# RTK (Rust Token Killer)

RTK is an independent project under the Apache 2.0 license, created and
maintained by Patrick Szymkowiak and contributors. It is not part of Maestria.

## What It Is

RTK (Rust Token Killer) is a CLI proxy that sits between your AI coding agent
and the shell. It intercepts commands, executes them, and filters or compresses
the output before it reaches the LLM context window.

Typical token savings range from 60-90% on command output. RTK ships with
support for 100+ commands across git, test runners, build tools, package
managers, and cloud CLIs. It also includes a dedicated OpenCode plugin.

## Why Use It With Maestria

Maestria-powered agents use shell commands for builds, tests, git operations,
and deployment tasks. Each command's output consumes tokens in the context
window. RTK reduces the token cost of these operations, keeping context windows
from filling with verbose output.

Less token burn on tool output means more room for reasoning,
instruction following, and code generation. For long agent sessions running many
commands, the savings add up.

## Installation

**macOS (Homebrew):**

```bash
brew install rtk
```

**Other platforms:** Download the standalone installer from the GitHub releases
page.

## Quick Start

Run `rtk init -g` to set up global shell hooks. RTK works with OpenCode, Claude
Code, Cursor, Copilot, and other AI coding agents; no per-agent configuration
needed.

## Resources

[Official Site](https://www.rtk-ai.app)
  [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/rtk-ai/rtk)