Strategic Compaction

Overview

Strategic compaction suggests manual /compact at logical workflow boundaries rather than relying on arbitrary auto-compaction. This preserves critical context through task phases and prevents mid-task context loss during complex multi-step operations.

How It Works

The suggest-compact.sh script runs on PreToolUse (Edit/Write) and:

1. Tracks tool calls — counts invocations in session
2. Threshold detection — suggests at configurable threshold (default: 50 calls)
3. Periodic reminders — reminds every 25 calls after threshold

Hook Setup

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [{
      "matcher": "tool == \"Edit\" || tool == \"Write\"",
      "hooks": [{
        "type": "command",
        "command": "~/.claude/skills/strategic-compact/suggest-compact.sh"
      }]
    }]
  }
}

Configuration

• COMPACT_THRESHOLD env var — tool calls before first suggestion (default: 50)

When to Compact

Best Practices

1. Compact after planning — once plan is finalized, compact to start fresh
2. Compact after debugging — clear error-resolution context before continuing
3. Don't compact mid-implementation — preserve context for related changes
4. Read the suggestion — the hook tells you when, you decide if