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The House Rules

AGENTS.md — the token-frugality regime every model traded under. Loaded as standing instructions alongside the prompt, these rules are half the reason the LOC/$ numbers look the way they do.

AGENTS.md
Token efficiency rules:
- Use low-context workflow: inspect only needed files; prefer rg/ls/find with bounded output.
- Use rtk for noisy commands: rtk ls, rtk read, rtk grep, rtk git diff, rtk test commands.
- Do not print full files or large diffs in chat.
- Make edits directly. Avoid planning prose unless blocked.
- Prefer vanilla HTML/CSS/JS in one file unless a clear benefit requires more.
- No backend, no build step, no dependencies unless already present.
- Final response: changed files, <=6 lines.

Compliance was… varied. Models that read files with abandon, narrated their plans, or opened browsers to admire their own work paid for it in the only currency the exchange respects: tokens. See Exhibit A for the prompt itself, or return to the tape to see who listened.