Context Optimization

Context Optimization for Claude Code

Overview

Claude Code sessions have a finite context window. Understanding what consumes context and how to minimize waste keeps sessions productive longer. This skill provides patterns and strategies for context-efficient workflows.

What Consumes Context

Every interaction in a Claude Code session adds to context. The main consumers, ranked by typical impact:

1. Message Metadata Overhead (30-40%)

Every message carries a JSON envelope with sessionId, uuid, cwd, gitBranch, version, and other fields. This is not directly controllable but is the largest single category.

2. Progress/Streaming Messages (20-30%)

Hook progress events and streaming data accumulate significantly in long sessions. Not directly controllable.

3. User-Pasted Images (10-20%)

Screenshots pasted into chat are encoded as base64 PNG, inflating size ~33% over raw bytes. A single full-screen PNG screenshot can consume 500 KB to 2 MB of context.

4. File Read Results (5-10%)

Every Read tool invocation returns the full file content into context. Re-reading the same file multiple times multiplies its impact.

5. Browser Screenshots (3-5%)

Claude-in-Chrome screenshots are JPEG (~50-80 KB each) but accumulate in browser-heavy sessions.

6. Edit/Write Payloads (2-3%)

File content included in Edit and Write operations.

7. Bash Output (1-3%)

Command output returned to context. Usually small per-call but adds up with heavy Bash usage.

Optimization Strategies

Compress Screenshots Before Pasting

• Resize to ~800px wide before pasting
• Use JPEG format instead of PNG where possible
• Consider using Claude-in-Chrome's screenshot tool (produces ~50-70 KB JPEG) instead of pasting full-screen PNGs (500 KB-2 MB)
• On macOS, use Preview or a keyboard shortcut to downscale clipboard images

Reduce File Re-Reads

• Add structural summaries of frequently-referenced files to the project's CLAUDE.md
• For infrastructure files (CloudFormation, Terraform, etc.), document resource names and relationships in CLAUDE.md
• Keep documentation files (DEVLOG.md, CHANGELOG.md) concise; archive old content

Use /compact Proactively

• Run /compact after browser automation sequences with many screenshots
• Run /compact after completing a distinct phase of work
• Run /compact when switching between different parts of the codebase

Optimize Bash Usage

• Pipe verbose output through head or tail when full output is unnecessary
• Redirect large outputs to files and read selectively
• Use --quiet or --silent flags where available

Use .claudeignore

• Add build artifacts, node_modules, and generated files
• Add large data files that should not be searched
• Add log files and temporary outputs

Prefer Edit Over Write

• Edit replaces specific strings (small payload)
• Write sends the entire file content (large payload)
• For modifications to existing files, Edit is more context-efficient

Consolidate Subagent Usage

• Each Task/subagent invocation adds its result to context
• Combine related queries into a single subagent call when possible
• Use targeted prompts that return concise results

Diagnosing Context Issues

To analyze what's consuming context in a specific project, run:

/context-analyzer:analyze-context

This parses the project's JSONL chat history files in ~/.claude/projects/ and produces a detailed breakdown with per-category sizes, most re-read files, and targeted recommendations.

For programmatic access, the analysis script supports JSON output:

python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/analyze_context.py --json

Common Anti-Patterns

Re-Reading the Same File Every Turn

Problem: Claude reads types.ts or api.ts every time it needs to reference types. Fix: Add key type definitions or API surface to CLAUDE.md.

Pasting Full-Screen Screenshots

Problem: Each PNG screenshot is 500 KB-2 MB in base64. Fix: Crop to the relevant area and resize before pasting.

Long Browser Automation Sequences Without Compacting

Problem: 20+ screenshots from scroll-screenshot-click sequences fill context. Fix: Run /compact after browser testing. Use read_page (accessibility tree) instead of screenshots when visual verification isn't needed.

Verbose Build/Test Output

Problem: Full test suite output or build logs dumped to context. Fix: Pipe through tail -20 or grep for failures only.

Large Documentation Files Read on Every Session

Problem: DEVLOG.md or similar grows over time and is read at session start. Fix: Keep it under 5 KB or move to Claude Code memory (~/.claude/projects/.../memory/).

Additional Resources

For detailed analysis methodology and report interpretation, see:

• references/analysis-methodology.md — How the analysis script categorizes context consumption

Source: jbdamask/john-claude-skills — distributed by TomeVault.