context-reset

name

context-reset

description

Clean and reset an agent's context window in a slock multi-agent group chat. Trigger this skill when: the user or coordinator says '/new', asks to 'clean context', 'reset context', 'fresh start', or requests context cleanup for any agent. Also trigger when context is getting full (>70% used) and needs refreshing. This skill handles the safe save-compress-reset workflow so no conversation history is lost.

Context Reset for Slock Agents

When working in a slock multi-agent collaboration environment, agents accumulate large amounts of message history that fills their context window. This skill provides a safe workflow to reset context while preserving important information.

When this skill activates

• User or coordinator says /new, "clean context", "reset context", or "fresh start"
• Coordinator requests context cleanup for specific agents
• Agent notices its own context is getting full (>70%)

Core Concept

/new is an interactive-only slash command — it only works inside an interactive Claude Code session (with a TTY). It does NOT work via --print mode or stream-json mode.

The universal reset method: resume the target session in an interactive tmux, then run /new. This works for ALL agent types — whether the agent normally runs in tmux or via the slock daemon in stream-json mode.

Reset Workflow

Step 1: Save context to memory

Before resetting, update your memory files so nothing is lost:

A. Slock workspace MEMORY.md — The MEMORY.md in your agent working directory (~/.slock/agents/<agent-id>/MEMORY.md). This is read on every startup. Update with: role, team, repos, completed work, active tasks, key rules.

B. Claude project memory — ~/.claude/projects/<project-id>/memory/ directory. Write detailed context files here with frontmatter format.

Focus on: project state, key decisions, team assignments, open items, user preferences.

Step 2: Push shared artifacts (if needed)

If other agents on different machines need context you have:

cd <slock-artifact-repo> && git pull
# Write artifact files
git add . && git commit -m "context snapshot: <agent-name> <date>" && git push

Step 3: Announce to chat

send_message: "Context cleanup in progress — saving state to memory. Back shortly."

Step 4: Find the session ID

# From your agent workspace directory
PROJECT_DIR=$(echo "$PWD" | sed 's|/|--|g; s|^-|/Users/'$(whoami)'/.claude/projects/|')
SESSION_FILE=$(ls -tS "$PROJECT_DIR"/*.jsonl 2>/dev/null | head -1)
SESSION_ID=$(basename "$SESSION_FILE" .jsonl)
echo "Session ID: $SESSION_ID"

To find another agent's session ID, replace $PWD with their workspace path (e.g., ~/.slock/agents/<their-agent-id>).

Step 5: Execute reset via tmux

This is the same for ALL agents — interactive or daemon-managed.

Reset yourself:

TMUX_NAME="reset-$(basename $PWD)"
tmux new-session -d -s "$TMUX_NAME" "cd $PWD && claude --resume $SESSION_ID"
# Wait for Claude to load — may hit a "trust this project?" prompt
sleep 8
# Send Enter to dismiss any trust prompt, then /new
tmux send-keys -t "$TMUX_NAME" Enter
sleep 2
tmux send-keys -t "$TMUX_NAME" -l "/new"
tmux send-keys -t "$TMUX_NAME" Enter
sleep 5
tmux send-keys -t "$TMUX_NAME" -l "Read MEMORY.md and check_messages to catch up. You are in a fresh session."
tmux send-keys -t "$TMUX_NAME" Enter
# Cleanup: kill the temporary tmux session
sleep 5
tmux kill-session -t "$TMUX_NAME" 2>/dev/null

Reset another agent on the same machine:

TARGET_DIR=~/.slock/agents/<target-agent-id>
PROJECT_DIR=$(echo "$TARGET_DIR" | sed 's|/|--|g; s|^-|/Users/'$(whoami)'/.claude/projects/|')
SESSION_FILE=$(ls -tS "$PROJECT_DIR"/*.jsonl 2>/dev/null | head -1)
SESSION_ID=$(basename "$SESSION_FILE" .jsonl)

# Kill the daemon-managed process first so it doesn't conflict
TARGET_PID=$(pgrep -f "claude.*$(basename $TARGET_DIR)" | head -1)
[ -n "$TARGET_PID" ] && kill "$TARGET_PID"
sleep 3

TMUX_NAME="reset-$(basename $TARGET_DIR)"
tmux new-session -d -s "$TMUX_NAME" "cd $TARGET_DIR && claude --resume $SESSION_ID"
sleep 8
tmux send-keys -t "$TMUX_NAME" Enter  # dismiss trust prompt
sleep 2
tmux send-keys -t "$TMUX_NAME" -l "/new"
tmux send-keys -t "$TMUX_NAME" Enter
sleep 5
tmux send-keys -t "$TMUX_NAME" -l "Read MEMORY.md and check_messages to catch up. You are in a fresh session."
tmux send-keys -t "$TMUX_NAME" Enter
# Cleanup: kill the temporary tmux session
sleep 5
tmux kill-session -t  2>/dev/null

Important notes from testing (2026-04-10):

• Use tmux send-keys -l (literal mode) for /new to avoid shell interpretation
• The trust prompt ("Is this a project you trust?") appears on first resume — send Enter to dismiss
• After /new, the new interactive session won't have daemon MCP tools — the daemon needs to re-adopt the agent
• Permission prompts will appear in the new session — the first few tool uses need manual approval or pre-approved permissions

Reset an agent on a different machine: Ask an agent on that machine to perform the reset using the steps above.

Step 6: Clean up tmux session

After confirming the reset succeeded, kill the temporary tmux session:

tmux kill-session -t "$TMUX_NAME"

The daemon will re-adopt the agent on its next restart cycle, restoring MCP tools.

Step 7: Post-reset verification

After the new session starts, the agent should:

1. Read MEMORY.md (happens automatically via slock system prompt)
2. Send: "Context reset complete. Caught up via memory files. Ready for tasks."
3. Call check_messages to catch anything received during the reset window
4. Re-claim any previously assigned tasks

Quick Reference

Step	Action
1	Save memory files (MEMORY.md + project memory)
2	Push shared artifacts if cross-machine context needed
3	Announce reset to chat
4	Find session ID
5	tmux resume + /new
6	Clean up tmux session (tmux kill-session)
7	Post-reset catch-up