tau-laconic

Fewer words, sharper thought. Trust context; say only what silence can't.

Packages

Package details

extensionskill

Install tau-laconic from npm and Pi will load the resources declared by the package manifest.

npm repohome report
$ pi install npm:tau-laconic
Package
tau-laconic
Version
1.3.0
Published
Jul 4, 2026
Downloads
541/mo · 22/wk
Author
gabrielbarberini
License
MIT
Types
extension, skill
Size
13.4 KB
Dependencies
0 dependencies · 1 peer
Pi manifest JSON
{
  "extensions": [
    "./extensions/laconic.ts"
  ],
  "skills": [
    "./skills"
  ]
}

Security note

Pi packages can execute code and influence agent behavior. Review the source before installing third-party packages.

README

laconic is a 300 word skill for AI coding agents inspired by caveman.

It cuts filler. It keeps meaning. It trusts context.

Every word earns its place.

Benchmarks

Caveman Benchmark

Claude Sonnet 4 via Langdock API. Each prompt: generic system prompt vs full laconic SKILL.md. Median of 3 runs per mode.

Task Normal (tokens) Laconic (tokens) Saved vs Caveman
Explain React re-render bug 885 68 92% +5pp
Fix auth middleware token expiry 1059 39 96% +13pp
Set up PostgreSQL connection pool 2167 189 91% +7pp
Explain git rebase vs merge 996 95 90% +32pp
Refactor callback to async/await 494 62 87% +65pp
Architecture: microservices vs monolith 826 209 75% +45pp
Review PR for security issues 940 126 87% +46pp
Docker multi-stage build 2635 149 94% +22pp
Debug PostgreSQL race condition 1370 49 96% +15pp
Implement React error boundary 4096 400 90% +3pp
Average 1547 139 90% +25pp

Range: 75%–96% savings across prompts. Caveman benchmarks averaged 64%.

[!IMPORTANT] Laconic cuts output tokens only.

cd benchmarks
pip install -r requirements.txt

echo "LANGDOCK_API_KEY=sk-your-key" > ../.env.local

python run.py --dry-run
python run.py
python run.py --update-readme

Examples

Prompt: "My Express auth middleware is letting expired JWT tokens through. The expiry check uses Date.now() compared to the token's exp field. What's wrong and how do I fix it?"

🗣️ Normal (~1,300 tokens)

Explains JWT spec, Unix timestamps vs JavaScript milliseconds, walks through middleware architecture, adds error handling, suggests libraries, and outputs a full refactored file (...)

Λ Laconic (19 tokens)

exp is in seconds. Date.now() is milliseconds.

if (Date.now() / 1000 > payload.exp) // expired

Caveman vs Laconic

Caveman Laconic
Tone Primitive Terse
Explanation Normal Trusts context, skips what reader knows
Code Normal Just enough code
Token savings ~65% ~90%

Install

Any agent (40+ supported)

npx skills add GabrielBarberini/laconic

npx skills supports Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and 40+ more. To install for a specific agent:

npx skills add GabrielBarberini/laconic -a cursor
npx skills add GabrielBarberini/laconic -a copilot
npx skills add GabrielBarberini/laconic -a cline
npx skills add GabrielBarberini/laconic -a windsurf

Pi

pi install https://github.com/GabrielBarberini/laconic

Or from npm:

pi install npm:tau-laconic

On pi you also get an extension: /laconic [on|off] (full laconic or off), natural-language triggers ("be laconic", "normal mode"), a laconic statusline, and per-project state in .pi/laconic-mode.json. It reads its rules from the same SKILL.md, so it never drifts.

Claude Code (plugin)

claude plugin marketplace add GabrielBarberini/laconic
claude plugin install laconic@laconic

Codex

  1. Clone repo
  2. Open Codex in repo
  3. Run /plugins
  4. Search Laconic
  5. Install plugin

Or copy the plugins/laconic/ directory into your Codex plugins folder.

Usage

Trigger with:

  • /laconic
  • "laconic mode"
  • "be laconic"

License

MIT — Sparta needed no walls. Neither does this license.