Compact Conversation

Compact Conversation Context

When to Use

Use this skill only as a fallback for agents without a built-in compaction feature. Before proceeding, check whether the agent already offers /compact or another native context-management workflow (Claude Code and Aider both do) — if so, use that instead and stop here.

Reach for it when all of these hold:

• The agent has no native /compact (or equivalent) command
• The conversation has grown long (10+ messages)
• You are between tasks, not mid-debug or mid multi-step task

Instructions

When this skill is invoked:

1. Analyze Current Conversation

   • Review all messages in the current conversation
   • Identify key decisions, code changes, and outcomes
   • Note any unresolved issues or pending tasks

2. Create Compact Summary Document

   • Create or update .windsurf/conversation-summary.md with:
     • Project Context: Brief description of what we're working on
     • Completed Work: Bulleted list of finished tasks and changes
     • Key Decisions: Important architectural or implementation choices
     • Current State: What's working, what's deployed, what's tested
     • Pending Tasks: What still needs to be done
     • Important Notes: Any critical context for future sessions

3. Format Requirements

   • Use concise bullet points, not paragraphs
   • Include absolute file paths with citations where relevant
   • Keep total summary under 500 lines
   • Use markdown headers for organization
   • Include a timestamp for when the summary was created

4. After Creating Summary

   • Inform the user that context has been compacted
   • Suggest they can start a new conversation and reference the summary
   • Provide the path to the summary file

Example Output Structure

# Conversation Summary
*Created: 2026-04-08 10:54 UTC+05:30*

## Project Context
- Working on [brief description]

## Completed Work
- **File**: `@/path/to/file.ts` - [what was done]
- **Feature**: [feature name] - [status]

## Key Decisions
- Chose [technology/approach] because [reason]

## Current State
- ✅ [what's working]
- ⚠️ [what needs attention]

## Pending Tasks
- [ ] [task 1]
- [ ] [task 2]

## Important Notes
- [critical context]

Best Practices

• Include only what's needed in a future session — outcomes, not process or debugging blow-by-blow
• Update the existing summary rather than creating a duplicate