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.
Profile →npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill steno-mode --agent copilot
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for claude-code, codex, cursor.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# 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: `
- Persistence
- Contract
- Core Rules
- Levels
- Examples
- Scope
- Safety
What does the steno-mode skill do?
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.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill steno-mode --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From github/awesome-copilot, a repository with 37,432 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.