| name | strategic-compact |
| description | Guidance for compacting context manually at phase boundaries instead of waiting for auto-compaction mid-task. |
| when_to_use | Use when a session is getting long and the user is between phases, such as after exploration, before implementation, or before a handoff. |
Strategic Compact Skill
Compact at logical boundaries of your workflow when context has gone stale.
Check the statusline for actual context usage before deciding — do not guess
from tool-call counts or elapsed time.
When Compacting Pays Off
- After exploration, before execution — Compact research context, keep the implementation plan
- After completing a milestone — Fresh start for the next phase
- Before major context shifts — Clear exploration context before a different task
Best Practices
- Compact after planning - Once plan is finalized, compact to start fresh
- Compact after debugging - Clear error-resolution context before continuing
- Don't compact mid-implementation - Preserve context for related changes
- Trust the harness - Auto-compaction and the statusline context meter are
reliable; manual /compact is an optimization at phase boundaries, not a
requirement
