/cc — compact in one keystroke

The pain: a bare /compact does NOT read our format (measured: 0 out of 354 — everything fell back to the default, #14160). The ONLY thing that works is pasting an inline block right after /compact. The operator used to fetch that block by hand. Now /cc assembles it itself, already enriched with this session, and hands over a ready-to-paste line.

What this is NOT: it is not /retro. Retro = the full end of a session (inventory of what was built → routing rules to their homes → and only then the compact handoff). /cc is only the compact handoff itself, lightweight, with no inventory: for when the operator just wants to shrink the window at a task boundary rather than close the session.

What to do when invoked

1. Read the canonical template — the single source of the format (never invent headings):

   cat "$HOME/.claude/compact-prompt.md"   # on Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.claude\compact-prompt.md

   The skeleton = 7 headings: DECISIONS · TODO · NOW · PATHS AND VALUES · COUNTERS · OPEN · TOOLS AND CONTRACTS.
2. Enrich the block with the CURRENT session — never hand over an empty template. Walk the 7 headings and fill each one with the real, verbatim content of this chat (decisions + why, the active error under NOW, exact paths/values/IDs, self-check counters + /tt status ✅ vs not verified, what broke under OPEN). Rationales are the first thing to evaporate — preserve those first.
3. Emit the READY line — it starts with /compact , followed by the enriched block, all inside a single code block so the operator can copy it whole and paste it as the next message. Plus one line above it: "➤ Copy everything in the block below and paste it as your next message."
4. 🧒 In plain words ([[eli5-always]]): "I'm packing our memory into a short note so nothing gets lost when the context is squeezed. Copy it and paste it."

Boundaries

• The folder name is cc, so /cc works natively; "compact" and similar words are text triggers for the same skill. Case does not matter ([[commands-case-insensitive]]).
• The skill does NOT run the compact itself (that is a built-in command) and it sends/edits nothing — it only assembles text.
• When to fire it: at a task boundary around 60% of the window; don't wait for the auto-compact at 95% (that loses more).
• Don't confuse: /tt = test what was built · /rr = full retro · /cc = quick compact handoff · /1 = resurrection after a crash.

Like this skill? It is one of 100 in second-brain-starter-kit: the second brain we built for ourselves and run every day at Palo Alto AI Research Lab. Install the whole set with npx skills add tonydzi/second-brain-starter-kit. Everything is open source and free, so take what you need.

Flagships worth a look on their own: secondop-panel (a second opinion from a panel of external models), claude-memory-tidy (stop your agent's memory from rotting), telegram-mcp-kit (your own Telegram over MCP in about 15 minutes).

Author: Anton Dziatkovskii, Palo Alto AI Research Lab. Telegram @tonydzi - WhatsApp +1 341 222 9178 - X @Tony_Stef_

Engineers: want to test-drive this setup? Message me. I hand out free starter seeds to engineers who test and report back, and custom skill requests are welcome.