context-hygiene

name	context-hygiene
description	Reference for Claude Code context management. Use /by-the-way for side questions, /fork for path exploration, and context:fork in skills for isolated execution. Trigger on "context is getting large", "session feels slow", "Claude forgot what we were doing", "how do I manage context".

Context Hygiene — 3 Shields

Three techniques for keeping Claude Code sessions focused and performant. Use these proactively — context bloat is gradual and invisible until quality degrades.

Shield 1: /by-the-way (Side Questions)

For quick lookups that don't deserve main context space:

• "What was that Calendly link?"
• "How many slides in the last deck?"
• "What's the standard meeting length?"

Usage: Type /by-the-way then your question. Answer returns without polluting the main conversation thread.

Best for: Static data retrieval, FAQ-style questions, quick lookups from CLAUDE.md or project files.

Shield 2: /fork (Path Exploration)

When you want to try a different approach without risking your current progress:

• "Let me try a completely different design"
• "What if we used a different tech stack?"
• "Create version 2 from scratch"

Usage: Type /fork — creates a new conversation branch with full history. Returns a resume command to get back to the original conversation.

Best for: A/B testing approaches, exploring risky changes, version comparison.

Pro tip: Run multiple forks in parallel terminal sessions for simultaneous exploration.

Shield 3: context: fork (Skill Isolation)

Add context: fork to any SKILL.md frontmatter to run heavy skills in an isolated context window. See the context-fork-guide skill for full details.

When Context Gets Large

Signs your context is bloated:

• Slower responses
• Claude "forgets" earlier decisions
• Suggestions become less relevant

Recovery:

1. /fork to start fresh with history preserved
2. /compact to summarize and compress context
3. For future sessions: apply context: fork to heavy skills proactively

Context Budget Rule of Thumb

• Light session (single file edits, Q&A): 50K-100K tokens, no shields needed
• Medium session (multi-file feature work): 100K-300K tokens, use /by-the-way for side queries
• Heavy session (research + build): 300K+, fork skills and /fork for exploration branches

Source

Extracted from: 3 Claude Code Features You'll Wish You Knew Sooner by Mark Kashef (AI Automation Society), March 19, 2026.