compact-guard

# Compact Guard Protect important context through compaction cycles. Based on Claude Code internals: compaction restores max 5 files with 5K tokens each, within a 50K total budget. ## Trigger Use before `/compact` or when auto-compact warning appears. ## Key Constants (from Claude Code source) - `POST_COMPACT_MAX_FILES_TO_RESTORE = 5` — only 5 files survive - `POST_COMPACT_TOKEN_BUDGET = 50K` — total restore budget - `POST_COMPACT_MAX_TOKENS_PER_FILE = 5K` — per-file limit - Auto-compact fires at `context_window - 13K` buffer ## Pre-Compact Checklist Before compacting, save these to memory or a scratch file: 1. **Current task** — What are you working on? One sentence. 2. **Files in progress** — Which files are being edited? (max 5 — compaction only restores 5) 3. **Decisions made** — Any architectural choices made this session 4. **Blockers** — What's preventing progress? 5. **Next steps** — What to do immediately after compact ## Strategy: Microcompact First Before full compaction, try microcompact: - Large tool results (test output, grep results) can be trimmed - File reads that are no longer relevant can be dropped - Use subagents for heavy exploration to keep main context clean ## Post-Compact Recovery After compaction, immediately: 1. Re-read the top-priority file (the one you're actively editing) 2. Check task list for current progress 3. Review any scratch notes saved pre-compact 4. Resume from next steps ## Prevention Strategies | Strategy | Token Savings | When | |----------|--------------|------| | Delegate grep/search to subagent | 30-60% per search | Always for broad searches | | Read only needed lines (`offset`/`limit`) | 50-90% per read | Large files | | Compact at task boundaries | Preserves coherence | Between logical steps | | Use `/resume` for fresh start | 100% | Unrelated new task | ## Output After running compact-guard: ```text COMPACT GUARD Files to preserve: [list top 5] Task state: [one sentence] Decisions: [key choices] Next step: [immediate action after compact] Ready to compact. Run /compact now. ``` ## Rules - Always save state before compacting — never compact blind - Prioritize the file you're actively editing as #1 to restore - If auto-compact fires unexpectedly, immediately re-read your working file - Keep CLAUDE.md under 60 lines to leave room for actual context