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strategic-compact

Skill1 starsChanged 8 months agoMITView on GitHub

Suggests manual context compaction at logical intervals to preserve context through task phases rather than arbitrary auto-compaction.

We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent

5 rules. 1 is common, 3 are distinctive, and 1 is very specific to this project.

  • 1

    Common

    Most of the 47 edited versions we read keep these.

  • 3

    Distinctive

    This author's own choices. Worth a look.

  • 1

    Very specific

    Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.

  • Common
  • Distinctive
  • Very specific
  1. Distinctive:

    After completing a major milestone and starting new work

    line 16
  2. Distinctive:

    When responses slow down or become less coherent (context pressure)

    line 17
  3. Common:

    No awareness of logical task boundaries

    line 23
  4. Very specific:

    Add to your ~/.claude/settings.json:

    line 41
  5. Distinctive:

    Use this table to decide when to compact:

    line 67

“Common” is measured: kept by at least 6 in 10 of the 47 edited versions of this file we could read. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.

Keep what fits and drop the rest. Your version, ready for your agents.
Files
SKILL.md

Strategic Compact Skill

Suggests manual /compact at strategic points in your workflow rather than relying on arbitrary auto-compaction.

When to Activate

  • Running long sessions that approach context limits (200K+ tokens)
  • Working on multi-phase tasks (research → plan → implement → test)
  • Switching between unrelated tasks within the same session
  • After completing a major milestone and starting new work
  • When responses slow down or become less coherent (context pressure)

Why Strategic Compaction?

Auto-compaction triggers at arbitrary points:

  • Often mid-task, losing important context
  • No awareness of logical task boundaries
  • Can interrupt complex multi-step operations

Strategic compaction at logical boundaries:

  • After exploration, before execution — Compact research context, keep implementation plan
  • After completing a milestone — Fresh start for next phase
  • Before major context shifts — Clear exploration context before different task

How It Works

The suggest-compact.js script runs on PreToolUse (Edit/Write) and:

  1. Tracks tool calls — Counts tool invocations in session
  2. Threshold detection — Suggests at configurable threshold (default: 50 calls)
  3. Periodic reminders — Reminds every 25 calls after threshold

Hook Setup

Add to your ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Edit",
        "hooks": [{ "type": "command", "command": "node ~/.claude/skills/strategic-compact/suggest-compact.js" }]
      },
      {
        "matcher": "Write",
        "hooks": [{ "type": "command", "command": "node ~/.claude/skills/strategic-compact/suggest-compact.js" }]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Configuration

Environment variables:

  • COMPACT_THRESHOLD — Tool calls before first suggestion (default: 50)

Compaction Decision Guide

Use this table to decide when to compact:

Phase TransitionCompact?Why
Research → PlanningYesResearch context is bulky; plan is the distilled output
Planning → ImplementationYesPlan is in TodoWrite or a file; free up context for code
Implementation → TestingMaybeKeep if tests reference recent code; compact if switching focus
Debugging → Next featureYesDebug traces pollute context for unrelated work
Mid-implementationNoLosing variable names, file paths, and partial state is costly
After a failed approachYesClear the dead-end reasoning before trying a new approach

What Survives Compaction

Understanding what persists helps you compact with confidence:

PersistsLost
CLAUDE.md instructionsIntermediate reasoning and analysis
TodoWrite task listFile contents you previously read
Memory files (~/.claude/memory/)Multi-step conversation context
Git state (commits, branches)Tool call history and counts
Files on diskNuanced user preferences stated verbally

Best Practices

  1. Compact after planning — Once plan is finalized in TodoWrite, compact to start fresh
  2. Compact after debugging — Clear error-resolution context before continuing
  3. Don't compact mid-implementation — Preserve context for related changes
  4. Read the suggestion — The hook tells you when, you decide if
  5. Write before compacting — Save important context to files or memory before compacting
  6. Use /compact with a summary — Add a custom message: /compact Focus on implementing auth middleware next

Related

  • The Longform Guide — Token optimization section
  • Memory persistence hooks — For state that survives compaction
  • continuous-learning skill — Extracts patterns before session ends

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