Free SKILL.md scraped from GitHub. Clone the repo or copy the file directly into your Claude Code skills directory.
npx versuz@latest install m2ai-st-metro-skill-forge-skills-context-hygienegit clone https://github.com/m2ai-st-metro/skill-forge.gitcp skill-forge/SKILL.MD ~/.claude/skills/m2ai-st-metro-skill-forge-skills-context-hygiene/SKILL.md--- name: context-hygiene description: Reference for Claude Code context management. Use /by-the-way for side questions, /fork for path exploration, and context:fork in skills for isolated execution. Trigger on "context is getting large", "session feels slow", "Claude forgot what we were doing", "how do I manage context". --- # Context Hygiene — 3 Shields Three techniques for keeping Claude Code sessions focused and performant. Use these proactively — context bloat is gradual and invisible until quality degrades. ## Shield 1: /by-the-way (Side Questions) For quick lookups that don't deserve main context space: - "What was that Calendly link?" - "How many slides in the last deck?" - "What's the standard meeting length?" Usage: Type `/by-the-way` then your question. Answer returns without polluting the main conversation thread. Best for: Static data retrieval, FAQ-style questions, quick lookups from CLAUDE.md or project files. ## Shield 2: /fork (Path Exploration) When you want to try a different approach without risking your current progress: - "Let me try a completely different design" - "What if we used a different tech stack?" - "Create version 2 from scratch" Usage: Type `/fork` — creates a new conversation branch with full history. Returns a resume command to get back to the original conversation. Best for: A/B testing approaches, exploring risky changes, version comparison. Pro tip: Run multiple forks in parallel terminal sessions for simultaneous exploration. ## Shield 3: context: fork (Skill Isolation) Add `context: fork` to any SKILL.md frontmatter to run heavy skills in an isolated context window. See the context-fork-guide skill for full details. ## When Context Gets Large Signs your context is bloated: - Slower responses - Claude "forgets" earlier decisions - Suggestions become less relevant Recovery: 1. `/fork` to start fresh with history preserved 2. `/compact` to summarize and compress context 3. For future sessions: apply `context: fork` to heavy skills proactively ## Context Budget Rule of Thumb - Light session (single file edits, Q&A): 50K-100K tokens, no shields needed - Medium session (multi-file feature work): 100K-300K tokens, use /by-the-way for side queries - Heavy session (research + build): 300K+, fork skills and /fork for exploration branches ## Source Extracted from: [3 Claude Code Features You'll Wish You Knew Sooner](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iALzJyvgCoM) by Mark Kashef (AI Automation Society), March 19, 2026.