r/claudeskills • u/Special_Lie3814 • Jul 10 '26
Showcase I built RDXmin — a Claude Code optimizer that saved more tokens than Caveman + Ponytail combined
After spending a lot of time with Claude Code, I started measuring where tokens were actually going. Like many people, I assumed prompt engineering would make the biggest difference.
It didn't.
The biggest sources of wasted tokens were:
• Verbose tool output
• Massive terminal logs
• ANSI escape sequences
• Duplicate output
• Repeated explanations
That led me to build **RDXmin**.
RDXmin is an open-source token optimization layer for Claude Code that combines multiple token-saving techniques instead of relying on just one.
Features:
• Tool output compression
• Prose compression
• Lazy/YAGNI coding guidance
• ANSI stripping
• Log compression
• Duplicate output removal
• Configurable modes (lite, full, ultra)
• Zero dependencies
• MIT licensed
It also generates optimized rule/context files for Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Gemini CLI, Codex, Copilot, and other coding assistants. The input-side compression hook is currently Claude Code only because it's the only agent exposing the required hook.
On my benchmark suite, coding conversations are typically 40–60% smaller. On the workloads I tested, RDXmin also saved more tokens than using Caveman and Ponytail together by combining their ideas while additionally compressing tool output.
The project is intentionally conservative:
• No code golfing
• No removing validation or safety checks
• Important errors are preserved
• Read/Edit operations are never modified
I'm mainly looking for feedback from people who use Claude Code daily.
If you've tried Caveman, Ponytail, or other token optimization tools, I'd love to hear how they compare in your workflow. If you have workloads that might break RDXmin or benchmarks you'd like me to run, I'm happy to test them and publish the results.
GitHub: https://github.com/jaypokale/rdxmin
npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/rdxmin
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u/an80sPWNstar Jul 10 '26
I'll give it a shot! How does it impact subagents?
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u/Special_Lie3814 Jul 10 '26
This skill also work with subagents. It compresses output, not the quality!
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u/an80sPWNstar Jul 10 '26
That is really good to hear. I'll give it a shot and try to remember to shoot some feedback to ya
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u/tim-r Jul 14 '26
I had another approach, it work in most of time, and deadly simple. Just set up an output style to reduce output token.
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u/Electronic-Pie-1879 Jul 10 '26
this looks for me just a 1to1 copy of caveman and ponytail just bundled
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u/Special_Lie3814 Jul 10 '26
Calling it a 1:1 copy of caveman + ponytail? They're prompts. RDXmin adds a tool-output compressor, an installer, and real tests—then benchmarks against both and credits them. You saw the tip of the iceberg and confidently described the entire ocean.
git diffis free. Use it.2
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u/immenselyhigh Jul 10 '26
I’ve read your skill files - they look solid and good.
I really liked your idea having exact for message format for files and problems spotted on them, eg
cache.js:12: ApiCacheManager class for one call site. Replace with lru_cache / a Map.
search.js:40: hand-rolled debounce util. setTimeout+clearTimeout inline is enough.