| name | shipflow-context |
| description | Prime context for a task — calls context_continue + context_retrieve to find relevant files before starting work. Minimizes token usage by reusing cached context and only reading what's needed. |
| argument-hint | <what you want to do> |
Context
- Current directory: !
pwd
- Project name: !
basename $(pwd)
Your task
Prime the session context before starting work. This avoids wasting tokens on broad file exploration.
Step 1 — Check session memory
Call context_continue with the user's task as the query ($ARGUMENTS).
Read the response carefully:
- Files already in memory: do NOT re-read these — use their previews
- Decisions already stored: incorporate these into your plan
- Budget remaining: note how much read budget is left this turn
Step 2 — Retrieve relevant files
If context_continue shows no prior memory OR the task needs more files, call context_retrieve with $ARGUMENTS as the query.
Read the ranked file list. Pick the top 3-5 most relevant files only.
Step 3 — Read only what you need
For each file you actually need to understand:
- Use
context_read with the query set to $ARGUMENTS (enables smart excerpting)
- Skip files where the
context_continue preview is already sufficient
- Stop reading when budget drops below 4,000 chars
Step 4 — Report and plan
Output a concise summary:
## Ready to work on: [task]
**Files in context:**
- [file] — [one line on what's relevant]
**Key constraints/decisions:**
- [any stored decisions relevant to this task]
**Plan:**
1. [step]
2. [step]
**Budget used:** X / 18,000 chars
Then ask: "Shall I proceed?"
Rules
- Do NOT read files not returned by
context_retrieve or context_continue
- Do NOT do Glob/Grep before Steps 1 and 2
- Do NOT read more than 5 files in this priming phase
- If the task mentions a specific file path, add it to the read list regardless of retrieve results
- If
$ARGUMENTS is empty, ask the user: "What do you want to work on?" before proceeding