trs — Token-Reducing Shell · terminal compression for AI agents

usetrs.dev · GitHub · npm · Español

What · Install · Quick start · Agents · Commands · Built-in · Digest · Why

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What is trs

Prefix any command with trs (or let trs init wire it into your AI tool for you). The binary spawns your command, parses the output, and emits a compact version built for both humans and LLMs.

$ trs git status
main [ahead 1]
unstaged (3):
  M src/main.rs
  M src/lib.rs
  A src/new.rs
# 1.4 KB → 336 B (76% reduction)

$ trs cargo test
cargo test: 2186 passed (71 suites, 4.9s)
# 55 KB → 58 B (99% reduction)

$ trs cargo clippy
lint: 102 issues in 39 files
src/main.rs (3):
  W unused_import 8:23
  W redundant_closure 44:30
  W dead_code 112:8
# 55 KB → 5.5 KB (90% reduction)

Commands without a dedicated parser still get generic compression (whitespace collapse, ANSI stripping) — ~30–40% for free.

Install

Single native binary — macOS (arm64/x64), Linux (arm64/x64), Windows (x64).

# macOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://usetrs.dev/install.sh | sh

# npm (all platforms)
npm install -g @dpeluche/trs

# cargo (builds from source)
cargo install trs-cli

# Windows (PowerShell)
irm https://usetrs.dev/install.ps1 | iex

Full install options — prebuilt binaries, version pinning, custom install dirs, troubleshooting →

Upgrading

trs upgrade --check    # show what would run (auto-detects channel)
trs upgrade            # upgrade binary + refresh hooks
trs doctor             # verify the install is healthy

See docs/features/upgrade.md and docs/features/doctor.md.

Quick start

# 1. Wire hooks into every detected AI agent (the main path)
trs init --all --global
trs init --all --global --dry-run  # preview without writing

# 2. See your savings
trs stats                          # dashboard
trs stats --by-agent               # breakdown per AI agent
trs stats -n 30                    # custom row limit

# 3. Walk back when you want — symmetric removal
trs uninstall                      # interactive
trs uninstall --all --yes          # scripted

Full trs uninstall reference →

Supported AI agents

Sixteen agents supported end-to-end. Programmatic hook for Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Cursor, OpenCode, Kilo Code, Pi Coding Agent, Factory Droid, VS Code Copilot, Devin CLI, and Codex CLI (≥ 0.134, rules fallback below); plugin template for OpenClaw and Hermes. Rules file only for Antigravity IDE, Antigravity CLI, Devin Desktop (ex-Windsurf), and Zed (Agent Panel).

Agent	Install method	Input hook	Output-saver	Attribution
Claude Code · Gemini · Cursor	programmatic hook	✓	✓	claude / gemini / cursor
OpenCode · Kilo Code	plugin template	✓	✓	opencode / kilo
Pi Coding Agent	programmatic hook (extension)	✓	—	pi
Factory Droid	programmatic hook	✓	✓	droid
VS Code Copilot	programmatic hook	✓	—	vscode
OpenClaw · Hermes	plugin template	✓	—	openclaw / hermes
Codex CLI	programmatic hook (≥ 0.134), rules fallback	✓	✓	codex (fallback (untagged))
Antigravity IDE · Antigravity CLI (agy)	rules file (see notes)	—	✓	antigravity (env fallback)
Devin Desktop (ex-Windsurf)	rules file only	—	✓	(untagged)
Devin CLI	programmatic hook	✓	—	devin-cli
Zed (Agent Panel)	rules file only (AGENTS.md)	—	—	(untagged); ACP external agents show their own label

Full compatibility matrix, caveats, and per-agent config paths →

Standalone (optional)

You can also call trs directly without the hooks wired — handy for scripts, CI, or trying it out before committing to the init flow:

trs git status
trs cargo test
trs git status --json              # structured JSON
trs --json git status              # flags work anywhere
git status | trs parse git-status  # pipe syntax too

Supported commands

Category	Tools with dedicated parsers
VCS	git (status, diff, log, branch, push, pull, fetch, show, stash, grep)
Rust	cargo (build, check, test, clippy, fmt, install)
JS/TS	npm, pnpm, yarn, bun, npx, pnpm dlx
Python	pytest, pip, uv, python3 -m <mod> routing
Go	go (test, build, mod)
Tests	pytest, jest, vitest (full runner parsing)
Linters	eslint, biome, ruff, pylint, golangci-lint, cargo clippy, tsc
Files	ls (+ eza, lsd, exa), find (+ fd), grep (+ rg, ag, ack), tree, tail, cat, head, sed -n X,Yp
Containers	docker (ps, logs, build)
GitHub	gh (pr list, pr view, issue list, run list + gh api)
System	ps, env, wc, brew, curl, wget

Plus chain-aware rewrite (cd X && cargo test), env-prefix preservation (RUSTFLAGS=x cargo build), and pipe syntax (cmd | trs parse …).

Full command reference with subcommands and examples →

Built-in trs tools

Native commands — no external binary behind them.

trs json              # jq-lite query engine (-q '.users[].name')
trs read              # file reader (-l minimal / -l aggressive)
trs search            # ripgrep-powered content search
trs replace           # ripgrep-powered replace (--dry-run)
trs err               # error filter (only errors/warnings)
trs tail              # log tail with --errors
trs clean             # ANSI / whitespace / dedup cleanup
trs html2md           # HTML → Markdown
trs find              # gitignore-aware walker
trs is-clean          # repo clean check (exit code)
trs raw               # passthrough, still tracked in stats
trs stats             # savings dashboard
trs debug-info        # bundle version + doctor + logs for bug reports

Project digest

trs ingest walks a repo and emits a compact Markdown digest — structure + key files + signatures — ready to paste into any AI agent's context. Budget-aware, staleness-aware, incremental.

trs ingest                     # writes digest, prints path
trs ingest --budget 128k       # fit to token budget (signatures first)
trs ingest --changed           # only uncommitted files
trs ingest --since-last        # incremental since last ingest
trs ingest --deps              # dependency graph only
trs ingest --fresh             # reuse cached digest if HEAD unchanged
trs ingest --list              # saved digests + HEAD sha + stale markers

Full trs ingest reference → · Live example — trs ingesting itself →

Output saver

trs compresses what agents see via trs rewrite. trs output-saver closes the symmetric gap — installs a compact rules block into each agent's global config to compress what agents emit: no preambles, no narration, result-first, structured output where appropriate, no hallucinated paths.

trs output-saver               # read-only scan
trs output-saver --install     # install on detected agents
trs uninstall --output-saver   # remove the block from every agent

All ten agents supported (Antigravity IDE + CLI share Gemini's ~/.gemini/GEMINI.md import). Full trs output-saver reference →

Output formats

Every command supports six output formats:

trs git status                 # compact (default, humans + agents)
trs git status --json          # structured JSON
trs git status --csv           # CSV with headers
trs git status --tsv           # tab-separated
trs git status --agent         # AI-optimized markdown
trs git status --raw           # unprocessed passthrough

Full format reference with side-by-side examples →

Why

The honest backstory behind trs.

Token pricing kept climbing. Every git status, cargo test, and ls -la the agent rendered into its context cost real money, and the signal-to-noise ratio on those commands was painfully low. We started writing small tools at Iteris to reduce what the agent actually had to read.

Along the way we came across rtk (Rust Token Killer). By then our tools had been evolving on their own, so we faced the honest choice: migrate to rtk and drop what we'd built, or continue and publish our own take. We chose to continue — more options in this space means a better fit for more workflows. trs kept iterating and expanding as we learned more about where tokens actually burn.

The more we used it, the more we saw the opportunity was bigger than input hooks. The story grew into four complementary tools:

• trs rewrite — input compression on every AI-agent tool call.
• trs output-saver — rules block that shortens replies coming back from the agent.
• trs audit-docs — finds bloat, duplicates, and dead imports in the instruction files every session re-loads.
• trs ingest — budget-aware, LLM-ready digest of a whole repo.

From source (development)

Prefer the prebuilt install paths above unless you're contributing. For a source checkout:

git clone https://github.com/dPeluChe/trs.git
cd trs

# Build + install into ~/.cargo/bin/
cargo install --path .

# Dev loop
cargo test
cargo clippy -- -D warnings
cargo fmt -- --check
cargo run -- git status        # run locally against the workspace

For contributors

Link	Topic
Contributing guide →	Code style, review process, PR checklist
Architecture overview →	File map and module responsibilities
Development internals →	Agent wire formats, benchmarks, safety guarantees
Roadmap →	Active items and planned work
Codebase digest →	Auto-generated project map for agents

License

MIT

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A product by Iteris · Published and maintained by @dPeluChe