clear-context

name	clear-context
description	Manages context overflow by handing off to a fresh subagent at 80% usage. Use when context pressure is critical and work must continue uninterrupted.
alwaysApply	false
category	conservation
token_budget	200
progressive_loading	true
hooks	{"PreToolUse":[{"matcher":"Task","command":"echo \"[skill:clear-context] Subagent delegation at $(date)\" >> ${CLAUDE_CODE_TMPDIR:-/tmp}/clear-context-audit.log\n"}]}
model_hint	standard
role	library

Table of Contents

• Quick Start
• When to Use
• The Auto-Clear Pattern
• Thresholds
• Auto-Clear Workflow
• Integration with Existing Hooks
• Self-Monitoring Pattern

Clear Context Skill

Quick Start

When context pressure reaches critical levels (80%+), invoke this skill to:

1. Save current session state
2. Delegate continuation to a fresh subagent
3. Continue work without manual intervention

Skill(conserve:clear-context)

When To Use

• Proactively: Before starting large multi-chained tasks
• Reactively: When context warning indicates 80%+ usage
• Automatically: Integrated into long-running workflows

When NOT To Use

• Context usage is under 50% - continue working normally
• Mid-critical-operation where handoff would lose state
• Consider "Summarize from here" first (Claude Code 2.1.32+): Before full auto-clear, try partial summarization via the message selector. This compresses older context while preserving recent work — often sufficient to relieve pressure without a full handoff.

The Auto-Clear Pattern

Since /clear requires user action, we achieve automatic context clearing without interruption through subagent delegation:

Main Agent (high context)
    ↓
    Saves state to .claude/session-state.md
    ↓
    Spawns continuation subagent (fresh context)
    ↓
    Subagent reads state, continues work

Thresholds

Level	Threshold	Action
WARNING	40%	Monitor, plan optimization
CRITICAL	50%	Prepare for handoff
EMERGENCY	80%	Execute auto-clear now

Configuration (environment variables):

• CONSERVE_EMERGENCY_THRESHOLD: Override 80% default (e.g., for 75%)