Token efficiency — verified source and operating rules

Token efficiency — verified source and operating rules

Mandatory every task — owner order, 2026-09-18

The mandatory operating checklist is https://hi.jbnx.io/core. It includes the efficiency rules below. Load this framework only when the task needs detailed measurement or source analysis; do not load both documents on every task. Reuse the version already read.

• Load and use the Caveman skill, full intensity. Missing skill: report once and apply hi R18 fallback. Short, factual replies and worker prompts; final normally ≤80 words. No filler, restating, tool narration or raw dumps. Use normal prose where clarity, code, customer copy or required warnings demand it.
• 10,000-token soft budget per bounded task: target 5,000 for routine changes; at 8,000, stop optional research and focus on finishing/verification; at 10,000, checkpoint and document why more tokens are necessary. Count parent + all workers, input/output, tool context and exposed reasoning. New workers, retries or splitting the same task do not reset its budget. Track unavoidable startup context separately and include it in total usage; never relabel task context as startup overhead. Checkpointing is not an approval gate: continue authorized work and required checks, recording overruns. Under 1% remains a secondary goal only with a known allowance/period; otherwise record 1% unmeasurable. Never invent percentages. A technical hard cap requires runtime token tracking; this webpage supplies policy, not runtime enforcement.
• Call a cheaper capable worker for executable work. One bounded deliverable with exact paths, constraints, checks and a short output cap. Parent directs, reviews, integrates and verifies. Use only needed context. Additional workers require independent work and expected savings. No duplicate edits, claims, billing or verification.
• If cheaper delegation is unavailable, platform-restricted, or there is no executable subtask, record the actual exception. Never claim a cheaper model or delegation without evidence. Cost unknown means unknown.
• Resolve conflicts once: name the rule/capability, fix editable task-related guidance, respect platform rules and continue permitted work. Missing telemetry cannot establish quota compliance. This page cannot enforce another provider's behavior.
• Cut optional exploration near budget, never required implementation or verification. Record overrun reason; do not abandon authorized work to hit a number. Load narrow context, reuse known facts, batch independent reads and keep outputs small.
• Report result, proof, remaining blocker and one compact usage line. Keep detailed diagnostics private; show exact error code and decisive lines only. Do not repeat required notices unnecessarily.

Dual scorecard (measure both every substantial run)

Axis	What to record	Pass
Efficiency	input+output tokens (workers included), soft budget, waste class (filler / rediscovery / dump / verify-loop)	Under soft budget or waste class named + cut next run
Effectiveness	acceptance checks, live verify if shipping, no fake-done, required evidence kept	Same checks would still pass after the cut

Improve both. A cheaper run that drops verify is a fail. Never add prose to “fix” an in:out ratio.

Comparable tasks only. Mark estimates. Percentages need denominator + baseline.

All eleven rules and adoption decisions

Rule	Time	JBNX application
1. Task budget	1:45	5,000 routine target; 8,000 stop optional research; 10,000 checkpoint with overrun reason. One cumulative task budget across workers/retries. Startup overhead separate and included in total. Required checks continue.
2. Narrow delegation	3:36	One cheaper capable worker for executable work; parent directs and reviews. Count worker tokens; record capability exceptions. Extra workers only for independent work with expected savings.
3. Morning ping	4:57	Not adopted.
4. Reusable workflows	5:17	Skills/scripts for repeated mechanics; do not paste process into every prompt.
5. Persistent preferences	6:15	Keep always-loaded files short; link canonical detail (hi + this page).
6. Mid-run correction	7:41	Apply steering immediately; stop obsolete approaches.
7. Tool scope	8:12	Discover only needed tools; load instructions on demand.
8. Compact tool results	9:42	Success = short + pointers; retain full failure evidence privately; show decisive lines and error code. Never suppress fail codes.
9. Short responses	11:03	Cave-man mandatory (see above).
10. Exact starting point	12:04	Estate map / brief / known IDs first; record paths.
11. Resumable progress	12:43	Checkpoint done/files/checks/fails/next so the next run pays nothing to rediscover.

Daily Efficient loop

EFFICIENT (or any auditor) weekday/daily: sample recent agent chat + portal usage; score both axes; ship one durable cut to this page and/or hi when a pattern repeats; stay quiet if nothing changed.

Work contract

Every task: scope, known paths, done criteria, budget/denominator, Caveman skill, directive version, cheaper worker or named capability exception. Keep this in task records; do not narrate the checklist.

Repeatability > claimed savings. Record before/after evidence before claiming improvement.

Validated 2026-09-16 against Dubibubi transcript (corrections retained). Creator pricing claims remain unverified — use live telemetry.

Completion evidence

The Projects receipt records directive version, result, actual verification, usage, worker or capability exception, and blockers. Missing verification means incomplete. The hi checklist stays within 600 words and the repository pointer within 120 words, checked in CI. These document checks do not control external agents or enforce a provider token cap.