AKIS Development
Target: -68% tokens, 100% completeness, identical behavior
Core Principle: Single-Source DRY
| Rule | Description |
|---|
| One source of truth | Each rule exists in ONE file only |
| Reference don't repeat | Other files say "see X" not copy X |
| Unique content only | Each file has ONE purpose, no overlap |
File Architecture
| File | Contains | Does NOT Contain |
|---|
copilot-instructions.md | All core rules, gates, workflow | Details, examples beyond 1 |
workflow.instructions.md | END phase details, log format | Gates, START (in main) |
protocols.instructions.md | Skill triggers, pre-commit, stats | Gates, workflow (in main) |
quality.instructions.md | Gotchas table only | Rules (in main) |
Optimization Rules
| Rule | Before | After | Savings |
|---|
| Tables over prose | Paragraph explaining X | Table with X | -60% |
| One example not four | 4 identical examples | 1 example | -75% |
| Deduplicate | Same table in 3 files | Table in 1 file | -66% |
| Compress headers | ## Section Name (REQUIRED) | ## Section | -40% |
Anti-Patterns
| Bad | Good | Why |
|---|
| Same example 4 times | 1 example in main file | -75% tokens |
| Gates table in 3 files | Gates in copilot-instructions only | -66% tokens |
| Verbose explanation | Table row | Same info, fewer tokens |
| Numbered sub-sub-steps | Flat list | Easier to scan |
Template: Compact Instruction File
---
applyTo: '**'
description: 'One line: what unique content this adds.'
---
# Title
> Core rules in copilot-instructions.md. This file: [unique purpose].
## Unique Section 1
| Col | Col |
|-----|-----|
| ... | ... |
Metrics Target
| Metric | Target |
|---|
| Token reduction | ≥65% vs verbose |
| Line reduction | ≥60% vs verbose |
| Completeness | 100% (all rules present) |
| Behavior | Identical (same simulation results) |
Commands
| Task | Command |
|---|
| Measure tokens | wc -w file.md × 1.3 |
| Check duplication | grep -h "pattern" files | sort | uniq -c |
| Verify completeness | grep "required_pattern" files |
| Run simulation | python .github/scripts/akis_compliance_simulation.py |
