Shadows Context Optimizer

Context Optimizer — Token Economy Protocol

Version: 1.1.0 | Author: Shadows Company | License: MIT

WHEN TO TRIGGER

WHEN NOT TO TRIGGER

PREREQUISITES

No binaries required. This is a pure reasoning skill about optimizing context window usage. It provides strategies and patterns — it does not execute commands or access external systems.

PRINCIPLES

1. Reference Over Inline

Instead of reading entire files into context, reference them:

2. DRY Prompts — Zero Duplication

3. Lazy-Load Strategy

4. Smart File Reading

WRONG: Read the entire 2000-line file
RIGHT: Read lines 150-200 where the function is defined
WRONG: Read all 15 config files
RIGHT: Read only the config relevant to current task
WRONG: Grep the entire codebase for "import"
RIGHT: Grep specific directories for specific patterns

5. Output Compression

When reporting results:

TECHNIQUES

Technique 1 — Context Audit

Assess current context usage: 1. Count how many files have been read in this session 2. Identify which file contents are still relevant to the current task 3. Determine what information can be summarized instead of kept verbatim 4. Flag redundant tool results that repeat already-known information

Technique 2 — Compaction

When context is high: 1. Summarize completed work (keep outcomes, drop process details) 2. Drop file contents that are no longer needed for the active task 3. Keep only active task context in working memory 4. Preserve critical state: decisions made, errors encountered, current objectives

Technique 3 — Subagent Delegation

For research-heavy tasks: 1. Spawn a subagent for codebase exploration 2. Subagent returns only findings (not raw file contents) 3. Main context stays clean for implementation 4. Multiple subagents can run in parallel for independent queries

Technique 4 — Structured Responses

WRONG (100 tokens):
"I've looked at the file and after careful analysis I believe that
the issue is related to the authentication middleware where the
token validation function doesn't properly handle expired tokens."
RIGHT (30 tokens):
"Bug: validateToken() in auth middleware doesn't handle expired
tokens. Fix: add expiry check at line 45."

ANTI-PATTERNS TO AVOID

| Anti-Pattern | Fix | |-------------|-----| | Reading whole files when you need 10 lines | Use offset + limit | | Listing all MCP servers | Agent already knows them | | Repeating deny rules | Already in settings | | Describing the OS/environment | Already in system context | | Re-reading files read earlier | Summarize and reference | | Multiple searches for one query | One well-crafted search | | Verbose status updates | Concise milestone updates |

RULES

1. Minimum viable context — load only what's needed NOW 2. Summarize, don't accumulate — compress completed work 3. Delegate exploration — use subagents for research 4. Direct answers — skip preamble, lead with the point 5. 3-search maximum — never use more than 3 search tools for one query

SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS

This skill is purely advisory — it provides strategies for token optimization. It does not execute commands, read files, make network calls, modify configuration, or store data. Zero risk profile.

OUTPUT FORMAT

Apply the techniques above inline during agent operation. No separate report is generated — the skill manifests as improved efficiency in the agent's behavior: shorter responses, fewer tool calls, targeted file reads, and minimal context consumption.

Published by Shadows Company — "We work in the shadows to serve the Light."

No binaries required. This is a pure reasoning skill about optimizing context window usage. It provides strategies and patterns — it does not execute commands or access external systems.

1. Minimum viable context — load only what's needed NOW 2. Summarize, don't accumulate — compress completed work 3. Delegate exploration — use subagents for research 4. Direct answers — skip preamble, lead with the point 5. 3-search maximum — never use more than 3 search tools for one query