# Paleo Trim Context

> Use when context window is large / token cost high / long session. Proactively trim, summarize, or drop stale content to save context tokens without losing the task state.

- Skill: `mocasus/paleo-trim-context` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add mocasus/paleo-trim-context`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/mocasus/paleo-trim-context/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Research & Search
- License: MIT
- Author: mocasus (https://skillmd.com/u/mocasus)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/mocasus/paleo-trim-context

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# paleo-trim-context
Keep context small. Drop stale, keep task state.

## Rules
- Summarize old tool output into 1-2 lines; keep only the result that matters.
- Drop: resolved errors, obsolete file reads, duplicate logs.
- Keep: current plan, open TODO, key IDs/paths, last decision.
- Use session_search / notes for history instead of re-pasting.
- Prefer code/script over long prose explanations in context.
- Pre-thinking compression (biggest savings): BEFORE the model reasons, compress retrieved docs / RAG context / long file dumps into key facts + a source pointer. Drop full-doc dumps.
- Effort pinning: trivial task -> signal low effort, no over-think. Reuse a prior conclusion instead of re-reasoning the same thing.

## Scope boundary (don't collide with siblings)
- Context hygiene + effort pinning + pre-thinking compression = THIS skill (runs automatically during the session).
- `paleo-converse` = explicit conversation-turn compression + dedup (on-demand, when the user points at history or context is heavy).
- `paleo-summary` = one bulky artifact (log / diff / dump / stdout) -> tight intisari.
- Hand off to those when the target is a specific turn-block or a single artifact; don't re-implement them here.

## When
- Long session (>20 turns), big file dumps, repeated similar output.
- Before calling an expensive model — shrink first.

## Gotchas
- Don't trim the user's latest instruction.
- Keep ground truth (file paths, IDs) — summarize derivations only.
- If unsure what's stale, ask once. Don't guess-drop critical state.