# Time Gap Cache Expiry Microcompact

> When a long idle gap means the server cache is cold, clear old tool-result content before the next request instead of attempting warm-cache cache edits.

- Skill: `vishuwa2004/time-gap-cache-expiry-microcompact` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add vishuwa2004/time-gap-cache-expiry-microcompact`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/vishuwa2004/time-gap-cache-expiry-microcompact/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: vishuwa2004 (https://skillmd.com/u/vishuwa2004)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/vishuwa2004/time-gap-cache-expiry-microcompact

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# SKILL: Time-Gap Cache-Expiry Microcompact
**Domain:** compaction
**Trigger:** Apply when a long gap since the last assistant response implies the prompt cache has expired and cache-editing no longer makes sense.
**Source Pattern:** Distilled from reviewed session memory, compaction, and context-budgeting implementations.

## Core Method
Detect when the cache is effectively cold by comparing the idle gap against a time-based microcompact threshold. If the gap is too large, skip cache-editing entirely and proactively clear old tool-result content before the next request, because the full prefix will be rewritten anyway. Reset any cached microcompact state and suppress false-positive cache-break warnings so the cold-cache rewrite is treated as an intentional maintenance step.

## Key Rules
- Evaluate the idle gap only for explicit main-thread requests; analysis-only calls without a real query source should not trigger time-based compaction.
- Short-circuit before cache-editing when the gap exceeds the configured threshold, because cache edits assume a warm server cache.
- Reset shared cached-microcompact state after the content clear so stale registered tool IDs do not leak into later turns.
- Notify cache-break detection that the upcoming drop in cache reads is expected, not a genuine regression.
- Suppress compact warnings on successful time-gap cleanup so users do not get duplicate noise for the intentional clear.

## Example Application
If a user leaves a conversation idle for long enough that the server prompt cache is gone, clear old read/shell tool results before the next turn rather than trying to attach cache-edit instructions. The next request pays one clean rewrite cost and starts from a consistent compacted state.

## Anti-Patterns (What NOT to do)
- Do not attempt cache edits after a long idle gap; those edits assume cached server state that no longer exists.
- Do not leave cached microcompact state intact after a time-gap clear; stale tool registrations will poison the next edit cycle.