| name | context-loader |
| description | Load project context efficiently for Conductor workflows. Use when starting work on a track, implementing features, or needing project context without consuming excessive tokens. |
Context Loader Skill
Efficiently load and manage project context for Conductor's context-driven development workflow.
Trigger Conditions
Use this skill when:
- Starting work on a new track or feature
- User mentions: "load context", "project context", "get context"
- Beginning
/conductor:implement workflow
- Need to understand project structure without reading all files
Token Optimization Protocol
1. Respect Ignore Files
Before scanning files, check for:
.claudeignore - Claude-specific ignores.gitignore - Standard git ignores
ls -la .claudeignore .gitignore 2>/dev/null
2. Efficient File Discovery
Use git for tracked files:
git ls-files --exclude-standard -co | head -100
For directory structure:
git ls-files --exclude-standard -co | xargs -n 1 dirname | sort -u
3. Priority Files (Read First)
| Priority | File Type | Examples |
|---|
| 1 | Manifests | package.json, Cargo.toml, pyproject.toml |
| 2 | Conductor | conductor/product.md, conductor/tech-stack.md |
| 3 | Track | conductor/tracks/<id>/spec.md, plan.md |
| 4 | Config | tsconfig.json, .env.example |
4. Large File Handling
For files over 1MB:
- Read first 20 lines (header/imports)
- Read last 20 lines (exports/summary)
- Skip middle content
Enforcement Rules (MANDATORY)
- Check file size via Bash
ls -la before reading
-
500KB: Read first 20 + last 20 lines only
-
1MB: Skip entirely, log as "skipped: too large"
- Stop after Tier 1-3 files. Tier 4 (config files) only if task-specific.
- Never load completed tracks — only active track spec.md + plan.md.
- Maximum 15 files per context load. If more are needed, prioritize by tier.
Context Loading Workflow
1. Load CLAUDE.md (if exists)
2. Load conductor/product.md (project vision)
3. Load conductor/tech-stack.md (technical context)
4. Load conductor/tracks.md (completed work — prevents duplicate effort)
5. Load current track spec.md (requirements)
6. Load current track plan.md (tasks — check [x] vs [ ] status)
Evaluate-Loop Integration
This skill is used by multiple loop agents:
loop-planner — loads context before creating a planloop-executor — loads context before implementing tasksconductor-orchestrator — loads context to determine current loop step
Critical: Always load tracks.md and check plan.md task markers to prevent duplicate work across sessions.
Response Format
After loading context, summarize:
## Project Context Loaded
**Product**: [one-line summary]
**Tech Stack**: [key technologies]
**Current Track**: [track name/id]
**Active Phase**: [current phase]
**Pending Tasks**: [count of [ ] tasks]
**Completed Tasks**: [count of [x] tasks]
**Loop Step**: [current Evaluate-Loop step — Plan/Execute/Evaluate/Fix]
