Chat Compactor
Generate structured summaries optimized for AI agent continuity across sessions.
Why This Exists
Human-written summaries and ad-hoc AI summaries lose critical context:
- •Decision rationale gets lost (why X, not Y)
- •Dead ends get forgotten (agent re-tries failed approaches)
- •Implicit knowledge isn't captured (file locations, naming conventions, gotchas)
- •State is unclear (what's done, what's pending, what's blocked)
This skill produces agent-optimized handoff documents that prime the next session.
Output Format
Generate a markdown file with this structure:
markdown
# Session: [Brief Title] Date: [YYYY-MM-DD] Duration: ~[X] messages ## Context Snapshot [1-2 sentences: What project/task, what state it's in right now] ## What Was Accomplished - [Concrete outcome 1] - [Concrete outcome 2] ## Key Decisions & Rationale | Decision | Why | Alternatives Rejected | |----------|-----|----------------------| | [Choice] | [Reason] | [What didn't work and why] | ## Current State - **Working**: [files/features that are functional] - **Broken/Blocked**: [what's not working and why] - **Modified files**: [list with brief note on changes] ## Dead Ends (Don't Retry) - ❌ [Approach that failed] — [why it failed] ## Next Steps (Prioritized) 1. [ ] [Most important next action] 2. [ ] [Second priority] ## Environment & Gotchas - [Any setup notes, versions, quirks discovered] ## Key Code/Commands Reference [Only if there are non-obvious commands or snippets the next session needs]
Workflow
- •Scan conversation for: decisions, outcomes, failures, file changes, blockers
- •Identify the "handoff moment" — what would a fresh agent need to continue?
- •Generate structured summary using format above
- •Save to file:
session-[topic]-[date].mdin project root or/home/claude/sessions/
Compaction Triggers
Invoke this skill when:
- •User says: "compact", "wrap up", "save session", "summarize for next time"
- •Context window exceeds ~50% capacity and task is ongoing
- •Before major context switches
- •End of debugging/implementation session
Quality Criteria
Good compactions are:
- •Scannable: Next agent gets orientation in <30 seconds
- •Actionable: Clear next steps, not vague summaries
- •Defensive: Dead ends documented to prevent re-exploration
- •Minimal: No fluff, every line earns its tokens
Anti-Patterns
Avoid:
- •Narrative prose ("First we tried X, then Y, then Z...")
- •Redundant context (don't repeat what's in code comments)
- •Vague summaries ("Made good progress on the feature")
- •Missing failure documentation (most valuable part!)
Example Trigger & Response
User: "Let's wrap up, compact this session"
Agent:
- •Reviews conversation for key decisions, outcomes, failures
- •Generates structured markdown per format above
- •Saves to
session-[topic]-[date].md - •Confirms: "Session compacted to
session-auth-refactor-2025-01-06.md— ready for next time."