rtk-plugin
Transparent token compression for Claude Code. Wraps RTK with a lazy binary download so every supported Bash tool call returns 60–90% fewer tokens, automatically.
Why
Every shell command Claude runs ends up in your context window. git status in a busy repo can easily cost 800 tokens. pnpm install output? Multiply. Across a long session you burn through your context (and your wallet) on noise that the model doesn't actually need to read line-by-line.
RTK already solves this — it compresses tool output to keep only what matters. This plugin wires RTK into Claude Code so you don't have to think about it. Install, restart, observe.
Install
/plugin marketplace add enixCode/plugins
/plugin install rtk-plugin@enix
Restart Claude Code. On first launch the SessionStart hook downloads the pinned RTK release into ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA}/rtk/ (about 5 MB, ~3 s on a normal connection) and initializes it globally — no manual rtk init -g required. Subsequent sessions reuse the cached copy.
Observe the savings (example)
After a few sessions, type /rtk-plugin:gain in any Claude Code chat:
RTK Token Savings (Global Scope)
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Total commands: 127
Input tokens: 48.2K
Output tokens: 19.7K
Tokens saved: 28.5K (59.1%)
The dashboard shows total commands routed through the compressor, input vs output tokens, total savings, and a per-command breakdown so you can see which programs save you the most. Data lives in a local SQLite database (%LOCALAPPDATA%\rtk\history.db on Windows, ~/.local/share/rtk/ on Linux/macOS). Telemetry is off by default — inspect with rtk config.
What gets rewritten
| Input command | Rewritten to | Why |
|---|
git status | "<plugin-data>/rtk/rtk" git status | RTK collapses the long status output |
cargo test | "<plugin-data>/rtk/rtk" cargo test | RTK reformats test runner output |
pnpm install | "<plugin-data>/rtk/rtk" pnpm install | RTK trims dependency lists |
git status | head | passthrough | Pipes/chains skipped (safe by default) |
whoami | passthrough | Program not in compression list |
rtk git status | passthrough | Already wrapped, no double-prefix |
The complete list of programs RTK compresses is defined in bin/dispatch.mjs under RtkRoute.TOOLS. The dispatcher passes through anything containing shell features (|, &&, $(), …) so your existing scripts stay untouched.
How it works
SessionStart ─► node scripts/bootstrap-rtk.mjs
downloads RTK into ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA}/rtk/
then runs `rtk init -g` (silent, once per session)
PreToolUse ─► node bin/dispatch.mjs
on Bash parses the hook event, routes to RtkRoute,
emits hookSpecificOutput JSON
Hooks use exec form (command: "node" + args: [...]) so the script is spawned directly without a shell. The .sh wrappers in bin/ and scripts/ exist for reference and direct shell invocation only; they are not wired into hooks.json.
Requirements
| Component | Required ? | Fallback if missing |
|---|
bash | Yes | None — install Git for Windows on native Windows |
| Node.js ≥ 18 | Yes | Silent passthrough (no compression, no error) |
tar (Linux/macOS) or PowerShell Expand-Archive (Windows, built-in) | Yes for first run | Bootstrap fails silently, plugin falls back to passthrough |
| RTK binary | Auto-downloaded by SessionStart | Silent passthrough until download succeeds |
Claude Code's own setup recommends Git for Windows on native Windows, so the bash requirement aligns with their default.
Troubleshooting
My commands look normal in the transcript, no rtk prefix.
Check node --version reports v18.0.0 or higher. The wrapper exits silently when Node is missing.
"Could not spawn hook" errors on every command (Windows).
You're on native Windows without Git for Windows. Install it, restart Claude Code.
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