"Apply when context is filling up: large outputs, long files, repeated reads, fan-out planning. Route bulk to fresh-context agents; keep summaries in the main thread, not raw payloads."
Install
npx skillscat add noahdgrant/nightshift/ns-principle-guard-the-context-window Install via the SkillsCat registry.
SKILL.md
Guard the Context Window
The context window is finite and non-renewable within a session. Every token should be worth its cost.
Why: Context overflow degrades reasoning quality, creates compression artifacts, and halts progress.
Pattern:
- Isolate large payloads. Hand verbose outputs, logs, captures, screenshots, and large documents to a fresh-context agent. The main context gets summaries, not raw data.
- Keep frequently used content inline. Templates and references used on every invocation belong in the skill file, not in separate files that cost a read each time.
- Size phases and cap scope. Limit files per phase, set turn budgets, account for mechanism costs.