| name | smart-compaction |
| description | Anchor session context into prove primitives before compaction and rehydrate from them after. Built-in compaction summarizes by recency and drops the claude-prove state an agent needs to reorient; this skill externalizes volatile context into durable anchors (scrum tasks, decisions, run-state, a compact-anchors pointer file) pre-compact, then runs a deterministic reorientation sequence post-compact. Use before a manual /compact, when context is about to auto-compact, or immediately after a compaction. Triggers on "smart compact", "prepare for compaction", "anchor before compact", "context is getting long", "rehydrate", "reorient after compact".
|
| argument-hint | [anchor|rehydrate] [note] |
Smart Compaction: $ARGUMENTS
Dispatch on the first token of $ARGUMENTS:
| Subcommand | Purpose |
|---|
anchor | Externalize volatile context into prove anchors, emit /compact instructions |
rehydrate | Reorient from anchors after a compaction |
| (none) | Auto-detect: .prove/compact-anchors.md exists → rehydrate; otherwise → anchor |
Remaining tokens are a free-form note (extra context for the anchor sweep).
Boundary with /prove:task handoff: handoff serializes full context for a
fresh session or different agent. Smart compaction serves the same session
surviving an in-place context squeeze — the post-compact agent still has the
summary and CLAUDE.md, so anchors are pointers, never serialized content.
Ending the session? Use /prove:task handoff instead.
The SessionStart hooks (matcher compact) inject a mechanical run/scrum digest
automatically after compaction. Treat that digest as the cue to run
rehydrate, not as a replacement for it — the digest reports state; rehydrate
re-reads the working set and resumes.
anchor — Externalize Before Compaction
The conversation holds knowledge the store does not. Move it into durable
anchors so the compaction summary can lose it safely. Consult
references/anchor-map.md for the full context-kind → anchor mapping.
Step 1: Capture Sweep (judgment)
Compare what this session knows against what the store records. Persist every gap:
- Actionable work, follow-ups not yet tracked →
claude-prove scrum task create --title "..." [--milestone <m>] [--tag <t>]
- Decisions with rationale (what, why, alternatives rejected) →
claude-prove scrum decision record ...
- Blockers on in-flight tasks →
claude-prove scrum task status <id> blocked (note the blocker in the description)
- Stale task statuses — anything started but still showing
ready →
claude-prove scrum task status <id> in_progress
Skip anything already derivable from git history, the scrum store, or run
artifacts — anchors point, they do not duplicate.
Step 2: Snapshot Mechanical State (read-only)
claude-prove scrum status --human
claude-prove run-state current
git status --porcelain && git log --oneline -3
Note the active run (branch/slug/current step), in-progress task IDs, and
uncommitted paths.
Step 3: Write .prove/compact-anchors.md
Pointers only — no file content, no store duplication. Target under 40 lines:
# Compact Anchors
<!-- Written by smart-compaction anchor. Read + deleted by rehydrate. -->
## Identity
- Branch: <branch> · Run: .prove/runs/<branch>/<slug>/ (step <n>) — omit if no run
- Active scrum tasks: <id> (<status>), ...
## Now
- Immediate next action: <one concrete sentence — "fix the failing assertion in
store.test.ts:214 caused by the new ULID format", not "continue the store work">
## In-Flight Files
- <path> — <one-line why it is mid-change>
## Gotchas
- <max 3 bullets: non-obvious session knowledge a reorienting agent would trip on>
## Rehydrate
Run `/prove:compact rehydrate` (or follow skills/smart-compaction/SKILL.md).
Step 4: Report + Emit Compact Instructions
Report what was anchored (task IDs created/updated, decisions recorded, anchor
file path). Then emit a paste-ready instruction line — do not run
compaction yourself; the operator triggers it (or auto-compact fires):
/compact Preserve: active task IDs <ids>, run <branch>/<slug> step <n>, paths
under change, and that .prove/compact-anchors.md holds rehydration anchors.
Drop: resolved explorations, raw tool output, superseded approaches.
Rules
- Never inline file content into the anchor file — paths and one-line whys only.
- Never duplicate what
scrum status / run-state show / git log can answer — point at the source instead so rehydrate re-derives it.
- Do not ask the user questions; anchor what is capturable and report.
- Re-running
anchor overwrites the anchor file — each run is a fresh snapshot.
rehydrate — Reorient After Compaction
Step 1: Read Anchors
Read .prove/compact-anchors.md. Missing → proceed with Step 2 anyway
(mechanical-only rehydration) and note that no anchor file was found.
Step 2: Mechanical Reorientation (read-only, in order)
claude-prove scrum status --human
claude-prove scrum next-ready
claude-prove scrum alerts
claude-prove run-state current
git status && git log --oneline -5
Active run → also claude-prove run-state show --branch <b> --slug <s> --format md.
Recent decision context → claude-prove scrum decision list --limit 5.
Navigating unfamiliar code next → claude-prove cafi context before any Glob/Grep.
Step 3: Reload the Working Set
Re-read every path under "In-Flight Files", then any task plan / run artifacts
the anchors reference. Priority: run plan > in-flight files > recent decisions.
Step 4: Delete and Resume
rm .prove/compact-anchors.md
Confirm reorientation in one short block — what was in flight, the immediate
next action, the branch — then resume immediately. Do not ask the user to
repeat the task; the anchors and store carry it.
