Context Layer Optimization for Claude Projects

Calibration: Tier 2, Opus-primary. See repository README for model compatibility.

Rebalances context across Memory, Custom Instructions, knowledge files, and User Preferences in Claude Projects. Produces Memory edit prescriptions, knowledge file trimming recommendations, codification prescriptions for promoting stable patterns to explicit instructions, and cross-layer alignment findings.

Critical Rule: User Confirmation Before Memory Edits

Never execute Memory edits without presenting the full prescription and receiving explicit user confirmation. Memory is persistent and personal — this skill recommends, the user decides.

Confirmation protocol (every engagement):

1. Present the complete optimization prescription: Memory edits (organized Remove → Add → Replace), codification prescriptions (if any), knowledge file trimming recommendations, and context budget impact summary
2. State clearly: "These are my recommendations. I'll make the Memory changes only after you confirm."
3. Wait for explicit user approval before calling memory_user_edits
4. Execute edits in the correct sequence: removals first (highest line numbers first to avoid index shifts), then additions, then replacements
5. Present the final Memory state (via memory_user_edits view) as verification after execution

If the user says "just do it" or "go ahead with everything" — that IS confirmation. Execute. The gate ensures the user has seen the prescription, not to add friction.

If the user wants partial execution — execute only the approved edits. Note which recommendations remain unexecuted.

Critical Rule: Complete File Output

When producing any updated file — Custom Instructions, knowledge files, or any other deliverable — always output the complete file as a single, separately copyable unit. Never output diffs, patches, or partial sections that require manual splicing. The user replaces the old file by copying the complete output.

Reasoning discipline

Before prescribing a Memory optimization, walk through the evidence explicitly. State the observations (specific Memory entries, content types, redundancies, staleness markers), name the placement pattern or principle they match (Memory vs. Custom Instructions vs. knowledge file vs. User Preferences), then apply the rebalancing prescription. Do not compress this sequence into a summary recommendation.

If the optimization scope is unclear (Memory-only? full context-layer rebalance? Codification-focused?), confirm scope with the user before proceeding. Do not proceed on inferred assumptions.

Core Thesis

Optimal Project performance requires the right fact in the right layer:

Misalignment in any direction — orientation buried in a knowledge file, reference material crammed into Memory, behavioral rules in a knowledge file, universal preferences locked inside a single Project's CI — degrades performance. Memory optimization is not a standalone operation; it cascades. When Memory is optimized, knowledge files can be trimmed. When knowledge files are trimmed, context budget is freed. When context budget is freed, Claude has more room for the actual conversation.

When to Use This Skill

Use when:

• User wants to optimize their Memory or review what's in it
• User wants to trim knowledge files or reduce context usage
• User asks whether content belongs in Memory, a knowledge file, or User Preferences
• User asks what should be in Preferences vs. Memory
• User reports context window pressure, truncation, or Claude forgetting instructions in long conversations
• User describes their project as "bloated" in the context of files, memory, or context (not behavior or output)
• A project audit found Knowledge Architecture scoring ≤ 3 and the user has Memory enabled

Do NOT use when:

• User wants a full project architecture audit → recommend rootnode-project-audit if available
• User wants a global account-wide audit → recommend rootnode-global-audit if available
• User wants to evaluate a single prompt → recommend rootnode-prompt-validation if available
• User wants to build a new project from scratch → recommend rootnode-prompt-compilation if available
• User wants to edit a single Memory entry without broader optimization context → assist directly, no skill needed

Stage 1: Project Comprehension

Understand the project holistically before touching any layer. This prevents rote optimization — the skill must know what the project is trying to accomplish before it can judge what every conversation needs.

Assess:

• Mission: What does this project do? What outcome does it serve?
• Phase: Active development, burn-in, mature maintenance, or expansion? The phase determines what Memory needs to emphasize.
• Task profile: What types of conversations happen here? Uniform tasks need less orientation; varied tasks need Memory to anchor the common thread.
• Active constraints: What decisions, limitations, or boundaries affect every conversation? (File count limits, deferred features, architectural principles, deployment targets.) These are prime Memory candidates.
• Volatility: How often does this project's state change? High-volatility facts (current phase, active sprint goals) belong in Memory. Low-volatility facts (design principles, permanent decisions) can live in knowledge files.

Information sources:

• Auto-populated userMemories (visible in system context): identity, projects, current state, preferences
• Manual Memory edits (via memory_user_edits view): user-curated facts
• Custom Instructions (user provides or describes): behavioral architecture
• Knowledge files (user provides key files or describes): reference depth
• User Preferences (if the user provides them or describes their current Preferences content)
• If the user is running this in the project being optimized, all of the above is directly accessible

Do not interrogate. Assess what's available, request only the highest-leverage missing piece, and state what you're assuming about the rest. If the user is in the project being optimized, start immediately with what's accessible.

Stage 2: Context Layer Audit

Map what's in each layer. Identify redundancies, gaps, and misalignments.

2a: Memory Assessment

Evaluate current Memory edits against six criteria. See references/assessment-rubric.md for expanded anchoring examples, common failure patterns, the layer placement decision tree, and the Codification Assessment guide.

Rate each criterion Pass / Partial / Fail with specific evidence. Do not score without citing the specific Memory edit or gap.

2b: Custom Instructions Assessment (Memory-Relevant Scope Only)

This is NOT a full CI audit. Focus narrowly on:

• Does the CI contain orientation content that should be in Memory? (Common in pre-Memory projects: the CI carries "current state" paragraphs that are now Memory's job.)
• Does the CI acknowledge the Memory layer in its information architecture?
• Are there entries styled as behavioral rules that are actually orientation facts? ("This project is in Phase 3" is orientation, not behavior.)

2c: Knowledge File Assessment

Primary target: Institutional memory files (build_context.md or equivalent) that carry project history, state tracking, and orientation content. These are the files most affected by Memory's existence because they often carry always-loaded content that Memory handles better.

For each institutional memory file, assess:

• Redundancy with Memory: Which sections duplicate what Memory already provides? These are trimming candidates.
• Redundancy with Custom Instructions: Which sections duplicate the CI's identity description, knowledge file guide, or behavioral rules? These are trimming candidates.
• Unique depth: Which sections contain structured, interconnected content that only a knowledge file can hold? (Decision rationale chains, checklists with cross-references, phase histories with dependency tracking.) These are KEEP zones.
• Context cost: Approximately how many tokens does this file consume? What percentage could be recovered through trimming?

For other knowledge files, assess at a lighter level:

• Are any files carrying content better suited to Memory?
• Are any files bloated with content now unnecessary given Memory handling orientation?

See references/optimization-patterns.md for trimming patterns and cross-layer alignment patterns with before/after examples.

Stage 3: Optimization Prescription

Produce specific, actionable recommendations grounded in Stage 1's project understanding and Stage 2's audit findings. Every recommendation cites specific content — a specific Memory edit, a specific CI paragraph, a specific knowledge file section.

3a: Memory Edit Prescriptions

For each recommendation, provide:

• Action: Add / Remove / Replace (with specific text for Add and Replace)
• Rationale: Why this fact deserves always-loaded status (tied to project mission and task profile)
• Layer justification: Why Memory is the right layer (not CI, not a knowledge file)

Organize into three categories:

1. Remove (redundant, stale, or misplaced entries) — execute first to free slots
2. Add (missing orientation facts identified in Stage 2a)
3. Replace (entries correct in intent but poorly written, too vague, or could be sharper)

Include a net slot count: "After these changes: X of 30 slots used, Y slots remaining."

Memory constraint awareness: 30 edits × 500 characters = 15,000 characters maximum. Optimize for the highest-leverage entries within this budget. Note remaining slot capacity and whether the project has room for growth.

Never recommend atomizing structured knowledge file content into flat Memory entries. Content like checklists, phase histories with decision rationale, and cross-referencing architectural decisions belongs in knowledge files. Memory gets the index; knowledge files keep the archive.

3b: Knowledge File Trimming Prescriptions

For each institutional memory file:

• Sections to compress: Specific sections that can be reduced now that Memory or CI handles the orientation. Provide the compressed replacement text.
• Sections to remove: Content fully redundant with Memory or CI. Cite the specific Memory edit or CI section that covers it.
• Sections to keep untouched: Content with unique value as structured depth. Briefly state why.
• Estimated impact: Approximate character or token reduction.

If the trimming is substantial enough to warrant producing an updated file, offer to produce it. If the user accepts, output the complete updated file — never a diff or partial section.

See references/optimization-patterns.md for the five trimming patterns.

3c: Cross-Layer Alignment Recommendations

For any content found in the wrong layer:

• State what the content is
• State which layer it's currently in and which layer it should be in, and why
• Provide the migration action (move, copy-and-trim, rewrite)

If alignment recommendations include Custom Instructions changes and the user requests the updated CI, output the complete Custom Instructions as a single, separately copyable unit.

3d: Codification Prescriptions

The Codification pathway converts stabilized automatic patterns (in Memory) into deliberate explicit instructions (in User Preferences or CI). This is the evolutionary upgrade from "Claude learned this from my behavior" to "Claude does this because I explicitly told it to."

When to apply: When Stage 2a identifies Memory entries that express behavioral preferences, corrections, or working style observations — as opposed to factual context about the project's state.

The Stability Test: For each behavioral Memory entry, apply both components:

1. Persistence — Has this pattern survived multiple Memory synthesis cycles without being overridden or modified? (For auto-populated Memory: has it appeared consistently? For manual Memory edits: has the user maintained it across project iterations?)
2. Intentionality — Does this pattern reflect a genuine user preference, or is it an artifact of Memory synthesis recording a one-time request as a permanent preference?

If both pass, the entry is a codification candidate.

Destination determination:

• Does the pattern apply universally — across all Projects and standalone conversations? Apply the Universality Test: "Would this instruction improve output in every conversation and Project, without degrading any of them?" If yes → destination is User Preferences.
• Does the pattern apply only to this Project or domain? → destination is Project Custom Instructions.

For each codification recommendation, provide:

• The Memory entry being codified (quote it)
• The stability evidence (how long it has persisted, whether it has been consistent)
• The destination (User Preferences or CI) with the Universality/Specificity justification
• The drafted instruction text (how it should be worded as an explicit instruction, not as a Memory observation)
• The confidence level: high if the pattern has persisted across many sessions and clearly reflects user intent, moderate if the pattern is recent but consistent, lower if persistence is unclear

Important: Codification does not always mean removing the Memory entry. The Memory entry records a fact ("user prefers direct answers"). The codified instruction is a directive ("Lead with the answer. Provide supporting context after, not before."). Both can coexist if the Memory entry also serves an orientation purpose. Recommend removing the Memory entry only if its content is fully captured by the new instruction and retaining it adds no orientation value.

When User Preferences is the destination: Output the specific instruction to add to Preferences. If the user's current Preferences text was provided, note where the new instruction fits relative to existing Preferences content. Do not output the full optimized Preferences text — that is rootnode-global-audit's scope. This Skill identifies individual codification candidates from Memory, not comprehensive Preferences optimization.

Stage 4: Delivery and Confirmation

Quick Optimization (Memory-only, no knowledge file changes needed)

1. Memory edit prescriptions with rationale

1a. Codification prescriptions (if any behavioral Memory entries pass the Stability Test) with destination, drafted instruction text, and confidence level

1. Present the full prescription: "These are my recommendations. I'll make the Memory changes only after you confirm."
2. Wait for user confirmation
3. Execute edits (removals first — highest line numbers first — then additions, then replacements)
4. Present the final Memory state via memory_user_edits view

Full Optimization (Memory + knowledge file trimming)

1. Memory edit prescriptions (Remove → Add → Replace)
2. Knowledge file trimming prescriptions with before/after for each section

2a. Codification prescriptions (Stability Test results, destination, drafted text, confidence)

1. Context budget impact summary showing the cascade: "These N Memory edits enable these M knowledge file trims, recovering approximately X characters of context budget."
2. Updated knowledge file(s) as downloadable deliverable(s) if trimming is substantial
3. If CI changes are prescribed and the user requests them, produce the complete updated Custom Instructions as a downloadable deliverable
4. Present the full prescription: "These are my recommendations. I'll make the Memory changes only after you confirm."
5. Wait for user confirmation before executing any Memory edits

Optimization with Audit Referral (significant structural issues found)

1. Deliver Memory and knowledge file recommendations as above
2. Flag the structural issues that are beyond this skill's scope
3. Recommend rootnode-project-audit for comprehensive evaluation (if available)

Troubleshooting

Skill produces mechanical recommendations without strategic grounding: Stage 1 was skipped or rushed. Go back and assess the project's mission, phase, and task profile before auditing layers. Two projects with identical Memory content should get different recommendations if their missions differ.

Recommendations are vague ("improve your Memory"): Every recommendation must cite specific content. "Your Memory doesn't cover active constraints" is incomplete. "Your Memory doesn't include the 28-file ceiling constraint that affects every architectural discussion in this project" is grounded.

Knowledge file trimming removes too much: The skill should never recommend removing structured, interconnected content (decision rationale chains, checklists with cross-references). If the recommendation is to remove a section, verify it's genuinely redundant with Memory or CI — not just thematically similar.

User reports no improvement after optimization: If Memory and knowledge file optimization doesn't resolve context pressure, the issue may be structural — conflicting instructions, missing identity, or anti-patterns. Recommend rootnode-project-audit for comprehensive evaluation if available. If the issue is specific Claude behavioral tendencies (verbosity, hedging, list overuse), recommend rootnode-behavioral-tuning if available.

User is not in the project being optimized: The skill works best when run inside the target project (direct access to Memory, CI, and knowledge files). If the user is working from a different context, request the Custom Instructions and key knowledge files. Use memory_user_edits view to access the user's Memory edits (these are user-level, not project-level, so they're accessible from any conversation).

Codification recommendations seem aggressive — too many Memory entries being promoted: Not every behavioral observation in Memory should be codified. Apply the Stability Test strictly — both persistence AND intentionality must pass. One-time corrections, context-specific preferences, and temporary working patterns fail the intentionality test. The default should be to keep entries in Memory unless both test components clearly pass.

User asks "should this go in Preferences or CI?" for a specific pattern: Apply the Universality Test. If the pattern would improve output in every conversation and Project without degrading any of them → Preferences. If it would help some contexts but be irrelevant or harmful in others → CI for the relevant Project(s). If uncertain, default to CI (more conservative — can always promote later, harder to demote cleanly).