# Context Budget Planner

> Use when a task has too much source material, long documents, many references, noisy context, overlapping instructions, or repeated context rot; plans what belongs in static instructions, skills, references, scripts, retrieval, summaries, or not in context.

- Skill: `stas2-git/context-budget-planner` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add stas2-git/context-budget-planner`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/stas2-git/context-budget-planner/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: AI & ML
- Author: stas2-git (https://skillmd.com/u/stas2-git)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/stas2-git/context-budget-planner

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# Context Budget Planner

Use this skill to reduce context load while preserving the behavior the agent needs.

## Workflow

1. List the materials and their purpose.
2. Classify each item:
   - always-on rule,
   - on-demand procedure,
   - detailed reference,
   - deterministic repeated step,
   - source archive,
   - irrelevant/noisy.
3. Move material to the right layer.
4. Create summaries only as routers or intermediate maps.
5. Keep operating references short, concrete, and task-specific.
6. Add eval prompts to prove the agent loads the right material.

## References

- Read `references/context-layering.md` for the placement matrix and compression rules.

## Evaluation Prompts

- Positive: "This folder has huge docs; decide what should become skills versus references." Expected: context layer plan.
- Positive edge: "The agent keeps loading all references and getting worse." Expected: reduce static context and add routing.
- Negative: "Summarize this one short article." Expected: ordinary summary unless context architecture is the task.