Conversation Declutter

Conversation Declutter

Overview

Turn a cluttered conversation into a smaller working system without creating a new mess. Produce a useful result even if the pass stops early.

For the Dana K. White method mapping and source notes, read references/no-mess-conversation-mapping.md only when you need the rationale or are improving this skill.

No-Mess Workflow

1. Define the container.

   • Choose the output container before sorting: final answer, handoff file, topic memory entry, Notion/wiki page, issue, or implementation plan.
   • Set a size limit appropriate to the container. A resume prompt should fit in a few sentences; a topic memory update should stay compact.

2. Start with visible trash.

   • Remove duplicates, greetings, filler, stale speculation, repeated failed attempts with no lasting lesson, and obsolete intermediate plans.
   • Do not delete source files or user content unless explicitly asked. "Trash" means exclude from the organized output.

3. Handle easy stuff first.

   • Immediately place obvious items into fixed buckets: context, decisions, actions, artifacts, sources, open_questions, risks, and next_resume_prompt.
   • Put file paths, URLs, command outputs, and changed artifacts where a future agent would naturally look for them.

4. Use no keep pile.

   • Do not create a vague misc, maybe relevant, or giant transcript bucket.
   • For each uncertain item, decide now: place it, summarize it, link to it, or drop it from the organized output.

5. Ask the two placement questions for hard items.

   • Where would a future agent look for this first?
   • If a future agent needed this, would they know it exists from the organized output?
   • If the answer is no, either add a short pointer in the right bucket or exclude it.

6. Make it fit.

   • If the chosen container is full, keep the highest-value items and remove or split lower-value items.
   • Prefer "pointer plus one-sentence summary" over copying large text.
   • Split by topic when one conversation contains multiple independent threads.

7. Leave it better than before.

   • End with a complete output that can be used immediately.
   • Include a next resume prompt when the conversation is not finished.

Output Patterns

Use the smallest pattern that satisfies the request.

Quick Conversation Declutter

Context:
- ...

Decisions:
- ...

Actions:
- ...

Artifacts:
- ...

Open Questions:
- ...

Next Resume Prompt:
...

Handoff

Use when another agent or future session must continue the work.

# Handoff

## Current Goal
...

## What Changed
...

## Key Decisions
...

## Files and Artifacts
...

## Risks / Unknowns
...

## Suggested Next Steps
...

If the user explicitly asks for a handoff document, prefer the existing handoff skill when available.

Topic Memory Update

Use when a workspace has persistent topic files.

### YYYY-MM-DD

- User asked ...
- Key conclusion ...
- Files/artifacts changed ...
- Next resume prompt: ...

Never archive secrets, raw private chat histories, API keys, activation codes, or sensitive personal details.

Wiki / Notion Capture

Use when the user wants durable documentation rather than session continuity. If Notion is requested and the Notion skill/tools are available, use notion-knowledge-capture.

Quality Rules

• Preserve decisions, obligations, constraints, and exact artifact pointers.
• Prefer concrete dates over relative dates when preserving timelines.
• Keep quoted copyrighted material minimal; summarize instead.
• Do not over-summarize away blockers, failed validations, or unresolved risks.
• Keep personal or private material at the highest useful abstraction.
• When the user asks to apply this to the current conversation, produce the organized result directly; do not merely describe the workflow.