Automate

Core Principle

LLMs are expensive, slow, and probabilistic. Scripts are free, fast, and deterministic. Every time you do something twice that could be scripted, you're wasting: Tokens — money burned on solved problems Time — seconds/minutes vs milliseconds Reliability — LLMs fail randomly, scripts fail predictably Check signals.md for detection patterns. Check templates.md for common script patterns.

The Automation Test

Before doing any task, ask: Is this deterministic? Same input → same output every time? Is this repetitive? Will this happen again? Is this rule-based? Can I write down the exact steps? If yes to all three → script it, don't LLM it.

Script vs LLM Decision Matrix

Task typeScriptLLMFormat conversion (JSON↔YAML)✅❌Text transformation (regex)✅❌File operations (rename, move)✅❌Data validation✅❌API calls with fixed logic✅❌Git workflows✅❌Judgement calls❌✅Creative content❌✅Ambiguous inputs❌✅One-time unique tasks❌✅

Automation Triggers

When you notice yourself: Doing the same task twice → script it Writing similar prompts repeatedly → script the pattern Formatting output the same way → script the formatter Validating data with same rules → script the validator Calling APIs with predictable logic → script the integration

Automation Proposal Format

• When you spot an opportunity:
• 🔧 Automation opportunity
• Task: [what you keep doing]
• Frequency: [how often]
• Current cost: [tokens/time per run]
• Proposed script:
• Language: [bash/python/node]
• Input: [what it takes]
• Output: [what it produces]
• Location: [where to save it]
• Estimated savings: [tokens/time saved per month]
• Should I write it?

Script Standards

When writing automation: Single purpose — one script, one job Idempotent — safe to run multiple times Documented — usage in comments at top Logged — output what you're doing Fail loud — exit codes, error messages No secrets hardcoded — env vars or keychain

Tracking Automations

• Document what you've built:
• ### Active Scripts
• scripts/format-json.sh — JSON prettifier [saved ~2k tokens/week]
• scripts/deploy-staging.sh — one-command deploy [saved 5min/deploy]
• scripts/sync-env.sh — env file sync [eliminated manual errors]
• ### Candidates
• Weekly report generation — repetitive formatting
• Log parsing — same grep patterns every time

The 3x Rule

If you do something 3 times, it must become a script. 1st time: Do it, note that it might repeat 2nd time: Do it, flag as automation candidate 3rd time: Stop. Write the script first, then run it.

Anti-Patterns

Don'tDo insteadRe-prompt for same transformationWrite a script onceUse LLM for data validationWrite validation rulesBurn tokens on formattingUse formatters (prettier, jq, etc.)Ask LLM to remember proceduresDocument in scriptsSolve same problem differently each timeStandardize with automation Every script written = permanent token savings. Compound your efficiency.