context-optimizer

# Context Optimizer Manage your context window and token budget effectively. ## Quick Diagnosis 1. Run `/context` to check current usage 2. If > 70% → compact now before it degrades 3. If > 90% → you're in the "dumb zone", compact immediately ## Optimization Strategies ### Immediate | Action | Saves | When | |--------|-------|------| | `/compact` | 30-50% context | At task boundaries | | Disable unused MCPs | ~5% per MCP | When switching domains | | Use subagents for exploration | Keeps main context clean | Heavy search/read tasks | | Fresh session via `/resume` | 100% reset | When starting unrelated work | ### Configuration Set proactive auto-compaction: ```json { "env": { "CLAUDE_AUTOCOMPACT_PCT_OVERRIDE": "50" } } ``` ### MCP Audit Keep <10 MCPs enabled, <80 tools total. Each MCP adds overhead to every request. ```bash /mcp # List active servers # Disable what you're not using ``` ### Prompt Engineering for Token Efficiency - Scope your prompts: "In src/auth/, fix the login bug" - Provide constraints: "Don't modify the middleware" - Give acceptance criteria: "Should return 429 after 5 attempts" - Avoid vague prompts: "Fix the code" (forces Claude to read everything) ### Subagent Delegation Heavy operations that generate lots of output should go to subagents: - Test suite output → subagent - Large file exploration → subagent - Documentation generation → subagent - Log analysis → subagent The main session stays clean while subagents handle the volume. ## Context Budget Planning | Phase | Target Usage | Action If Over | |-------|-------------|----------------| | Planning | < 20% | Keep plans concise | | Implementation | < 60% | Compact between files | | Testing | < 80% | Delegate to subagent | | Review | < 90% | Start fresh session | ## Token Efficiency ### Output Reduction (40-60% savings) - No sycophantic openers ("Sure!", "Great question!") - No closing fluff ("Let me know if you need anything!") - No prompt restatement before answering - Code first, explanation only if non-obvious - Structured output (tables, bullets) over prose - ASCII only: -- not em dashes, straight quotes not smart quotes ### Behavioral Efficiency - One-pass coding: complete solution, test once, stop if green - Read before write: never modify unread files - No re-reads: don't re-read unchanged files - Tool-call budgets: 20 (quick fix) to 80 (large feature) - Never iterate more than twice on the same failure ### Task Profiles Switch response style based on context: - **Coding**: code first, minimal explanation, simplest solution - **Agent/Pipeline**: structured output only, no prose, parseable - **Analysis**: finding first, tables over paragraphs, sourced numbers ## CLAUDE.md Optimization - Root CLAUDE.md: < 60 lines ideal, < 150 max - Move package-specific info to package-level CLAUDE.md - Move personal preferences to CLAUDE.local.md - Remove obvious or rapidly-changing information ## When Context Is Degraded Signs: - Claude repeats itself or forgets earlier context - Responses become generic or lose project-specific knowledge - Tool calls start failing for reasons that worked earlier Fix: 1. Manual `/compact` 2. If still bad: new session with `/resume` 3. For recurring issues: reduce CLAUDE.md size, disable MCPs