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compact-guard

compact-guard

github.com/rohitg00Agent workflows2.9k169 installsUpdated 4w ago
Repository

About compact-guard

compact-guard is a skill for managing context around compaction in Claude Code. It helps preserve task state, key files, decisions, and next steps, then provides a recovery checklist.

Key features

  1. 01Save task state and decisions before compaction
  2. 02Prioritize files to preserve
  3. 03Trim irrelevant context first
  4. 04Resume work with a recovery checklist

Use cases

  1. 01Prepare important context before /compact
  2. 02Recover active work after automatic compaction

Install

Copy the command and run it in a terminal.

$npx skills add https://github.com/rohitg00/pro-workflow --skill compact-guard

After installing, type/compact-guardin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.

Details

From the project README

Compact Guard

Protect important context through compaction cycles. Based on Claude Code internals: compaction restores max 5 files with 5K tokens each, within a 50K total budget.

Trigger

Use before /compact or when auto-compact warning appears.

Key Constants (from Claude Code source)

  • POST_COMPACT_MAX_FILES_TO_RESTORE = 5 — only 5 files survive
  • POST_COMPACT_TOKEN_BUDGET = 50K — total restore budget
  • POST_COMPACT_MAX_TOKENS_PER_FILE = 5K — per-file limit
  • Auto-compact fires at context_window - 13K buffer

Pre-Compact Checklist

Before compacting, save these to memory or a scratch file:

  1. Current task — What are you working on? One sentence.
  2. Files in progress — Which files are being edited? (max 5 — compaction only restores 5)
  3. Decisions made — Any architectural choices made this session
  4. Blockers — What's preventing progress?
  5. Next steps — What to do immediately after compact

Strategy: Microcompact First

Before full compaction, try microcompact:

  • Large tool results (test output, grep results) can be trimmed
  • File reads that are no longer relevant can be dropped
  • Use subagents for heavy exploration to keep main context clean

Post-Compact Recovery

After compaction, immediately:

  1. Re-read the top-priority file (the one you're actively editing)
  2. Check task list for current progress
  3. Review any scratch notes saved pre-compact
  4. Resume from next steps

Prevention Strategies

StrategyToken SavingsWhen
Delegate grep/search to subagent30-60% per searchAlways for broad searches
Read only needed lines (offset/limit)50-90% per readLarge files
Compact at task boundariesPreserves coherenceBetween logical steps
Use /resume for fresh start100%Unrelated new task

Output

After running compact-guard:

COMPACT GUARD
  Files to preserve: [list top 5]
  Task state: [one sentence]
  Decisions: [key choices]
  Next step: [immediate action after compact]

  Ready to compact. Run /compact now.

Rules

  • Always save state before compacting — never compact blind
  • Prioritize the file you're actively editing as #1 to restore
  • If auto-compact fires unexpectedly, immediately re-read your working file
  • Keep CLAUDE.md under 60 lines to leave room for actual context

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