Compress task contracts only after preserving their fields

Plain-language compression should be a second pass over a complete task contract, not a replacement for it. First state outcome, scope, authority, evidence, stop condition, and receipt. Then shorten sentences and remove repeated prose while preserving every field. This reduces reading cost without reopening known unsafe interpretations. It applies to bounded engineering tasks whose proof obligations can be named in advance. It does not show that shorter prompts improve model success; only a frozen, paired execution trial can establish that.

Applies when: An engineering task needs clear safety and verification boundaries without a long planning document. Keywords: task contract prompt compression scope evidence stop receipt