Session Compaction Pattern
A structured CLAUDE.md pattern for summarising long Claude Code sessions before context fills up — preserving decisions, code state, and next steps in a compact handoff brief so work continues without re-explaining from scratch.
Context rot is the silent productivity killer in long Claude sessions. When context fills, Claude starts forgetting earlier decisions and constraints, generating contradictory or regressive output. This pattern forces a deliberate checkpoint that distils everything relevant into a compact summary — so the next session starts informed, not amnesiac.
Engineering leads and power users running multi-hour Claude Code sessions. Any team where continuity across sessions matters: ongoing refactors, multi-day feature builds, or architecture explorations.
https://x.com/trq212/status/2044548257058328723
By community
How to Get It
In Claude Cowork: Open the Customize panel in the sidebar → Folder Instructions, and paste the instructions below. Claude will follow them automatically in that folder.
In Claude Code: Add these instructions to your project's CLAUDE.md file, or paste them into your conversation and ask Claude to save them.
## Session Compaction Checkpoint When you notice ANY of these signals, stop and produce a Session Compaction Brief before continuing: - Context usage above 70% - More than 20 tool calls since the last summary - I introduce a new topic unrelated to recent work - You catch yourself re-reading files you've already read in this session - I ask you to "pick up where we left off" ### The Brief (exact format) ``` ## Session Compaction — [timestamp] **Current goal:** [one sentence] **Decisions made this session:** - [bullet] - [bullet] **Files touched:** - `path/to/file.py` — [what changed, why] **Open questions / blockers:** - [bullet] **Next step (exact):** [one concrete action to take next] **Do NOT redo:** [anything already done that could be redone mistakenly] ``` After writing the brief, ask: "Should I continue, or start a fresh session with this brief as context?" Do NOT compact silently. The brief must be visible for me to read and edit before we continue.
Trust Signals Source Reviewed
Not yet scanned. Learn how to check this tool yourself.
Community Pulse New
No community discussions found yet. This doesn't mean the tool isn't good — it may be new or serve a niche use case.
Reviewer notes
Source Reviewed review. These are observations, not a security certification.
Pattern only — no code execution, no data transmission.
How to evaluate tools before deploying →
Data shown here comes from public APIs and automated scanning. Reviewer notes reflect one person's experience. This is not a security certification or legal recommendation. Always evaluate tools according to your own organization's policies.
Evaluation
Related Outcomes
This tool shows up in these problem-focused recommendations.