High-performance CLI proxy that reduces LLM token consumption by 60-90%
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rtk filters and compresses command outputs before they reach your LLM context. Single Rust binary, zero dependencies, <10ms overhead.
| Operation | Frequency | Standard | rtk | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
ls / tree |
10x | 2,000 | 400 | -80% |
cat / read |
20x | 40,000 | 12,000 | -70% |
grep / rg |
8x | 16,000 | 3,200 | -80% |
git status |
10x | 3,000 | 600 | -80% |
git diff |
5x | 10,000 | 2,500 | -75% |
git log |
5x | 2,500 | 500 | -80% |
git add/commit/push |
8x | 1,600 | 120 | -92% |
cargo test / npm test |
5x | 25,000 | 2,500 | -90% |
ruff check |
3x | 3,000 | 600 | -80% |
pytest |
4x | 8,000 | 800 | -90% |
go test |
3x | 6,000 | 600 | -90% |
docker ps |
3x | 900 | 180 | -80% |
| Total | ~118,000 | ~23,900 | -80% |
Estimates based on medium-sized TypeScript/Rust projects. Actual savings vary by project size.
brew install rtkcurl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rtk-ai/rtk/refs/heads/master/install.sh | shInstalls to
~/.local/bin. Add to PATH if needed:echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc # or ~/.zshrc
cargo install --git https://github.com/rtk-ai/rtkDownload from releases:
- macOS:
rtk-x86_64-apple-darwin.tar.gz/rtk-aarch64-apple-darwin.tar.gz - Linux:
rtk-x86_64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz/rtk-aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz - Windows:
rtk-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.zip
rtk --version # Should show "rtk 0.28.2"
rtk gain # Should show token savings statsName collision warning: Another project named "rtk" (Rust Type Kit) exists on crates.io. If
rtk gainfails, you have the wrong package. Usecargo install --gitabove instead.
# 1. Install for your AI tool
rtk init -g # Claude Code / Copilot (default)
rtk init -g --gemini # Gemini CLI
rtk init -g --codex # Codex (OpenAI)
rtk init -g --agent cursor # Cursor
rtk init --agent windsurf # Windsurf
rtk init --agent cline # Cline / Roo Code
# 2. Restart your AI tool, then test
git status # Automatically rewritten to rtk git statusThe hook transparently rewrites Bash commands (e.g., git status -> rtk git status) before execution. Claude never sees the rewrite, it just gets compressed output.
Important: the hook only runs on Bash tool calls. Claude Code built-in tools like Read, Grep, and Glob do not pass through the Bash hook, so they are not auto-rewritten. To get RTK's compact output for those workflows, use shell commands (cat/head/tail, rg/grep, find) or call rtk read, rtk grep, or rtk find directly.
Without rtk: With rtk:
Claude --git status--> shell --> git Claude --git status--> RTK --> git
^ | ^ | |
| ~2,000 tokens (raw) | | ~200 tokens | filter |
+-----------------------------------+ +------- (filtered) ---+----------+
Four strategies applied per command type:
- Smart Filtering - Removes noise (comments, whitespace, boilerplate)
- Grouping - Aggregates similar items (files by directory, errors by type)
- Truncation - Keeps relevant context, cuts redundancy
- Deduplication - Collapses repeated log lines with counts
rtk ls . # Token-optimized directory tree
rtk read file.rs # Smart file reading
rtk read file.rs -l aggressive # Signatures only (strips bodies)
rtk smart file.rs # 2-line heuristic code summary
rtk find "*.rs" . # Compact find results
rtk grep "pattern" . # Grouped search results
rtk diff file1 file2 # Condensed diffrtk git status # Compact status
rtk git log -n 10 # One-line commits
rtk git diff # Condensed diff
rtk git add # -> "ok"
rtk git commit -m "msg" # -> "ok abc1234"
rtk git push # -> "ok main"
rtk git pull # -> "ok 3 files +10 -2"rtk gh pr list # Compact PR listing
rtk gh pr view 42 # PR details + checks
rtk gh issue list # Compact issue listing
rtk gh run list # Workflow run statusrtk test cargo test # Show failures only (-90%)
rtk err npm run build # Errors/warnings only
rtk vitest run # Vitest compact (failures only)
rtk playwright test # E2E results (failures only)
rtk pytest # Python tests (-90%)
rtk go test # Go tests (NDJSON, -90%)
rtk cargo test # Cargo tests (-90%)
rtk rake test # Ruby minitest (-90%)
rtk rspec # RSpec tests (JSON, -60%+)rtk lint # ESLint grouped by rule/file
rtk lint biome # Supports other linters
rtk tsc # TypeScript errors grouped by file
rtk next build # Next.js build compact
rtk prettier --check . # Files needing formatting
rtk cargo build # Cargo build (-80%)
rtk cargo clippy # Cargo clippy (-80%)
rtk ruff check # Python linting (JSON, -80%)
rtk golangci-lint run # Go linting (JSON, -85%)
rtk rubocop # Ruby linting (JSON, -60%+)rtk pnpm list # Compact dependency tree
rtk pip list # Python packages (auto-detect uv)
rtk pip outdated # Outdated packages
rtk bundle install # Ruby gems (strip Using lines)
rtk prisma generate # Schema generation (no ASCII art)rtk docker ps # Compact container list
rtk docker images # Compact image list
rtk docker logs <container> # Deduplicated logs
rtk docker compose ps # Compose services
rtk kubectl pods # Compact pod list
rtk kubectl logs <pod> # Deduplicated logs
rtk kubectl services # Compact service listrtk json config.json # Structure without values
rtk deps # Dependencies summary
rtk env -f AWS # Filtered env vars
rtk log app.log # Deduplicated logs
rtk curl <url> # Auto-detect JSON + schema
rtk wget <url> # Download, strip progress bars
rtk summary <long command> # Heuristic summary
rtk proxy <command> # Raw passthrough + trackingrtk gain # Summary stats
rtk gain --graph # ASCII graph (last 30 days)
rtk gain --history # Recent command history
rtk gain --daily # Day-by-day breakdown
rtk gain --all --format json # JSON export for dashboards
rtk discover # Find missed savings opportunities
rtk discover --all --since 7 # All projects, last 7 days
rtk session # Show RTK adoption across recent sessions-u, --ultra-compact # ASCII icons, inline format (extra token savings)
-v, --verbose # Increase verbosity (-v, -vv, -vvv)Directory listing:
# ls -la (45 lines, ~800 tokens) # rtk ls (12 lines, ~150 tokens)
drwxr-xr-x 15 user staff 480 ... my-project/
-rw-r--r-- 1 user staff 1234 ... +-- src/ (8 files)
... | +-- main.rs
+-- Cargo.toml
Git operations:
# git push (15 lines, ~200 tokens) # rtk git push (1 line, ~10 tokens)
Enumerating objects: 5, done. ok main
Counting objects: 100% (5/5), done.
Delta compression using up to 8 threads
...
Test output:
# cargo test (200+ lines on failure) # rtk test cargo test (~20 lines)
running 15 tests FAILED: 2/15 tests
test utils::test_parse ... ok test_edge_case: assertion failed
test utils::test_format ... ok test_overflow: panic at utils.rs:18
...
The most effective way to use rtk. The hook transparently intercepts Bash commands and rewrites them to rtk equivalents before execution.
Result: 100% rtk adoption across all conversations and subagents, zero token overhead.
Scope note: this only applies to Bash tool calls. Claude Code built-in tools such as Read, Grep, and Glob bypass the hook, so use shell commands or explicit rtk commands when you want RTK filtering there.
rtk init -g # Install hook + RTK.md (recommended)
rtk init -g --opencode # OpenCode plugin (instead of Claude Code)
rtk init -g --auto-patch # Non-interactive (CI/CD)
rtk init -g --hook-only # Hook only, no RTK.md
rtk init --show # Verify installationAfter install, restart Claude Code.
RTK supports 9 AI coding tools. Each integration transparently rewrites shell commands to rtk equivalents for 60-90% token savings.
| Tool | Install | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | rtk init -g |
PreToolUse hook (bash) |
| GitHub Copilot | rtk init -g |
PreToolUse hook (rtk hook copilot) |
| Cursor | rtk init -g --agent cursor |
preToolUse hook (hooks.json) |
| Gemini CLI | rtk init -g --gemini |
BeforeTool hook (rtk hook gemini) |
| Codex | rtk init -g --codex |
AGENTS.md + RTK.md instructions |
| Windsurf | rtk init --agent windsurf |
.windsurfrules (project-scoped) |
| Cline / Roo Code | rtk init --agent cline |
.clinerules (project-scoped) |
| OpenCode | rtk init -g --opencode |
Plugin TS (tool.execute.before) |
| OpenClaw | openclaw plugins install ./openclaw |
Plugin TS (before_tool_call) |
rtk init -g # Install hook + RTK.md
rtk init -g --auto-patch # Non-interactive (CI/CD)
rtk init --show # Verify installation
rtk init -g --uninstall # Removertk init -g # Same hook as Claude CodeThe hook auto-detects Copilot format (VS Code runTerminalCommand or CLI toolName: bash) and rewrites commands. Works with both Copilot Chat in VS Code and copilot CLI.
rtk init -g --agent cursorCreates ~/.cursor/hooks/rtk-rewrite.sh + patches ~/.cursor/hooks.json with preToolUse matcher. Works with both Cursor editor and cursor-agent CLI.
rtk init -g --gemini
rtk init -g --gemini --uninstallCreates ~/.gemini/hooks/rtk-hook-gemini.sh + patches ~/.gemini/settings.json with BeforeTool hook.
rtk init -g --codexCreates ~/.codex/RTK.md + ~/.codex/AGENTS.md with @RTK.md reference. Codex reads these as global instructions.
rtk init --agent windsurfCreates .windsurfrules in the current project. Cascade reads rules and prefixes commands with rtk.
rtk init --agent clineCreates .clinerules in the current project. Cline reads rules and prefixes commands with rtk.
rtk init -g --opencodeCreates ~/.config/opencode/plugins/rtk.ts. Uses tool.execute.before hook.
openclaw plugins install ./openclawPlugin in openclaw/ directory. Uses before_tool_call hook, delegates to rtk rewrite.
| Raw Command | Rewritten To |
|---|---|
git status/diff/log/add/commit/push/pull |
rtk git ... |
gh pr/issue/run |
rtk gh ... |
cargo test/build/clippy |
rtk cargo ... |
cat/head/tail <file> |
rtk read <file> |
rg/grep <pattern> |
rtk grep <pattern> |
ls |
rtk ls |
vitest/jest |
rtk vitest run |
tsc |
rtk tsc |
eslint/biome |
rtk lint |
prettier |
rtk prettier |
playwright |
rtk playwright |
prisma |
rtk prisma |
ruff check/format |
rtk ruff ... |
pytest |
rtk pytest |
pip list/install |
rtk pip ... |
go test/build/vet |
rtk go ... |
golangci-lint |
rtk golangci-lint |
rake test / rails test |
rtk rake test |
rspec / bundle exec rspec |
rtk rspec |
rubocop / bundle exec rubocop |
rtk rubocop |
bundle install/update |
rtk bundle ... |
docker ps/images/logs |
rtk docker ... |
kubectl get/logs |
rtk kubectl ... |
curl |
rtk curl |
pnpm list/outdated |
rtk pnpm ... |
Commands already using rtk, heredocs (<<), and unrecognized commands pass through unchanged.
~/.config/rtk/config.toml (macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/rtk/config.toml):
[tracking]
database_path = "/path/to/custom.db" # default: ~/.local/share/rtk/history.db
[hooks]
exclude_commands = ["curl", "playwright"] # skip rewrite for these
[tee]
enabled = true # save raw output on failure (default: true)
mode = "failures" # "failures", "always", or "never"
max_files = 20 # rotation limitWhen a command fails, RTK saves the full unfiltered output so the LLM can read it without re-executing:
FAILED: 2/15 tests
[full output: ~/.local/share/rtk/tee/1707753600_cargo_test.log]
rtk init -g --uninstall # Remove hook, RTK.md, settings.json entry
cargo uninstall rtk # Remove binary
brew uninstall rtk # If installed via Homebrew- TROUBLESHOOTING.md - Fix common issues
- INSTALL.md - Detailed installation guide
- ARCHITECTURE.md - Technical architecture
- SECURITY.md - Security policy and PR review process
- AUDIT_GUIDE.md - Token savings analytics guide
RTK collects anonymous, aggregate usage metrics once per day to help prioritize development. This is standard practice for open-source CLI tools.
What is collected:
- Device hash (SHA-256 of hostname+username, not reversible)
- RTK version, OS, architecture
- Command count (last 24h) and top command names (e.g. "git", "cargo" — no arguments, no file paths)
- Token savings percentage
What is NOT collected: source code, file paths, command arguments, secrets, environment variables, or any personally identifiable information.
Opt-out (any of these):
# Environment variable
export RTK_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1
# Or in config file (~/.config/rtk/config.toml)
[telemetry]
enabled = falseContributions welcome! Please open an issue or PR on GitHub.
Join the community on Discord.
MIT License - see LICENSE for details.