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The Problem

Every AI coding agent produces verbose output by default. "Sure! I'd be happy to help. Let me walk you through this step by step..." That's tokens you pay for, time you waste reading, and context window you burn.

Fixing it requires configuring multiple tools, writing rules, setting up hooks. Most developers don't bother.

What Espresso Does

Installs once. Detects what you already have. Adds only what's missing.

What gets configured	Savings	How
Output rules	40-60%	Enforces 120 char lines, forbidden openers/closers, result-first, no filler
Global rules	context savings	Creates ~/.claude/rules/ — Exa search, clean git, GitNexus, project rules
GitNexus	fewer file reads	Configures MCP server + auto-reindex hook (if GitNexus binary installed)
Caveman ultra	~75%	Sets compressed conversation mode (if Caveman plugin installed)
RTK hook	60-90% CLI	Adds CLI output compression hook (if RTK binary installed)
Ponytail	less code written	Installs the real ponytail plugin: YAGNI ladder, stdlib/native first, no speculative abstraction
Model ladder	cost + quota	Spawns every subagent one tier below the session model (Opus runs Sonnet workers, etc.) via a PreToolUse hook

Detection-first: Espresso checks what's already configured and skips it. Never overwrites your existing rules or config. Never installs duplicates.

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Before / After

Without Espresso:
  Sure! I'd be happy to help you with that. The issue you're
  experiencing is likely caused by a misconfiguration in your
  authentication middleware. Let me explain what's happening and
  walk you through the solution step by step...

With Espresso:
  Bug in auth middleware. Token expiry check uses `<` not `<=`. Fix:

Same information. 70-85% fewer tokens with the full stack.

Three axes, not one

Caveman compresses how Claude talks. Ponytail compresses how much Claude writes. Verbose prose is cheap next to the real waste: an agent that builds a 120-line cache class, adds a dependency, scaffolds "for later", then iterates on its own bloat. Ponytail stops it at the first solution that works, before the wrong code is ever written. Espresso installs both so the axes stack.

The third axis is cost per token, not token count. The model ladder spawns every subagent one tier below the session model: an Opus session dispatches Sonnet workers, a Fable session dispatches Opus workers. Discovery, mechanical checks, and verbose-output tasks do not need top-tier reasoning, so the expensive model keeps judgement and synthesis while cheaper workers do the rest. Each tier down roughly halves cost per MTok and preserves the capped quota of Opus and Fable. Fable 5 is the priciest tier and drains fastest, so a Fable session dispatching Opus workers is where the ladder saves most. Paired with a delegation rule that says when to spawn, tasks offload the expensive tier automatically, at equal quality on bounded work.

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Install

Claude Code (in the Claude Code prompt)

3 commands. Type them inside Claude Code, not in a regular terminal.

/plugin marketplace add mirkobozzetto/espresso
/plugin install espresso@espresso
/reload-plugins

Or from a regular terminal:

claude plugin marketplace add mirkobozzetto/espresso
claude plugin install espresso@espresso

Then restart Claude Code. First session auto-configures the full stack.

Cursor / Windsurf / Copilot / Codex / Others

These agents don't have plugin hooks. One command in your project root:

curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mirkobozzetto/espresso/main/AGENTS.md > AGENTS.md

Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, Copilot, Amp, and Devin read AGENTS.md natively. You get the output rules (40-60% savings) but not the full stack auto-install.

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Exa MCP — Web Search for Your Agent

Espresso rules enforce Exa as the only web search tool. Exa is a free hosted MCP — no API key required.

Agent	Setup
Claude Code	claude mcp add --transport http exa https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp
Codex	Add exa MCP in .codex/config.toml with URL https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp
Cursor	Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json: {"mcpServers": {"exa": {"url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"}}}
VS Code	Add to .vscode/mcp.json: {"servers": {"exa": {"type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"}}}
Claude Desktop	Settings → Connectors → search "Exa" → click +

Free plan includes generous rate limits. For production use, add your API key:

• Get one at exa.ai/dashboard
• Add header: "x-api-key": "YOUR_KEY" to MCP config

Docs: docs.exa.ai/docs/reference/exa-mcp

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Optional Companions

Espresso auto-configures these if already installed. Install them for maximum savings:

npm install -g gitnexus                     # Code intelligence — knowledge graph for your codebase
brew install rtk-ai/tap/rtk                 # CLI output compression (60-90%)

/install-plugin JuliusBrussee/caveman       # Conversation compression (~75%)

Restart your agent after installing any of these. Espresso detects and configures on next session.

Ponytail is the exception: you don't install it yourself. Espresso installs the real ponytail plugin for you on first run (it runs the same marketplace add + install commands you would). It's the upstream plugin, not a copy, so it updates from its own marketplace like any other plugin.

What each companion does

GitNexus — builds a knowledge graph of your codebase (functions, classes, call chains, execution flows). Instead of Claude grepping through files to understand code, it queries the graph. Fewer file reads = fewer tokens. Espresso configures the MCP server and adds an auto-reindex hook that keeps the index fresh after every session.

RTK (Rust Token Killer) — transparent proxy that compresses CLI output before it enters context. git status, npm test, docker ps output shrinks 60-90%. You run commands normally — RTK intercepts and compresses automatically via hook.

Caveman — compresses Claude's conversation style. Drops articles, filler words, pleasantries, hedging. "Bug in auth middleware. Token expiry uses < not <=. Fix:" instead of 4 paragraphs. ~75% output token reduction.

Ponytail - the lazy senior dev. Before writing code, the agent climbs a ladder: does this need to exist (YAGNI), stdlib, native platform feature, installed dependency, one line, only then more. Stops at the first rung that holds. Never cuts validation, security, or tests. The biggest token drain is an agent over-building then iterating on its own bloat; ponytail kills it at the source. Espresso installs the real plugin and pins it to ultra.

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What Gets Created

On first session (Claude Code / Codex), the install hook creates:

~/.claude/rules/
├── exa.md                         # Exa-only web search
├── git.md                         # Clean commits (no signatures)
├── gitnexus.md                    # GitNexus first for code exploration
├── project-rules-suggestion.md    # Suggest rules in new projects
├── subagent-model-economy.md      # Model ladder: spawn one tier below session
└── subagent-delegation.md         # When to offload work to cheaper workers

Model ladder hook                  # PreToolUse Agent|Task, registered via plugin (default on)
~/.config/caveman/config.json      # {"defaultMode": "ultra"} (if Caveman found)
~/.config/ponytail/config.json     # {"defaultMode": "ultra"} (Ponytail companion)
~/.claude.json → mcpServers.gitnexus  # GitNexus MCP server (if binary found)
~/.claude/settings.json → hooks.Stop  # GitNexus auto-reindex (if binary found)
~/.claude/.espresso-active         # Mode flag
~/.claude/.espresso-setup-done     # First-run marker (prevents re-running)
~/.claude/.espresso-ponytail-done  # Ponytail install marker (install + update)

Nothing is created if it already exists.

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How It Works

Three hooks fire automatically:

1. SessionStart — first run: scans existing setup, installs only what's missing, outputs summary. Every run: injects output rules as system context.
2. UserPromptSubmit — reinforces rules every turn to prevent drift mid-session.
3. PreToolUse (Agent|Task) — the model ladder: rewrites each subagent spawn to one tier below the session model. Reads the live model from the transcript, so a mid-session /model switch is tracked. Forks and agents that pin their own model are left untouched. Default on; disable with touch ~/.claude/.espresso-ladder-off.

No skills, no extra files loaded in context. Pure hooks.

The ponytail companion has its own one-shot marker (.espresso-ponytail-done), separate from the main setup flag. New users get it on install; existing users get it on their next session after updating espresso. It runs once, then never again.

Cross-Agent Compatibility

Agent	Method	Auto-install
Claude Code	Plugin hooks (SessionStart + UserPromptSubmit)	Yes — full stack
Codex	Plugin hooks (compatible via CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT)	Yes — full stack
Cursor	AGENTS.md or .cursor/rules/espresso.mdc	No — rules only
Windsurf	AGENTS.md	No — rules only
Copilot	AGENTS.md	No — rules only
Others	AGENTS.md at project root	No — rules only

Claude Code and Codex get the full stack (output rules + global rules + RTK hook + Caveman config + Ponytail plugin). Other agents get the output rules via AGENTS.md — still 40-60% savings.

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Combined Savings

Layer	Savings	Installed by Espresso
Output rules	40-60%	Always
Global rules	context savings	Always (Claude Code / Codex)
GitNexus	fewer file reads	If gitnexus binary found
RTK	60-90% CLI	If RTK binary found
Caveman ultra	~75% conversation	If Caveman plugin found
Ponytail	47-77% on code tasks*	Always (real plugin auto-installed)
Model ladder	cost + quota per spawn	Always (Claude Code)

Full stack: 70-85% total token reduction vs vanilla.

*Ponytail's figure is measured on code-generation tasks, a different denominator than the 70-85% prose number. They compress different things, so don't add them together.

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Troubleshooting

"Hook load failed: expected record, received undefined"

Cached old version. Full reset:

/plugin uninstall espresso@espresso
/plugin marketplace remove espresso
/plugin marketplace add mirkobozzetto/espresso
/plugin install espresso@espresso
/reload-plugins

Update to latest version

/plugin marketplace update espresso
/reload-plugins

If still broken after update, do the full reset above.

"1 error during load" after /reload-plugins

Run /doctor to see which plugin has the error. If it says espresso@espresso — do the full reset. If it says another plugin — espresso is fine, the error is elsewhere.

Plugin installed but no effect

Restart Claude Code. Hooks only activate on session start.

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Uninstall

Claude Code

/uninstall-plugin espresso

Clean up everything Espresso created

rm ~/.claude/rules/exa.md ~/.claude/rules/git.md ~/.claude/rules/gitnexus.md ~/.claude/rules/project-rules-suggestion.md
rm ~/.claude/rules/subagent-model-economy.md ~/.claude/rules/subagent-delegation.md
rm ~/.claude/.espresso-active ~/.claude/.espresso-setup-done ~/.claude/.espresso-ponytail-done
rm -f ~/.claude/.espresso-ladder-off
rm ~/.config/caveman/config.json ~/.config/ponytail/config.json

The model ladder hook lives inside the plugin, so uninstalling the plugin removes it. Its per-session model cache under ~/.claude/.espresso-model-cache/ can be deleted too.

The RTK hook in ~/.claude/settings.json stays (it's useful independently). Caveman plugin stays (uninstall separately with /uninstall-plugin caveman if wanted). Ponytail plugin stays too (uninstall separately with /uninstall-plugin ponytail if wanted).

Cursor / Windsurf / Others

Delete the AGENTS.md you copied, or remove espresso.mdc from .cursor/rules/.

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