rtk-ai/rtk

Feature request: configurable default flags for `rtk read` and `rtk grep`

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#2,091 opened on May 25, 2026

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area:configenhancementhelp wantedpriority:medium

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Description

Problem

When using RTK with an AI assistant (Claude Code), the flags -l aggressive (for rtk read) and --ultra-compact (for rtk grep) dramatically improve token savings — but they must be specified manually on every call.

Measured impact over real sessions:

  • rtk read without flag: ~1-6% savings (101 calls wasted)
  • rtk read -l aggressive: ~80% savings
  • rtk grep without flag: ~50% savings
  • rtk grep --ultra-compact: ~80% savings

Because these flags cannot be set as defaults, savings depend entirely on the AI assistant's behavior — which is inconsistent across sessions due to context resets. Average adoption sits at ~55% despite explicit instructions in CLAUDE.md.

Proposed Solution

Add a [defaults] section to config.toml allowing users to set default flags per command:

[defaults]
read_level = "aggressive"       # equivalent to -l aggressive on every rtk read
grep_ultra_compact = true       # equivalent to -u on every rtk grep

Contributor guide

Research direction
Examine the current command line argument parsing in main.rs or cli.rs, and the config.toml loading mechanism. Add a [defaults] section to config.toml, then merge those defaults into the command args before execution.
Tech stack
rust
Domain
clitooling
Issue type
Feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
RustTOML
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
55