Baton - Context Management Skill

Manages context across sessions and compactions using TLDR summaries and structured documentation.

Implementation

When /baton is invoked, parse the subcommand and execute the corresponding action:

Core Commands

•No arguments or load: Display current TLDR summary
•init: Initialize new conversation
•rename <title>: Set conversation title (max 60 chars)
•rename --suggest: Get AI-generated title suggestions
•save [note]: Save current state with optional note
•update [section]: Update SUMMARY.md sections automatically
•update --auto: Auto-generate updates from recent activity
•history: Show all conversations with titles
•status: Show token usage and save recommendation
•archive: Archive completed items to prevent file bloat

Navigation & Switching

•switch <conv-id-or-title>: Switch to different conversation
•switch --recent: Show recent conversations to choose from

Search & Discovery

•search <term>: Search across all conversations, bugs, decisions
•search --bugs <term>: Search only bugs
•search --decisions <term>: Search only decisions
•search --conversations <term>: Search only conversations
•context <topic>: Load relevant past context (smart search)

Reporting & Analytics

•report [timeframe]: Generate work summary report
•report --today: Today's work summary
•report --week: Past week summary
•report --conversation <id>: Specific conversation report
•metrics: Show baton system effectiveness metrics
•stats: Alias for metrics

Validation & Health

•validate: Check file structure integrity
•health: Alias for validate

Configuration

•auto-save on|off|status: Configure auto-save triggers
•template create <name>: Create custom SUMMARY.md template
•template use <name>: Switch to custom template
•template list: Show available templates

Git Integration

•git-link: Associate conversation with current git branch
•git-summary: Generate commit message from SUMMARY.md

Implementation Details

Each command should be implemented by reading/writing the appropriate files in .claude/:

For `/baton init`

bash

CONV_ID="conv-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)"
mkdir -p .claude/conversations/$CONV_ID
echo $CONV_ID > .claude/CURRENT_CONVERSATION_ID
# Create SUMMARY.md from template
# Initialize shared files if they don't exist
touch .claude/{BUGS.md,DECISIONS.md,CONVERSATION_HISTORY.md,ENHANCEMENTS.md,USER_FEEDBACK.md}
mkdir -p .claude/{archive,templates}
# Create default settings if missing
cat > .claude/settings.json <<EOF
{
  "autoSave": {
    "enabled": true,
    "thresholds": [70, 85, 95],
    "notifyOnSave": true
  },
  "archiveThresholds": {
    "conversations": 10,
    "bugs": 20,
    "decisions": 15
  },
  "defaultTemplate": "standard"
}
EOF

For `/baton load`

•Read .claude/CURRENT_CONVERSATION_ID
•Display .claude/conversations/{conv-id}/SUMMARY.md
•Display filtered entries from .claude/BUGS.md (matching conversation ID)
•Display filtered entries from .claude/DECISIONS.md (matching conversation ID)
•Display current TODO list if available

For `/baton rename <title>`

•Read .claude/CURRENT_CONVERSATION_ID
•Update .claude/conversations/{conv-id}/SUMMARY.md Title field
•Update .claude/CONVERSATION_HISTORY.md entry for this conversation
•Validate title length (max 60 chars for clean display)
•Used in standardized response format header
•Example: /baton rename Self-Improving AI Chatbot

For `/baton rename --suggest`

•Analyze recent work: TODO items, file changes, recent conversation
•Generate 3-5 concise title suggestions (max 60 chars each)
•Display suggestions with numbers for easy selection
•Allow user to choose or provide custom title

•Example output:

code

Suggested titles based on recent work:
1. API Authentication System
2. User Login Bug Fixes
3. Database Schema Migration
4. Payment Integration Setup
5. Custom: [Enter your own]

Choose (1-5) or press Enter for custom:

For `/baton save [note]`

•Read current state (TODO list, recent changes)
•Update .claude/conversations/{conv-id}/SUMMARY.md
•Add timestamp and optional note
•Update Task Checklist, Key Files, State Snapshot sections
•Show confirmation: "Saved at 45% token usage"

For `/baton update [section]`

Auto-update specific sections:

•--auto: Analyze recent activity and update all sections
•tasks: Update Task Checklist from TODO list
•files: Update Key Files from recent git changes
•state: Update State Snapshot from current file/line
•context: Update Context in 3 Lines from recent work

Implementation:

•Read recent TODO completions, file modifications
•Analyze conversation for decisions, bugs discovered
•Update relevant SUMMARY.md sections
•Show what was updated: "Updated: Task Checklist (3 completed), Key Files (2 modified)"

For `/baton history`

•Display .claude/CONVERSATION_HISTORY.md
•Format with conversation IDs, titles, status, dates
•Show active vs completed conversations

For `/baton status`

•Check current token usage (estimate from conversation length)
•Calculate percentage to 70% threshold
•Show time since last SUMMARY.md update
•Recommend save if > 70%
•
Check file sizes and recommend archival if thresholds exceeded:
- •CONVERSATION_HISTORY.md > 10 conversations
- •BUGS.md > 20 bugs
- •DECISIONS.md > 15 decisions
•Display auto-save configuration status

For `/baton archive`

•Count items in each file by status
•Move completed/fixed/implemented items to .claude/archive/
•
Archive structure:
- •archive/conversations/YYYY-MM.md (completed conversations by month)
- •archive/bugs/fixed-YYYY-MM.md (fixed bugs by month)
- •archive/decisions/implemented-YYYY-MM.md (implemented decisions by month)
•Update main files to remove archived items
•Show summary: "Archived 5 conversations, 12 bugs, 8 decisions"
•Keep last 10 active conversations, all active/in-progress bugs, all proposed/accepted decisions

For `/baton switch <conv-id-or-title>`

Switch between conversations:

•Accept either conversation ID or title (fuzzy match)
•Update .claude/CURRENT_CONVERSATION_ID
•Load new conversation's SUMMARY.md
•Show transition message: "Switched from 'API Redesign' → 'Bug Fixes'"
•Display new conversation's current state

With --recent flag:

•List 5-10 most recent conversations
•Show: ID, Title, Last Modified, Status
•Allow numbered selection

•Example:

code

Recent conversations:
1. [Active] API Authentication System (modified 2h ago)
2. [Active] Database Migration (modified 5h ago)
3. [Paused] Payment Integration (modified 2d ago)

Choose conversation (1-3):

For `/baton search <term>`

Search across all baton files:

•Search SUMMARY.md files in all conversations
•Search BUGS.md, DECISIONS.md, ENHANCEMENTS.md, USER_FEEDBACK.md
•Return matches with context (file, conversation ID, line)
•Highlight matching text
•Sort by relevance (exact match > partial match)

Example output:

code

Found 'authentication' in 5 locations:

CONVERSATIONS:
  conv-20251224-015859: API Authentication System
    - Line 12: "Implementing OAuth2 authentication"

  conv-20251223-140521: User Login Refactor
    - Line 8: "Fixed authentication token expiry bug"

DECISIONS:
  Decision #3 (conv-20251224-015859)
    - "Chose OAuth2 over email/password authentication"

BUGS:
  Bug #7 (conv-20251223-140521)
    - "Authentication fails after 24 hours"

With specific filters:

•--bugs: Search only BUGS.md
•--decisions: Search only DECISIONS.md
•--conversations: Search only SUMMARY.md files

For `/baton context <topic>`

Smart context loading:

•Semantic search across past conversations for topic
•Load relevant decisions, bugs, failed attempts
•Show context from most relevant conversations
•Example: /baton context authentication

Output:

code

Loading context for 'authentication'...

Found 3 relevant conversations:

1. conv-20251224-015859: API Authentication System (Active)
   Decisions: OAuth2 implementation, JWT tokens
   Bugs: None currently
   Status: 85% complete

2. conv-20251223-140521: User Login Refactor (Completed)
   Decisions: Session timeout 24h
   Bugs: Fixed token expiry issue
   Failed: Email/password approach (too complex)

3. conv-20251220-093012: Security Audit (Completed)
   Decisions: Require 2FA for admin accounts

Key learnings:
- Avoid email/password (maintenance overhead)
- Use OAuth2 with established providers
- JWT tokens preferred over sessions

For `/baton report [timeframe]`

Generate work summary reports:

•Aggregate work across conversations
•Count tasks completed, bugs fixed, decisions made
•List key files modified
•Perfect for standups, status updates

Timeframes:

•--today: Today's work
•--week: Past 7 days
•--month: Past 30 days
•--conversation <id>: Specific conversation
•No flag: Ask for timeframe

Example output:

markdown

## Work Summary: Past 7 Days (Dec 18-25, 2025)

**Active Conversations:** 3
**Completed Conversations:** 2

### Tasks Completed: 24
- API authentication system (12 tasks)
- Database migration (8 tasks)
- Bug fixes (4 tasks)

### Bugs Fixed: 5
- Authentication token expiry
- Database connection timeout
- API rate limiting error
- UI rendering glitch
- Memory leak in cron job

### Decisions Made: 8
- OAuth2 for authentication
- PostgreSQL for main database
- Redis for caching
- Next.js for frontend
- ... (4 more)

### Files Modified: 47
Top 10:
- src/auth/oauth.ts (23 changes)
- src/db/schema.sql (18 changes)
- src/api/endpoints.ts (15 changes)
... (7 more)

### Key Achievements:
- Completed API authentication system
- Migrated database schema to v2
- Reduced bug count from 12 → 7

For `/baton metrics` or `/baton stats`

Show system effectiveness:

•Total conversations tracked
•Token savings vs full conversation logs
•Compaction survival rate
•Average context restoration time
•File sizes and growth trends

Example output:

code

📊 Baton System Metrics

CONVERSATIONS:
  Total: 12 (3 active, 9 completed)
  Avg Duration: 3.2 hours
  Avg Compactions: 4.2 per conversation
  Longest: conv-20251215-081234 (12 compactions)

TOKEN EFFICIENCY:
  Full Conversation Logs: ~612,000 tokens
  TLDR Summaries: ~6,200 tokens
  Compression Ratio: 98.9% (99x reduction)
  Estimated Cost Savings: $18.36 (at $0.03/1K tokens)

CONTEXT RESTORATION:
  Success Rate: 100% (12/12 compactions survived)
  Avg Restoration Time: 1.2 seconds
  Avg Tokens Read: 1,150 per restoration

FILE HEALTH:
  CONVERSATION_HISTORY.md: 2.1 KB (12 entries)
  BUGS.md: 1.8 KB (7 active, 15 archived)
  DECISIONS.md: 2.4 KB (11 active, 8 implemented)
  Archive Size: 18.2 KB (47 archived items)

RECOMMENDATIONS:
  ✅ System healthy
  ℹ️ Consider archiving (BUGS.md has 22 total entries)

For `/baton validate` or `/baton health`

Check file integrity:

•Verify .claude/ directory structure exists
•Check all required files present
•Validate SUMMARY.md has required sections
•Detect missing conversation IDs, broken tags
•Check for orphaned files
•Validate settings.json syntax

Example output:

code

🔍 Baton Health Check

DIRECTORY STRUCTURE:
  ✅ .claude/ exists
  ✅ .claude/conversations/ exists
  ✅ .claude/archive/ exists
  ✅ .claude/templates/ exists

REQUIRED FILES:
  ✅ CONVERSATION_HISTORY.md (2.1 KB)
  ✅ BUGS.md (1.8 KB)
  ✅ DECISIONS.md (2.4 KB)
  ✅ CURRENT_CONVERSATION_ID (present)
  ✅ settings.json (valid JSON)
  ⚠️ ENHANCEMENTS.md (empty)
  ⚠️ USER_FEEDBACK.md (empty)

CONVERSATIONS:
  ✅ conv-20251224-015859: All sections present
  ✅ conv-20251223-140521: All sections present
  ❌ conv-20251220-093012: Missing "Failed Attempts" section

TAGS:
  ✅ All BUGS.md entries have Conv: tags
  ⚠️ 2 DECISIONS.md entries missing Conv: tags

ISSUES FOUND: 3
  [1] conv-20251220-093012/SUMMARY.md missing "Failed Attempts"
  [2] DECISIONS.md line 45 missing Conv: tag
  [3] DECISIONS.md line 67 missing Conv: tag

FIX COMMAND:
  /baton fix --auto   # Auto-fix common issues

For `/baton auto-save on|off|status`

Configure automatic saves:

•on: Enable auto-save at configured thresholds
•off: Disable auto-save
•status: Show current configuration

Auto-save behavior:

•Monitor token usage continuously
•Save at thresholds: 70%, 85%, 95% (configurable)
•Show notification: "🔁 Auto-saved at 72% token usage"
•Never interrupt user work
•Settings stored in .claude/settings.json

Example output:

code

Auto-Save Configuration:
  Status: ✅ Enabled
  Thresholds: 70%, 85%, 95%
  Notify on save: Yes
  Last auto-save: 15 minutes ago (at 71%)

Current token usage: 68% (save at 70%)

For `/baton template create <name>`

Create custom templates:

•Copy current SUMMARY.md structure
•Save to .claude/templates/<name>.md
•Allow editing/customization
•Templates stored for reuse

Example:

bash

/baton template create research

Created template: research
Location: .claude/templates/research.md

Customize with additional sections:
- Research Questions
- Literature Review
- Methodology
- Data Sources

For `/baton template use <name>`

Switch templates:

•Load template from .claude/templates/<name>.md
•Apply to new conversations
•Existing conversations keep their template

For `/baton template list`

Show available templates:

code

Available Templates:
  ✓ standard (default) - Standard development template
  • research - Academic research template
  • devops - Infrastructure/deployment template
  • bugfix - Bug investigation template

Current conversation template: standard

For `/baton git-link`

Git integration:

•Associate current conversation with git branch
•Store mapping in .claude/git_links.json
•Add conversation ID to commit template
•Tag commits with conversation context

Example:

bash

/baton git-link

✅ Linked conversation to git:
   Conv: conv-20251224-015859
   Branch: feature/oauth-authentication

Commits on this branch will be tagged with conversation ID.
Use /baton git-summary to generate commit message.

For `/baton git-summary`

Generate commit message from SUMMARY:

•Extract Task Checklist completed items
•Summarize key changes
•Include conversation ID for traceability

Example output:

code

feat: implement OAuth2 authentication system

- Add OAuth2 provider integration (Google, GitHub)
- Create JWT token generation and validation
- Implement user session management
- Add authentication middleware
- Write integration tests for auth flow

Related to conversation: conv-20251224-015859

Problem Solved

During long autonomous sessions, Claude Code can go through 5-10 auto-compactions, losing critical technical details:

•Bug reproduction steps
•Failed approaches (leads to retry loops)
•Architecture decisions and rationale
•Exact file locations and current state
•What was tried and why it didn't work

Solution

Two-tier context system with intelligent automation:

•Tier 1 (TLDR): ~1,000 tokens - Always read after compaction
•Tier 2 (Full details): ~50,000 tokens - Read on-demand only
•Compression: 25-100x token reduction
•Auto-save: Never lose work at compaction boundaries
•Search: Find past context instantly
•Smart updates: Reduce manual overhead

Commands Reference

Core Commands

/baton init Initialize context management for new conversation

/baton load or /baton Display current conversation TLDR

/baton save [note] Manually save current state

/baton update [section] ⭐ NEW Auto-update SUMMARY.md from recent activity

/baton rename <title> Set conversation title (max 60 chars)

/baton rename --suggest ⭐ NEW Get AI-generated title suggestions

/baton history Show all conversations and status

/baton status Check token usage, get save recommendations

/baton archive Archive completed items to prevent bloat

Navigation

/baton switch <conv-id-or-title> ⭐ NEW Switch between conversations

/baton switch --recent ⭐ NEW Show recent conversations menu

Search & Discovery

/baton search <term> ⭐ NEW Search across conversations, bugs, decisions

/baton search --bugs <term> ⭐ NEW Search only bugs

/baton search --decisions <term> ⭐ NEW Search only decisions

/baton context <topic> ⭐ NEW Load relevant past context (smart search)

Reporting

/baton report [timeframe] ⭐ NEW Generate work summary report

/baton metrics ⭐ NEW Show system effectiveness metrics

/baton stats ⭐ NEW Alias for metrics

Validation

/baton validate ⭐ NEW Check file structure integrity

/baton health ⭐ NEW Alias for validate

Configuration

/baton auto-save on|off|status ⭐ NEW Configure automatic saves

/baton template create <name> ⭐ NEW Create custom SUMMARY.md template

/baton template use <name> ⭐ NEW Switch to custom template

/baton template list ⭐ NEW Show available templates

Git Integration

/baton git-link ⭐ NEW Associate conversation with git branch

/baton git-summary ⭐ NEW Generate commit message from SUMMARY

ENHANCEMENTS.md - Future Ideas Tracking

Track potential improvements and feature ideas:

markdown

## Enhancement #1: Add Dark Mode
**Conv:** conv-20251224-015859
**Proposed:** 2025-12-24
**Priority:** High | Medium | Low
**Status:** Proposed | Accepted | In Progress | Implemented | Rejected
**Rationale:** Users requested dark mode for nighttime viewing
**Impact:** Affects all UI components, requires theme system
**Effort:** ~2 days
**Dependencies:** None
**Proposed By:** User | Claude
**Notes:** Consider CSS variables for easy theming

When to add:

•User mentions "we should..." or "it would be nice if..."
•Claude identifies optimization opportunities
•Discussing future improvements
•Brainstorming features

Status progression:

•Proposed → Accepted → In Progress → Implemented
•Or: Proposed → Rejected (with reason)

USER_FEEDBACK.md - Questions Waiting for User

Critical for long autonomous sessions when user is away:

markdown

## Feedback Request #1: Authentication Method
**Conv:** conv-20251224-015859
**Asked:** 2025-12-24 03:15
**Risk Level:** High | Medium | Low
**Status:** Pending | Auto-Decided | Answered | No Longer Needed
**Context:** Building user authentication system
**Question:** Should we use OAuth2 or email/password auth?
**Options:**
1. OAuth2 (Google + GitHub) - Easier for users, harder to implement
2. Email/Password - Traditional, requires password reset flow
3. Both - Best UX, most complex
**Blockers:** Can't proceed with auth implementation until decided
**Workaround:** Working on other features in the meantime
**Recommendation:** OAuth2 (most common for modern apps, aligns with best practices)
**Auto-Decision:** [If Low risk, Claude fills this in with choice made]
**User Validation:** [User confirms or requests redo]

Risk Assessment Guide:

High Risk - Block and wait for user (COSTS MONEY or irreversible):

•Costs money: Cloud provider choice (AWS vs GCP), paid services, API pricing
•Expensive to redo: 3+ days of rework if wrong choice
•Architecture decisions affecting entire system
•Breaking changes or data migration
•Security-critical choices (authentication, authorization, encryption)
•Irreversible decisions (data deletion, production deployments)
•User explicitly requested input on this type of decision
•RULE: If choosing wrong costs money or >2 days rework → HIGH RISK

Medium Risk - Auto-decide, document, validate (easy to redo):

•Framework/library choices (can swap in <1 day)
•UI/UX decisions (can redesign easily)
•Non-critical performance tradeoffs
•Feature prioritization
•RULE: If wrong choice costs <1 day to fix → MEDIUM RISK

Low Risk - Auto-decide, implement, validate later (trivial to redo):

•Variable naming conventions (<1 hour to refactor)
•File organization (can reorganize easily)
•Minor styling choices (quick CSS changes)
•Error message wording (find/replace)
•Default values (config change)
•Logging verbosity (config change)
•RULE: If wrong choice costs <1 hour to fix → LOW RISK

When to add:

•High Risk: Add to USER_FEEDBACK.md, block work on that feature
•Medium/Low Risk: Make decision, document in DECISIONS.md with status="Auto-Decided"

Auto-Decision Workflow (Low/Medium Risk):

•Claude makes best-guess decision
•Implements the feature

•Documents in DECISIONS.md:

markdown

**Status:** Auto-Decided (Pending User Validation)
**Chosen:** OAuth2
**Rationale:** Modern apps prefer OAuth, easier UX
**Alternatives:** Email/password, Both
**Risk:** Low - Can swap auth provider without data loss
**Redo Effort:** ~2 hours if user prefers different approach

•At next session start, ask user: "I chose OAuth2 for auth (modern standard). Alternatives were email/password or both. Okay with this?"
•User validates (70% chance) or requests redo (30% chance)

Critical behavior:

•ALWAYS check USER_FEEDBACK.md at start of session
•Surface pending HIGH-RISK questions immediately
•For Auto-Decided items: Ask user for validation
•Be ready to redo work if user disagrees (~30% of time)
•Mark as "Validated" once user confirms

Auto-Behavior (No Command Needed)

Claude automatically follows these behaviors if .claude/ directory exists:

On Session Start:

•Check for .claude/CURRENT_CONVERSATION_ID
•Read CONVERSATION_HISTORY.md (all conversations overview)
•Read conversations/{conv-id}/SUMMARY.md (this conversation's TLDR)
•Read BUGS.md and DECISIONS.md (filtered to this conversation)
•Read USER_FEEDBACK.md - Surface any pending questions immediately
•Read settings.json - Load auto-save configuration
•Total: ~1,000-1,500 tokens for full context restoration

During Work:

•Use standardized response format (see CLAUDE.md) with Title, Request, Tasks, Summary
•Monitor token usage for auto-save triggers
•Update SUMMARY.md after significant actions
•Update conversation Title via /baton rename when conversation focus shifts
•Append to BUGS.md when discovering bugs
•Append to DECISIONS.md when making architecture choices
•Append to ENHANCEMENTS.md when ideas are discussed
•Append to USER_FEEDBACK.md when user input needed but user away
•Update CONVERSATION_HISTORY.md on major milestones
•Auto-save at 70%, 85%, 95% token thresholds if enabled

After Compaction:

•IMMEDIATELY run /baton load equivalent automatically
•Restore from TLDR (~1K tokens instead of 50K+ full log)
•Resume work with full context

Auto-Save Triggers:

•At 70% token usage: First checkpoint
•At 85% token usage: Second checkpoint
•At 95% token usage: Final checkpoint before compaction
•Show notification: "🔁 Auto-saved at 72% token usage"

File Structure

code

.claude/
├── CONVERSATION_HISTORY.md          # All conversations (~200 tokens)
├── BUGS.md                          # All bugs, tagged with conv-id
├── DECISIONS.md                     # All decisions, tagged with conv-id
├── ENHANCEMENTS.md                  # Future enhancement ideas
├── USER_FEEDBACK.md                 # Questions waiting for user input
├── CURRENT_CONVERSATION_ID          # Current conversation ID
├── settings.json                    # Baton configuration
├── git_links.json                   # Git branch associations
├── conversations/
│   └── {conv-id}/
│       └── SUMMARY.md               # This conversation TLDR (~300 tokens)
├── templates/
│   ├── standard.md                  # Default template
│   ├── research.md                  # Research project template
│   └── devops.md                    # DevOps/infrastructure template
└── archive/
    ├── conversations/
    │   └── YYYY-MM.md               # Archived conversations by month
    ├── bugs/
    │   └── fixed-YYYY-MM.md         # Fixed bugs by month
    └── decisions/
        └── implemented-YYYY-MM.md   # Implemented decisions by month

settings.json Configuration

json

{
  "autoSave": {
    "enabled": true,
    "thresholds": [70, 85, 95],
    "notifyOnSave": true
  },
  "archiveThresholds": {
    "conversations": 10,
    "bugs": 20,
    "decisions": 15
  },
  "defaultTemplate": "standard",
  "gitIntegration": {
    "enabled": true,
    "tagCommits": true,
    "addConvIdToMessage": true
  },
  "search": {
    "caseSensitive": false,
    "maxResults": 50
  }
}

SUMMARY.md Format

markdown

# Conversation {conv-id} - TLDR

**Title:** [Brief conversation goal, set via /baton rename, max 60 chars]
**Status:** Active | Completed | Paused
**Started:** YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM
**Duration:** Xh
**Compactions:** N

## Context in 3 Lines
[High-level overview of what's happening]

## Task Checklist
- [x] Completed task
- [ ] Pending task

## Decisions Made
- Decision #N: What was decided and why

## Key Files Created/Modified
- path/to/file.ts (what changed)

## Failed Attempts (Don't Retry)
- Approach X: Why it failed

## Next Actions
1. First priority
2. Second priority

## State Snapshot
**Current file:** exact/path.ts
**Current line:** 42
**Current task:** Specific thing being worked on
**Blockers:** Any blockers
**Ready to:** Next immediate action

Conversation ID Tagging

When adding to shared files (BUGS.md, DECISIONS.md):

markdown

**Conv:** conv-20251223-225929

This enables:

•Multiple conversations working simultaneously
•Each conversation identifying their work
•Shared awareness across conversations
•No file conflicts

Integration with CLAUDE.md

Add this to your project's CLAUDE.md:

markdown

## Context Management Protocol

This project uses `.claude/` context management system.

**After compaction:** Automatically reads TLDR summaries
**Manual control:** Use `/baton` skill commands
**Token efficiency:** 25-100x compression (50K→1K tokens)
**Auto-save:** Enabled at 70%, 85%, 95% thresholds

See full protocol in CLAUDE.md for details.

Portability

To use across multiple projects:

•

Option A - Local per project:

bash

cp -r .claude-code/skills/baton /path/to/other/project/.claude-code/skills/

•

Option B - Global symlink:

bash

# Move to central location
mv .claude-code/skills/baton /mnt/foundry_project/Claude_skills/

# Symlink from ~/.claude/skills/
ln -s /mnt/foundry_project/Claude_skills/baton ~/.claude/skills/baton

•

Option C - Copy to central location:

bash

cp -r .claude-code/skills/baton /mnt/foundry_project/Claude_skills/
ln -s /mnt/foundry_project/Claude_skills/baton ~/.claude/skills/baton

Token Efficiency

•Full conversation log: 50,000+ tokens
•TLDR summary: 500-2,000 tokens
•Compression ratio: 25-100x
•Post-compaction read: ~1,000-1,500 tokens total
•Auto-save overhead: ~50 tokens per save
•Enables: Long autonomous sessions without context loss

Benefits

✅ For humans:

•Quick scan of what happened
•Thread view of conversations
•Easy navigation
•Instant search across all work
•Weekly/monthly reports for standups

✅ For Claude:

•Efficient context restoration
•No retry of failed approaches
•Preserves technical details
•Enables multi-conversation work
•Auto-saves prevent context loss

✅ For projects:

•Portable across projects
•Standardized context management
•Reduced token costs (98%+ reduction)
•Better long-running session support
•Git integration for traceability

Version

Baton v2.0 - Enhanced with 11 new features (2025-12-25)

New in v2.0:

•Auto-save triggers (prevent context loss)
•Conversation switching (multi-conversation workflow)
•Smart SUMMARY.md updates (reduce manual overhead)
•Search across conversations (find past context)
•Title auto-suggestions (AI-powered naming)
•Validation & health check (data integrity)
•Export & reporting (status summaries)
•Conversation metrics (prove system value)
•Smart context loading (relevance-based)
•Git integration (branch association, commit messages)
•Template customization (project-specific needs)

Baton - Context Management Skill

Implementation

Core Commands

Navigation & Switching

Search & Discovery

Reporting & Analytics

Validation & Health

Configuration

Git Integration

Implementation Details

For /baton init

For /baton load

For /baton rename <title>

For /baton rename --suggest

For /baton save [note]

For /baton update [section]

For /baton history

For /baton status

For /baton archive

For /baton switch <conv-id-or-title>

For /baton search <term>

For /baton context <topic>

For /baton report [timeframe]

For /baton metrics or /baton stats

For /baton validate or /baton health

For /baton auto-save on|off|status

For /baton template create <name>

For /baton template use <name>

For /baton template list

For /baton git-link

For /baton git-summary

Problem Solved

Solution

Commands Reference

Core Commands

Navigation

Search & Discovery

Reporting

Validation

Configuration

Git Integration

ENHANCEMENTS.md - Future Ideas Tracking

USER_FEEDBACK.md - Questions Waiting for User

Auto-Behavior (No Command Needed)

File Structure

settings.json Configuration

SUMMARY.md Format

Conversation ID Tagging

Integration with CLAUDE.md

Portability

Token Efficiency

Benefits

Version

For `/baton init`

For `/baton load`

For `/baton rename <title>`

For `/baton rename --suggest`

For `/baton save [note]`

For `/baton update [section]`

For `/baton history`

For `/baton status`

For `/baton archive`

For `/baton switch <conv-id-or-title>`

For `/baton search <term>`

For `/baton context <topic>`

For `/baton report [timeframe]`

For `/baton metrics` or `/baton stats`

For `/baton validate` or `/baton health`

For `/baton auto-save on|off|status`

For `/baton template create <name>`

For `/baton template use <name>`

For `/baton template list`

For `/baton git-link`

For `/baton git-summary`