Skill: Context Management

"Context is RAM. Filesystem is external memory—unlimited, persistent, operable." — Manus

When

Before context becomes a constraint. The kernel monitors automatically.

The Thresholds

Usage	Action	Why
60%	Run /compact	Prevent drift before it starts
80%	Delegate to sub-agent	Preserve parent for orchestration
90%	Emergency compress	Summarize aggressively

The Protocol

1. At 60%: Compact. Preserve: objective, ADRs, failures.
2. At 80%: Spawn sub-agent for current task. Parent orchestrates.
3. Always: Write to files, not context. Files survive. Context doesn't.

The Key Insight

Compaction is continuation, not termination.

Auto-compaction enables infinite work. Your objective survives if you keep working.md current — the system loads it on resume.

Don't wrap up early to "fit" in context. Don't cut corners. Let compaction happen. Work continues on the other side.

The Anti-Patterns

Don't	Do	Why
Hoard context	Write to files	Files are unlimited
Wait until 90%	Compact at 60%	Late compaction loses objectives
Orphan sub-agents	Handoff before delegating	Context must transfer
Wrap up early	Trust the system	Compaction continues work
Cut corners	Maintain quality	Scope doesn't shrink to fit

The Output

State: "Context at [X]%. Action: [compact/delegate/continue]."