Documentation
The full tok0 reference — install, configure, integrate, extend, audit. Every doc is generated from MDX in the open repo, edit-on-GitHub on each page.
tok0 is a high-performance CLI proxy that compresses verbose shell command output before it reaches an LLM. These docs cover everything from a one-line install to writing your own compression rules and shipping community extensions.
New here? Start with Introduction for the 30-second pitch, then Getting started for the install + verify path. Everything else in the sidebar is reachable as a reference.
Start
Introduction
tok0 is an open-source CLI proxy that compresses verbose shell command output before it reaches an LLM. Native Rust, single static binary, ~80% savings on the commands your agent runs most.
Getting started
Install tok0, register it with your AI tool, and run your first compressed command. Three steps, under a minute.
Installation
Every supported install path for tok0 — Homebrew, shell script, Cargo, Scoop, Chocolatey, Snap, Docker, and source build.
Concepts
Compression pipeline
tok0 runs every command's output through eight pure stages. Same input, same output, every time. Here's what each stage does and where to tune it.
Architecture
A tour of the tok0 binary — engine, bridge, compressors, insights, scanner, extensions. Where each subsystem lives and what it owns.
Writing TOML rules
The declarative rule schema used by every TOML compressor in tok0. Write a rule once, get CI-asserted savings, ship it as a built-in or a project-local filter.
Recipes
Worked examples of common tok0 tasks — compressing a custom internal CLI, wiring tok0 into CI, masking secrets in output, debugging a noisy compressor.
Reference
Configuration
Every knob tok0 exposes — config file, environment variables, project trust, opt-in features. Defaults are good; this page is for when they aren't.
CLI reference
Every tok0 command, every flag, every exit code. Use this as the search-and-find page.
Compressors
The full inventory of commands tok0 knows how to compress. ~250 commands across 30 ecosystems, each with a CI-asserted minimum savings floor.
Performance
Cold start, per-command overhead, memory footprint, and how to measure each yourself. Numbers from CI on a 2024 Mac mini, gated as regressions on every PR.
Glossary
Every tok0 term that's worth defining once — bridge, compressor, fallback pattern, instance ID, mpsc meter, rule pack, trust, and the rest.
Integrations
AI tool integrations
How tok0 hooks itself into Claude Code, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, Amp, OpenCode, Codex, and Kimi Code. What each integration does, where it lives, and how to verify it.
Extensions
Install community rule packs from arbitrary git URLs. Each extension is trust-prompted, version-pinned, and removable in one command.
Cloud & team dashboard
The optional cloud features in tok0 — what they do, what gets sent, how to log in. The default binary does not include these subcommands.
Editor plugins
tok0 ships native bridges for AI tools, but for IDE-side rewriting (paste a command, get its compressed output inline) there are first-party plugins for VS Code-family editors and OpenClaw.
Operations
Telemetry & privacy
What tok0 collects (almost nothing), what it doesn't (your shell output), and how to verify the difference for yourself.
Trust & safety
tok0's threat model — why project-local rules and extensions are gated, how integrity verification works, and how to recover from a tampered install.
Troubleshooting
Common failure modes, what they mean, and how to fix them. Bookmark this page; everyone hits at least one of these.