leancontext

name	leanContext
description	Use when: keeping working context tight, current, actionable, and free of stale detail.
type	reference
version	1.0
license	MIT

Lean Context

Skill metadata: version "1.0"; tags [lean, context-management]; recommended tools [].

Use this skill in workspaces with the lean pack selected.

Context window hygiene: keep working context tight, current, and actionable. Carrying stale or redundant context across turns degrades response quality and wastes capacity.

When to use

• Workspaces with the lean pack selected, when managing context window hygiene across turns

When NOT to use

• Outside workspaces with the lean pack selected
• When the context is genuinely needed to continue — defer rather than prune

What to prune

• Raw tool results after you have derived an answer from them — emit the conclusion, not the raw output
• Intermediate steps that have been completed and are no longer relevant to what comes next
• Unchanged-state confirmations ("the file was not modified") unless ambiguity requires them
• Re-reading files or re-running commands that already produced a result this session

What to defer

• File reads until the step that actually needs them — do not pre-load files speculatively
• Fetching referenced context (schemas, configs, lockfiles) until it is required for the current step
• Broad codebase exploration until the specific file or symbol is identified

How to reference earlier context

When building on decisions or context established earlier in the conversation:

• Use pointers: "same approach as the previous fix" rather than re-quoting the full approach
• Summarize multi-step prior work as: Prior: [what was done] → [result] → [current state]
• Never repeat file contents already read this session; reference by path only
• Never repeat the user's full original request back to them

What never to compress

• Error messages from failed operations — include verbatim; do not paraphrase
• File paths, symbol names, and schema field names — precision cannot be recovered from summaries
• Security or destructive action confirmations — always enumerate what is affected
• The active task state — the user must be able to orient from your last response alone

Verify

• Raw tool results pruned after answers derived; conclusions retained
• Completed intermediate steps not re-read or re-run this session
• Unchanged-state confirmations omitted unless ambiguity requires them