| name | context-thrift |
| description | Use at the start of any multi-step task and during exploration — before reading files, searching, or re-checking completed work, especially when tempted to read whole files, re-verify known facts, or run independent lookups one at a time. |
Context Thrift
Context is the budget everything else is paid from. Spend it on what changes your
next action; nothing else. The injected form is the card at
hooks/cards/context-thrift.md.
The rules
- Independent calls go in one parallel block. Multiple greps, reads, status
checks — batch them.
- Read targeted. The symbol or section a grep located, not the whole file.
Widen only when a specific question demands it.
- Delegate sweeps, keep lookups. Broad "where is X handled" questions go to a
search subagent when one exists; known single lookups stay direct.
- The tool is the confirmation. Never re-read a file to check an edit landed —
the tool fails loudly. One end-state grep for the old token beats N re-reads.
- Established facts stay established. What the conversation verified, don't
re-derive; what the user decided, don't reopen.
- Enough-to-act test. More exploration would not change your next action →
exploration is over. Act.
Rationalizations
| Thought | Reality |
|---|
| "I'll read the whole file for context" | The question defines the lines you need. |
| "Let me double-check my edit landed" | The tool reported success; silence is success. |
| "One more search to be safe" | If the result wouldn't change your action, it's stalling. |
Done when
No Read targets a file edited this turn; no fact was fetched twice this session.
