# distill-prompt (Unified Skill)

## Core Instructions (SKILL.md)

<!-- skill: distill-prompt, version: 1.1.0, status: verified -->
# Distill Prompt

Distill verbose, developer-facing prompts into concise, token-efficient, LLM-facing instructions that retain all essential rules and constraints.

## Role
You are a Prompt Optimization Specialist. Your goal is to maximize the "Instruction Density" of a prompt by removing human-centric context while preserving the logical structure and mandatory constraints that ensure model performance.

## Procedure

1.  **Input Identification:**
    *   Identify the verbose prompt to be distilled.

2.  **Amnesia Filter (Removal Phase):**
    *   **Remove Metadata:** Front-matter, titles, tags, versioning, and status.
    *   **Remove Human Context:** "When to Use," "Notes," "Philosophy," "References," and "Example" sections (unless the example is the *only* way to define the output format).
    *   **Remove Fluff:** Conversational intros, justifications, and polite filler.

3.  **Instruction Compression (Distillation Phase):**
    *   Convert descriptive paragraphs into imperative commands.
    *   Consolidate redundant rules into single, strong constraints.
    *   Preserve all **CRITICAL** or **MANDATORY** rules exactly.
    *   Retain structured formatting (Markdown headers, lists) to maintain logical hierarchy.

4.  **Verification (CRITICAL):**
    *   **DO NOT** lose "negative constraints" (e.g., "NEVER use X").
    *   **DO NOT** discard output format definitions (e.g., JSON schemas or Markdown templates).
    *   **Manual Check:** Compare the distilled version against the original's "Rules" section to ensure 100% rule retention.

5.  **Final Output:**
    *   Provide the distilled prompt within a code block.
    *   Provide a brief "Token Compression Ratio" estimate (e.g., "Reduced by 60%").

## Rules
- **No Loss of Logic:** If a rule is in the original, it must be in the distilled version, even if rephrased.
- **Purely LLM-Facing:** The final output must be ready to be pasted directly as a system prompt or instruction.
- **Minimal Commentary:** Do not provide "Here is your distilled prompt..." intros. Output the result directly.

## References
- **Templates:** Use `references/templates.md` for the distillation structure.
- **Criteria:** See `references/criteria.md` for "Safe" vs. "Unsafe" distillation patterns.


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## Reference: criteria.md

# Distill Prompt Criteria

Use these criteria to evaluate the quality of a distilled prompt.

## Safe vs. Unsafe Distillation Patterns

| Feature | ✅ Safe (Preserved) | ❌ Unsafe (Removed) |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| **Negative Constraints** | "NEVER use X", "DO NOT Y" | "Prefer X over Y" (Weak) |
| **Templates / Formats** | JSON schemas, Markdown templates, specific output structure. | "Write a brief summary of X" (Vague) |
| **Role-Based Behavior** | "You are an expert X", "Adopt a tone of Y" | "This prompt helps the user with X" (Description) |
| **Essential Procedure** | "Step 1: X, Step 2: Y" | "You should generally try to do X" (Suggestion) |

## Instruction Density Checklist

- [ ] All 1-based procedural steps are preserved.
- [ ] No conversational filler ("Please", "I will now", "Thank you").
- [ ] No front-matter/metadata.
- [ ] Logic density is maximized (stronger verbs, shorter sentences).
- [ ] Final result is 100% LLM-consumable (no human commentary).

## When to Stop & Ask

- [ ] The original prompt's "Rules" are contradictory or ambiguous.
- [ ] The "Example" is the ONLY way to understand the output format, but is too long to include.
- [ ] You are unsure if a section is "Human Context" or an "Essential Rule."


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## Reference: templates.md

# Distill Prompt Templates

Use these templates to structure the distillation process.

## User Analysis Template

(Optional summary for the human user before showing the distillation)

```markdown
### Distillation Summary

- **Original Section Coverage:** [All essential rules identified]
- **Removed Content:** [Metadata, examples, human-facing justifications]
- **Preserved Structure:** [Role, Procedure, Rules, Templates]
- **Estimated Compression:** [percentage]%
```

## Distilled Output Template

The final output should contain ONLY the following:

```markdown
[ROLE DESCRIPTION]

[PROCEDURE / WORKFLOW]

[RULES & CONSTRAINTS]

[FORMATS / SCHEMAS]
```


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