/compact

Create a token-efficient state snapshot for context preservation during long sessions. This is the creation side of context recovery — /resume is the reconstruction side.

Usage

/compact [--save]

Arguments

• --save: Write the snapshot to prd/tasks/{feature}_compact.md (default: display only)

How This Differs From /checkpoint

Skill	Purpose	Output	When to Use
/checkpoint	Update task tracking with progress details	Full task file update	Every 30-60 min during development
/compact	Create minimal recovery snapshot	Dense state summary	Before context limit, before long breaks

/checkpoint maintains detailed progress. /compact creates the minimum context needed to reconstruct working state after full context loss.

Instructions

When this skill is invoked:

Agent Behavior

Autonomy:

• Detect current feature from branch name or active task file
• Build the snapshot without prompting
• Include only information that cannot be derived from reading the code

Discipline:

• Maximum 200 lines for the snapshot
• Focus on decisions, state, and next steps — not code summaries
• If code tells the story, don't repeat it in the snapshot

Process

1. Gather Current State

Run in parallel:

git branch --show-current
git log --oneline -10
git diff --stat
git diff --cached --stat

Read in parallel:

• prd/00_index.md — find active features
• prd/tasks/{feature}_tasks.md — if it exists
• docs/decisions/ — any ADRs created this session

2. Build Snapshot

Create a dense state summary with these sections:

# Compact: {Feature Name}
**Branch:** {branch}
**Date:** {YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM}
**Session duration:** ~{estimated time}

## State
{2-3 sentences: what exists now that didn't before this session}

## Decisions Made
{Numbered list of decisions with one-line rationale each}
1. {Decision}: {why}
2. {Decision}: {why}

## What's Done
{Bulleted list of completed work — file paths, not descriptions}
- [x] {file or feature}
- [x] {file or feature}

## What's In Progress
- [ ] {current task}: {where it stands}

## What's Blocked
- {blocker}: {what's needed to unblock}

## Next Steps (Priority Order)
1. {First thing to do when resuming}
2. {Second thing}
3. {Third thing}

## Key Files
{Files that must be read to understand current state}
- `{file}` — {one-line role}

3. Output

If --save is specified:

• Write to prd/tasks/{feature}_compact.md
• Confirm: "Snapshot saved to prd/tasks/{feature}_compact.md"

Otherwise:

• Display the snapshot directly
• Suggest: "Run /compact --save to persist this snapshot"

When to Use This Skill

Use /compact:

• When you've been working for 45+ minutes on a complex feature
• Before ending a session on multi-session work
• When context window is getting large and compression may happen
• Before switching to a different feature branch

Don't use for:

• Quick single-session tasks
• When /checkpoint already captured recent progress (use /compact only when you need a more condensed format)