Compact Guard

Claude's compaction system only restores 5 files at 5K tokens each after wiping context, which means you lose everything else without warning. This skill gives you a pre-flight checklist: save your current task, list the files you're editing, note any decisions made, and identify blockers before you hit /compact. It also suggests microcompact strategies like using subagents for heavy searches or reading files with line limits to delay the inevitable. The output is a simple state snapshot you can reference after compaction to get back on track. Honestly just a structured reminder to write things down before your context gets nuked, but that's exactly what you need when the auto-compact warning appears mid-session.

skills.sh installs: 189
GitHub stars: 2.9K
last updated: Jun 8, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add rohitg00/pro-workflow --skill compact-guard --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

Compact Guard

Protect important context through compaction cycles. Based on Claude Code internals: compaction restores max 5 files with 5K tokens each, within a 50K total budget.

Trigger

Use before /compact or when auto-compact warning appears.

Key Constants (from Claude Code source)

POST_COMPACT_MAX_FILES_TO_RESTORE = 5 — only 5 files survive
POST_COMPACT_TOKEN_BUDGET = 50K — total restore budget
POST_COMPACT_MAX_TOKENS_PER_FILE = 5K — per-file limit
Auto-compact fires at context_window - 13K buffer

Pre-Compact Checklist

Before compacting, save these to memory or a scratch file:

Current task — What are you working on? One sentence.
Files in progress — Which files are being edited? (max 5 — compaction only restores 5)
Decisions made — Any architectural choices made this session
Blockers — What's preventing progress?
Next steps — What to do immediately after compact