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:

{
  "env": {
    "CLAUDE_AUTOCOMPACT_PCT_OVERRIDE": "50"
  }
}

MCP Audit

Keep <10 MCPs enabled, <80 tools total. Each MCP adds overhead to every request.

/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

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