/install compress
⚠️ Important Limitations
This is SEMANTIC compression, not bit-perfect lossless.
- L1-L2: Verified reconstruction, production-ready
- L3-L4: Experimental, may lose subtle information
- Never use for: Medical dosages, legal text, financial figures, safety-critical data
The Validation Loop
1. Compress original O → compressed C
2. Extract anchors from O (entities, numbers, dates)
3. Reconstruct C → R (without seeing O)
4. Verify: anchors match + semantic diff
5. If mismatch → refine C with missing info
6. Repeat until validated (max 3 iterations)
Convergence = verified. No convergence after 3 rounds = level too aggressive.
Quick Reference
| Task | Load |
|---|---|
| Compression levels (L1-L4) | levels.md |
| Validation algorithm details | validation.md |
| Format-specific strategies | formats.md |
| Token budgeting and metrics | metrics.md |
Compression Levels
| Level | Ratio | Reliability | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | ~0.8x | ✅ High | Production, human-readable |
| L2 | ~0.5x | ✅ Good | System prompts, repeated use |
| L3 | ~0.3x | ⚠️ Moderate | Experimental, review output |
| L4 | ~0.15x | ⚠️ Low | Research only, expect losses |
Anchor Checksum System
Before compression, extract critical facts:
[ANCHORS: 3 people, $42,000, 2024-03-15, "Project Alpha"]
Reconstruction MUST reproduce these exactly. If anchors mismatch → compression failed.
Core Rules
- Always validate — Never trust compression without reconstruction test
- Use anchors — Extract numbers, names, dates before compressing
- Cap at L2 for production — L3-L4 are experimental
- Report confidence — Include iteration count and anchor match rate
- Independent verification — Consider different model for reconstruction
Cost-Benefit Reality
Each compression costs 3-4 LLM calls. Break-even calculation:
break_even_retrievals = compression_tokens / saved_tokens_per_use
Only cost-effective if: You'll retrieve the compressed content 6-8+ times.
For one-time use → just use the original text.
Before Compressing
- Content type is NOT safety-critical
- Target level chosen (L1-L2 recommended)
- Anchors identified (numbers, names, dates)
- ROI makes sense (multiple retrievals expected)
- Make sure OpenClaw is installed (local or Docker)
- Run the install command in chat:
/install compress - After installation, invoke the skill by name or use
/compress - Provide required inputs per the skill's parameter spec and get structured output
What is Compress?
Compress text semantically with iterative validation, anchor checksums, and verified information preservation. It is an AI Agent Skill for Claude Code / OpenClaw, with 899 downloads so far.
How do I install Compress?
Run "/install compress" in the OpenClaw or Claude Code chat to install it in one step — no extra setup required.
Is Compress free?
Yes, Compress is completely free (open-source). You can download, install and use it at no cost.
Which platforms does Compress support?
Compress is cross-platform and runs anywhere OpenClaw / Claude Code is available (cross-platform).
Who created Compress?
It is built and maintained by Iván (@ivangdavila); the current version is v1.0.0.