Strategic Compact

Hook-driven system that suggests manual /compact at strategic intervals rather than relying on auto-compact which fires at arbitrary points mid-task.

How it works

A PreToolUse hook on Edit/Write runs skills/strategic-compact/scripts/suggest-compact.js which:

1. Tracks tool call count per session via a temp file keyed by CLAUDE_SESSION_ID
2. Suggests /compact at threshold (default 50 tool calls) — signals you're likely transitioning from exploration to execution
3. Suggests again every 25 calls after threshold — periodic checkpoints for stale context

Why manual over auto-compact

• Auto-compact happens at arbitrary points, often mid-task
• Strategic compacting preserves context through logical phases
• Compact after exploration, before execution
• Compact after completing a milestone, before starting the next

Configuration

Set COMPACT_THRESHOLD environment variable to override the default 50-call threshold.

Files

• skills/strategic-compact/scripts/suggest-compact.js — the hook implementation
• Registered in hooks/hooks.json as a PreToolUse hook on Edit/Write
• Works with scripts/hooks/pre-compact.js which saves state before compaction