# Peopleforrester Claude Dotfiles Strategic Compact

> Strategic Compact

- Skill: `tomevault-io/peopleforrester-claude-dotfiles-strategic-compact` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/peopleforrester-claude-dotfiles-strategic-compact`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/peopleforrester-claude-dotfiles-strategic-compact/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/peopleforrester-claude-dotfiles-strategic-compact

---


# Strategic Compact

Techniques for optimizing Claude Code's context window usage.

## Context Window Budget

Claude Code loads several sources into context at session start:

| Source | Target Budget | Max Budget |
|--------|---------------|------------|
| CLAUDE.md (global) | 500 tokens | 1,000 |
| CLAUDE.md (project) | 1,500 tokens | 2,500 |
| Active skills | 1,500 per skill | 3,000 |
| Rules (all loaded) | 500 per rule | 1,000 |
| Agent definitions | 500 per agent | 1,000 |
| **Total passive load** | **< 10,000** | **< 20,000** |

The remaining context budget is for conversation, code, and tool results.

## CLAUDE.md Optimization

### Size Guidelines

```
60-100 lines  → Optimal (loads fast, leaves room for code)
100-150 lines → Acceptable (for complex projects)
150+ lines    → Too large (move details to skills or docs)
```

### What Belongs in CLAUDE.md

```
✓ Stack and language versions
✓ Build/test/deploy commands
✓ Key directory structure
✓ Critical gotchas (non-obvious behaviors)
✓ Project-specific conventions
```

### What Does NOT Belong in CLAUDE.md

```
✗ Language tutorials or syntax guides    → Use skills
✗ General best practices                 → Use rules
✗ Long code examples                     → Use skills
✗ Documentation that exists elsewhere    → Link to it
✗ Change history                         → Use CHANGELOG.md
```

### Token-Efficient Writing

```markdown
# Bad (verbose): 45 tokens
## Testing
To run the tests for this project, you should use the following command
which will discover and execute all test files:
`pytest tests/ -v`

# Good (concise): 12 tokens
## Commands
- **Test**: `pytest tests/ -v`
```

## Skill Organization

### When to Create a Skill vs. Inline in CLAUDE.md

| Signal | Location |
|--------|----------|
| Used in every session | CLAUDE.md |
| Used occasionally | Skill |
| Language-specific patterns | Skill |
| Framework-specific patterns | Skill |
| One-time workflow | Command |

### Skill Loading Strategy

Skills are loaded on demand. Organize so that:

1. **Frequently used** skills have clear, searchable names
2. **Related patterns** are grouped in one skill (not scattered)
3. **Each skill** is self-contained (no cross-skill dependencies)

## Tool Budget Management

MCP tools consume context tokens. Fewer active tools = more room for code.

| Tool Count | Impact |
|------------|--------|
| < 10 | Minimal overhead |
| 10-20 | Optimal range |
| 20-40 | Noticeable context cost |
| 40-80 | Significant — disable unused tools |
| 80+ | Performance degradation likely |

### Optimization Steps

1. **Audit** — List all configured MCP servers and tools
2. **Measure** — Count total tools across all servers
3. **Prune** — Disable tools you haven't used in 2+ weeks
4. **Group** — Use one multi-purpose tool over many single-purpose ones

## Conversation Efficiency

### Reduce Round Trips

```
Bad:  "Read file A" → result → "Read file B" → result → "Now edit both"
Good: "Read file A and file B" → results → "Edit both"
```

### Batch Independent Operations

Launch parallel operations when results don't depend on each other:

```
✓ Read 3 files simultaneously
✓ Run lint + type-check + test in parallel
✓ Search for pattern across multiple directories at once
```

### Avoid Context Pollution

```
✗ Pasting entire file contents into chat when a path reference suffices
✗ Asking Claude to "explain this code" without specifying what's unclear
✗ Requesting verbose output when a summary would work
```

## Large Project Strategies

### Monorepo Navigation

```
1. Use Glob to find files by pattern (not ls -R)
2. Use Grep to search content (not reading files sequentially)
3. Delegate exploration to subagents (preserves main context)
4. Focus on one package/module per task
```

### Context Recovery After Compaction

When a conversation is compacted (summarized to save space):

1. Re-read CLAUDE.md to restore project context
2. Re-read the specific file(s) you're working on
3. Check git status for current change state
4. Continue from the task summary, not from scratch

## Checklist

- [ ] CLAUDE.md under 150 lines / 2,000 tokens
- [ ] Token count documented in CLAUDE.md header comment
- [ ] Patterns moved to skills, not inlined in CLAUDE.md
- [ ] MCP tool count under 40 active tools
- [ ] Parallel tool calls used where possible
- [ ] Subagents used for exploration (preserves main context)
- [ ] Rules are concise (under 500 tokens each)

---
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<!-- tomevault:4.0:skill_md:2026-04-13 -->