Context Budget Planner

Use this skill before broad, long-running, or multi-source Codex work. The goal is to keep useful capability while reducing wasted context.

Output

Return:

1. Objective and completion evidence
2. Must-load context
3. Defer-until-needed context
4. Ignore or exclude list
5. Tool and source routing
6. Token-saving tactics
7. Compaction-safe handoff
8. Verification gates

Reference Routing

Read references/context-strategy.md for broad repo work, research-heavy tasks, multi-agent delegation, long command outputs, compaction handoffs, surface-routing decisions, or token/context tradeoffs.

Rules

• Preserve user constraints, approval gates, file paths, exact commands, and

named artifacts.

• Prefer current files and command outputs over memory or guesses.
• Load indexes, manifests, catalogs, and summaries before full files when that

still gives reliable evidence.

• Read a selected authoritative instruction file completely before acting on

it.

• Do not paste huge logs into the main thread. Summarize the key lines and keep

command names exact.

• Do not move secrets, tokens, auth files, session data, private memory, or

private local paths into prompts, docs, diagrams, or issue comments.

• Use subagents for bounded read-heavy work only when they reduce noise or

produce clearer evidence.

• Put durable behavior in the right surface: prompt, AGENTS.md, skill,

plugin, MCP, hook, memory, rule, config, or script.

• Use current official docs or verified sources when external facts affect the

answer.

• Keep overlapping optional skills discoverable, but prefer the smallest

default set that covers the task without duplicate trigger noise.

Context Budget Template

Objective:
- ...

Completion evidence:
- ...

Must load now:
- ...

Defer until needed:
- ...

Ignore/exclude:
- ...

Tool/source routing:
- Local repo:
- Official docs:
- External docs:
- Browser/UI:
- Security/release:

Token-saving tactics:
- Start from indexes/manifests/catalogs before full files.
- Read only the relevant sections after symbol or text search.
- Summarize long command output instead of copying it wholesale.
- Keep exact commands, paths, versions, and failures.

Compaction handoff:
- Current decision:
- Files changed or inspected:
- Commands run:
- Known blockers:
- Next verification:

Verification gates:
- ...

When Not To Use

• Tiny single-file edits.
• Simple factual answers where no repo or external context is needed.
• Tasks where the user explicitly asks for direct execution and context is

already small.