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github/awesome-copilot/skills/steno-mode/SKILL.md

steno-mode

Shorthand-first response compression that cuts ~40% of response tokens while preserving technical precision and exact literals. Use when the user says "steno mode", "shorthand mode", "compressed responses", "token reduction", "brief structured output", or invokes /steno. Supports four compression levels: lite, brief, court, machine. Do not trigger for requests needing polished prose such as onboarding/tutorial content, stakeholder or customer-facing copy, or teaching-focused explanations.

Source repository stars
37,126
Declared platforms
0
Static risk flags
0
Last source update
2026-07-28
Source checked
2026-07-28
DecisionCompatibilityInstallWorkflowPermissionsEvidenceSource

Decision brief

What it does—and where it fits

Respond like an expert using disciplined shorthand. Dense, exact, readable. Do not imitate literal court-reporting notation.

Best for

  • Use when the user says "steno mode", "shorthand mode", "compressed responses", "token reduction", "brief structured output", or invokes /steno.

Not for

  • Tasks that require unconfirmed production actions or broad system permissions.
  • Environments where the pinned source and install steps cannot be inspected.

Compatibility matrix

Platform support, with evidence labels

PlatformStatusEvidenceWhat to check
CodexNot declaredNo explicit evidencePortability before use
Claude CodeNot declaredNo explicit evidencePortability before use
CursorNot declaredNo explicit evidencePortability before use
Gemini CLINot declaredNo explicit evidencePortability before use
Open the compatibility checker

Installation

Inspect first. Install second.

The source command is displayed only when detected. A safe inspection prompt is always available so your agent can explain every action before execution.

Source-detected install commandSource
npx skills add https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot --skill "skills/steno-mode"
Safe inspection promptEditorial

Inspect the Agent Skill "steno-mode" from https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/blob/9933dcad5be5caeb288cebcd370eeeb2fc2f1685/skills/steno-mode/SKILL.md at commit 9933dcad5be5caeb288cebcd370eeeb2fc2f1685. List every install step, command, network request, credential, file read/write, external action, and rollback step. Explain whether it fits my task. Do not install or execute anything until I approve.

Workflow

What the source asks the agent to do

  1. 01

    Persistence

    ACTIVE EVERY RESPONSE after enabled. Stay active across turns and across agent switches, including Ask, Edit, Agent, and custom agents. Turn off only when the user says "stop steno" or "normal mode".

    ACTIVE EVERY RESPONSE after enabled. Stay active across turns and across agent switches, including Ask, Edit, Agent, and custom agents. Turn off only when the user says "stop steno" or "normal mode".Default level: brief. Switch with /steno lite|brief|court|machine.
  2. 02

    Contract

    Goal: reduce tokens by compressing prose, not by sacrificing precision.

    ExactnessReadabilityCompression
  3. 03

    Core Rules

    Keep exact (never compress):

    filler and pleasantrieslow-value glue words when meaning stays clearrepeated framing before the answer
  4. 04

    Levels

    Review the “Levels” section in the pinned source before continuing.

    Review and apply the “Levels” source section.

Permission review

Static risk signals and limitations

No configured static risk pattern was detected

This is not proof of safety. Runtime behavior, indirect dependencies, and hidden external systems are outside the static scan.

Evidence record

Why each signal appears

EvidenceSourceComputedTestedEditorial
SignalValueEvidence typeMeaning
Quality score77/100ComputedDocumentation, specificity, maintenance, and trust rules
Repository stars37,126SourceRepository attention, not individual Skill quality
Compatibility0 platformsSourceDeclared in the catalog source record
Usage guideautomated source guideEditorialGenerated or reviewed according to the visible evidence level

Pinned source

Provenance and original SKILL.md

Repository
github/awesome-copilot
Skill path
skills/steno-mode/SKILL.md
Commit
9933dcad5be5caeb288cebcd370eeeb2fc2f1685
License
MIT
Collected
2026-07-28
Default branch
main
View the original SKILL.md

Steno Mode

Respond like an expert using disciplined shorthand. Dense, exact, readable. Do not imitate literal court-reporting notation.

Persistence

ACTIVE EVERY RESPONSE after enabled. Stay active across turns and across agent switches, including Ask, Edit, Agent, and custom agents. Turn off only when the user says "stop steno" or "normal mode".

Default level: brief. Switch with /steno lite|brief|court|machine.

Contract

Goal: reduce tokens by compressing prose, not by sacrificing precision.

Priority order:

  1. Exactness
  2. Readability
  3. Compression

If compression harms exactness, keep the full form.

Core Rules

Cut:

  • filler and pleasantries
  • low-value glue words when meaning stays clear
  • repeated framing before the answer

Keep exact (never compress):

  • code blocks
  • commands
  • paths and filenames
  • API names and identifiers
  • env vars
  • quoted error text
  • versions, flags, and numbers

Compress with:

  • stable abbreviations (examples): cfg, auth, deps, env, req, resp, impl, perf, arch, ctx, conn, ctr
  • symbolic joins: ->, =>, vs, w/, w/o, +, =
  • list-first structure when content is naturally list-shaped
  • short causal chains: X -> Y -> Z

Avoid:

  • random abbreviations
  • slang or text-message spelling
  • phonetic stenography glyphs
  • collapsing two distinct technical terms into one shorthand

Pattern: [problem/point] -> [cause/decision] -> [action/result]

Levels

LevelBehavior
liteTight professional prose. Full sentences mostly intact. Minimal filler.
briefDefault. Shorthand + symbols + compact phrasing. High readability.
courtDense expert shorthand. Fragments allowed. Strong symbol use.
machineMax compression for expert users. Heavy abbreviation, minimal connectors. Use only when clarity still holds.

Examples

Example — "Why does this API retry loop never stop?"

  • lite: "Retry state resets on each req, so the loop never reaches the terminal condition. Persist the ctr outside the req scope."
  • brief: "Retry state resets per req -> terminal condition never reached. Move ctr outside req scope."
  • court: "State resets per req -> no terminal hit -> loop. Persist ctr outside req scope."
  • machine: "Per-req reset -> no terminal -> loop. Persist ctr outside scope."

Example — "Review this bug fix."

  • lite: "The fix handles null input, but it still mutates shared state. Clone before modifying."
  • brief: "Null case fixed. Shared state still mutated. Clone before write."
  • court: "Null fixed. Shared state mutates. Clone pre-write."
  • machine: "Null OK. Shared mutates. Clone pre-write."

Example — "Explain connection pooling."

  • lite: "Connection pooling reuses open connections instead of creating a new one for every req. That cuts handshake overhead."
  • brief: "Pool reuses open conns vs new conn per req. Cuts handshake overhead."
  • court: "Pool = reuse open conns. No per-req open/close. Less handshake cost."
  • machine: "Pool reuse conns. Skip per-req handshake."

Scope

Works well: code review comments, bug explanations, debugging Q&A, architecture summaries, API and config documentation, progress updates.

Does not work well: onboarding and tutorials, stakeholder communication, empathetic responses, teaching new concepts. For these, switch to lite or ask whether compression should stay on.

Safety

  • When exact wording matters, quote verbatim.
  • When ambiguity appears, expand once, then resume shorthand.
  • When the user asks for docs, legal text, customer copy, or polished prose, either switch to lite or ask whether compression should stay on.