Compressed Task Notation

My article about agents dropping spaces has come up a few times. I decided I wanted to learn how to prompt like this. It’s clearly efficient, but not just because it’s compressed. It’s very clear, to the point. I aspire to be able to instruct the agent so directly.

The agent calls this compressed task notation. Sol says, “It saves space by packing instructions together. Some of it is useful; the missing spaces mostly make it harder to read”.

Compressed task notation lays out a clear goal, it clarifies the authorization, it sets out the task, the approval criteria, any limits, and an explicit deliverable. Reading it made it clear just how wibbly wobbly my usual prompting language is.

The useful technique is to separate intent, authority, limits, evidence, and next action:

  GOAL: Find a supported status query.
  SCOPE: Read-only research.
  EVIDENCE: Exact-model docs, source, or tests.
  OUTPUT: Proposed query + expected response + risks.
  APPROVAL: Report before sending; wait for GO.
  FORBIDDEN: Control commands, ACKs, recurring polling.

Sol encouraged me to “Learn the structure, not the word-cramming. Clear labels and explicit verbs give you most of the efficiency with far less ambiguity”.

The following is a full example of a the compressed task notation, marked up so we can learn what’s going on, and maybe learn to be better at prompting. Note that Blastoise is my washing machine… and yes the dryer is obviously Charizard.

[AUTHORIZATION — one status request permitted in principle]
USERNOWAUTHORIZESoneactiveBlastoiseSTATUSQUERY "lets try gettingBlastoisegiveusstate"

[SUPERSEDES — replaces the earlier passive-only restriction]
supersedespassiveonlyONLYoneboundedread-onlystatusrequest notcontrol/ACK/cloud/pollschedule.

[EVIDENCE REQUIREMENT — verify the query; do not guess]
NeedidentifyGENUINEsupportedexactmodelstatus-queryexistingrethinkprotocol docs source upstream tests, no guessedreplay.

[CURRENT MODE — research first; disclose behavior and risks]
Readonlyresearchfirst exposeexactpacket/opcode API intent expectedresponse no wake/control semantics unknownrisks;

[APPROVAL GATE — report before transmitting]
reportparentbeforeSEND.

[CONTEXT — device identity and current information]
DeviceFAFXU22007 connectedOff stalecontacts.

[DECISION AUTHORITY — parent selects and approves the query]
ParentwillchooseoneknownqueryandGO.

[PROHIBITIONS — no recurring polling or control actions]
No autonomousperiodicpoll, no start/power/door/ACK/setProperty.

[ASSIGNMENT AND DELIVERABLE — investigate and write the proposal]
Ownsourceprotocolinvestigation/tmp/rethink-washer-state-query-plan.md shortcommand+evidence.

[RESEARCH SCOPE — suggested code to inspect]
Caninspectdevice.ts sends/handlers upstream genericrequeststatus.

[REPLY REQUIREMENT — explicitly report readiness or a blocker]
Replyexplicitready/blocker.

[IMMEDIATE STOP CONDITION — transmission is not yet permitted]
No SENDyet.