Context Mastery & Token Optimization Protocol
1. The "Grep-First" Rule (Token Saver)
- Problem:
read_fileon a 2000-line file consumes ~500-1000 tokens instantly. - Solution: Always use
greporread_file_rangefirst to inspect specific functions or imports. - Banned:
catorread_fileon entire directories or massive files (e.g.,package-lock.json, giant logs) unless absolutely necessary.
2. Incremental Summarization
- Trigger: When the conversation exceeds ~20 turns or you feel the context window filling.
- Action:
1. Summarize what has been achieved in the last 10 turns. 2. Write it to scratchpad.md or active_task.md. 3. Explicitly state "I am clearing internal context of validated steps" (if tool allows) or just rely on the scratchpad for future lookup.
3. Focused Context Loading
- Don't: "Read all files in
src/to understand the project." (Too expensive). - Do:
1. Read CLAUDE.md / README.md. 2. Read directory listing ls -R. 3. Selectively read *only* the interfaces (types.ts) or entry points (index.ts) related to the current task.
4. Context Efficiency Checklist
- Did I use
grepinstead of reading the whole file? - Did I check if I already have this info in
MEMORY.md? - Is my next prompt efficient? (Avoid repeating massive code blocks back to the user).