context-compressor

Context Compressor Skill

Automated context management for long-running Clawdbot sessions. Detects when context limits approach, compresses old conversation history, and seamlessly transfers to a fresh session.

When to Use

• Long coding sessions with extensive context accumulation
• Projects with many iterations and refinements
• When noticing Claude repeating itself or losing track of details
• Proactively before hitting hard context limits
• During heartbeats or idle moments when user isn't actively waiting

How It Works

1. Monitoring: Continuously tracks context usage via session metadata
2. Compression: When threshold reached (configurable, default 80%), summarizes old messages
3. Preservation: Extracts key decisions, code changes, file states, and action items
4. Handoff: Initiates new session with compressed context as foundation
5. Continuity: User experiences seamless transition with all important context preserved

Key Features

• Smart Summarization: Preserves decisions, code, file states, not just raw text
• Configurable Thresholds: Set when compression triggers (70-90% of context limit)
• Background Operation: Works during heartbeats or low-activity periods
• Selective Retention: Keeps important files, decisions, TODOs; compresses chaff
• Session State Transfer: New session inherits all critical context automatically

Core Concepts

Context Degradation Patterns

As sessions grow long, watch for these signs:

• Repetitive responses ("As I mentioned earlier...")
• Missing references to earlier decisions
• Forgetting file modifications
• Asking to repeat information
• General coherence degradation

Compression Strategy

1. Extract Core Intelligence:

   • All decisions made and their rationale
   • File paths and their current state
   • Pending tasks and their status
   • Important code snippets or configurations
   • User preferences and patterns

2. Condense History:

   • Remove filler, backtracking, dead ends
   • Keep only high-signal turns
   • Merge related iterations into summaries
   • Preserve critical code snippets inline

3. Format for Efficiency:

   • Use compact representations
   • Reference files rather than dump contents
   • List decisions as bullet points
   • Include only relevant code context

Usage

Automatic Mode (Recommended)

The skill runs automatically during heartbeats and idle periods. Configure threshold: