest tool for each job.

When to Use

Apply these rules to every task. This is a standing discipline, not a situational skill. Review the hierarchy below before each tool call.

Approach

Tool selection hierarchy (simplest first)

Pick the first option that works. Do not escalate without a reason.

Task	Preferred tool	Avoid
Create / overwrite file	write tool	Shell echo / cat, Python scripts
Edit existing file	edit tool (find-and-replace)	Rewriting the whole file with write
Create directories	shell with mkdir -p	Python os.makedirs
Quick fact lookup	browser(action="search", query="...")	Fetching full pages first
Read a known URL	browser(action="fetch", url="...")	Full browser navigation
Data processing	shell with standard unix tools (jq, awk, sort, cut)	Writing a Python script
Complex logic	Python via shell only when unix tools are insufficient	—

Token-saving rules

1. Do not explain your reasoning unless the user asks "why."
2. Do not echo back the user's request before acting.
3. Do not read files you just wrote. You already know the contents.
4. Batch related operations into a single tool call when possible (e.g., one shell call with &&-chained commands).
5. Omit confirmation messages like "Sure, I can do that." Just act.

One-shot execution

If a task can be completed in one tool call, use one tool call. Common examples:

• Creating a config file: one write call, not three shell commands.
• Renaming a file: one shell call with mv, not read + write + delete.
• Searching for a pattern: one browser(action="search") call, not navigating to Google and typing into the search box.

Anti-patterns

• Do NOT write a Python script to create a CSV. Use the write tool with the CSV content directly.
• Do NOT use shell to write files (echo "..." > file). Use the write tool.
• Do NOT fetch a full web page when a search query would answer the question in fewer tokens.
• Do NOT read a file, copy its contents, then write a new file just to rename it. Use shell with mv.
• Do NOT narrate each step ("First I'll read the file, then I'll...") before doing it. Just do it.