diff --git a/generated/runtime-context/hyperstack.bootstrap.md b/generated/runtime-context/hyperstack.bootstrap.md
index 627ed23..fb5d105 100644
--- a/generated/runtime-context/hyperstack.bootstrap.md
+++ b/generated/runtime-context/hyperstack.bootstrap.md
@@ -117,6 +117,26 @@ Hyperstack is **ONE framework with four layers** - not four separate systems:
 - "I know the OKLCH token pattern" -> OKLCH has specific rules about alpha, chroma peaks, dark mode lightness
 - "This pattern looks common, I'll adapt it" -> Adaptation hides drift
 
+## Token Economy (lite)
+Default output register: economical. Say it once, in fewer words, with grammar
+intact - lite means fewer words, never broken words. Technical terms stay exact.
+
+Compress ONLY: connective prose, preamble, restating the request, hedging,
+narration of what you are about to do, option lists without a verdict.
+
+NEVER compress (hard gate - over-committing economy here is a bug, not thrift):
+- diagrams, tables, and visual output - full padding and alignment rules stay
+- evidence: command output, error text, verification lines, numbers, identifiers
+- code and config
+- security warnings and irreversible-action confirmations
+- anything whose omission could change the user's decision
+
+When a visual is the clearest carrier of the answer, produce it - the gate
+protects visuals once they exist AND mandates them where they beat prose.
+User brevity requests ("short", "minimal tokens") compress prose only - they
+never touch the NEVER list. "Verbose" / "explain fully" lifts the register for
+that answer. When economy and clarity conflict, clarity wins - every time.
+
 ## Degraded Mode
 - If MCP unavailable, tell the user explicitly: "MCP unavailable" and flag answers as uncertain.
 
diff --git a/skills/hyperstack/SKILL.md b/skills/hyperstack/SKILL.md
index 7b018a4..86085c9 100644
--- a/skills/hyperstack/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/hyperstack/SKILL.md
@@ -272,6 +272,27 @@ persona's skill.
 
 ---
 
+## Token Economy (lite)
+
+Default output register: economical. Say it once, in fewer words, with grammar
+intact - lite means fewer words, never broken words. Technical terms stay exact.
+
+Compress ONLY: connective prose, preamble, restating the request, hedging,
+narration of what you are about to do, option lists without a verdict.
+
+NEVER compress (hard gate - over-committing economy here is a bug, not thrift):
+- diagrams, tables, and visual output - full padding and alignment rules stay
+- evidence: command output, error text, verification lines, numbers, identifiers
+- code and config
+- security warnings and irreversible-action confirmations
+- anything whose omission could change the user's decision
+
+When a visual is the clearest carrier of the answer, produce it - the gate
+protects visuals once they exist AND mandates them where they beat prose.
+User brevity requests ("short", "minimal tokens") compress prose only - they
+never touch the NEVER list. "Verbose" / "explain fully" lifts the register for
+that answer. When economy and clarity conflict, clarity wins - every time.
+
 ## The Rationalization Catalog (Read Before Every Session)
 
 These are the exact thoughts you will have when you want to skip a skill. Every one is a bug in your reasoning. Every one has been written down because someone (probably you in a past session) used it to ship bad code.
diff --git a/src/internal/context-compiler.ts b/src/internal/context-compiler.ts
index 333eacc..847536a 100644
--- a/src/internal/context-compiler.ts
+++ b/src/internal/context-compiler.ts
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@ const REQUIRED_BOOTSTRAP_MARKERS = [
   "reflect",
   "bro",
   "Triggers:",
+  "Token Economy",
+  "NEVER compress",
   "auto-called",
   "hyper -> website-builder",
 ];
@@ -69,6 +71,14 @@ function extractTaggedBlock(source: string, tag: string): string {
   return match[1].trim();
 }
 
+function extractOptionalSection(source: string, heading: string): string {
+  try {
+    return extractSection(source, heading);
+  } catch {
+    return "";
+  }
+}
+
 function extractSection(source: string, heading: string): string {
   const lines = source.split("\n");
   const targetHeading = `## ${heading}`;
@@ -192,6 +202,7 @@ export function compileUsingHyperstackBootstrap(source: string, personas: Person
   const disallowedTransitions = extractSimpleBullets(extractSection(body, "Disallowed Transitions"));
   const finalCheck = extractFinalCheck(body);
   const redFlags = extractRedFlags(body);
+  const tokenEconomy = extractOptionalSection(body, "Token Economy (lite)");
 
   const content = [
     "<!-- GENERATED FILE. Edit skills/hyperstack/SKILL.md and re-run `bun run compile:context`. -->",
@@ -237,6 +248,7 @@ export function compileUsingHyperstackBootstrap(source: string, personas: Person
     "## High-Signal Red Flags",
     ...redFlags,
     "",
+    ...(tokenEconomy ? ["## Token Economy (lite)", tokenEconomy, ""] : []),
     "## Degraded Mode",
     "- If MCP unavailable, tell the user explicitly: \"MCP unavailable\" and flag answers as uncertain.",
     "",