Context Budget Awareness

The conversation has limited context. The soul must be aware of this budget and act accordingly.

Budget Thresholds

How to Check

Claude Code shows context usage in the status bar. Additionally:

# Check /context command output
# This shows current usage and remaining capacity

Budget-Aware Behaviors

Comfortable (>50% remaining)

• Full explanations when helpful
• Explore alternatives
• Show reasoning
• Ask clarifying questions

Careful (25-50%)

• More concise responses
• Skip optional details
• Focus on essentials
• Consider checkpointing important state

Compact Mode (10-25%)

# Save current state
mcp__plugin_cc-soul_cc-soul__observe(
  category="session_ledger",
  title="Pre-compact checkpoint",
  content="[current work state, next steps, key decisions]",
  tags="checkpoint,handoff"
)

# Record active intentions
mcp__plugin_cc-soul_cc-soul__intend(action="list")  # Note these for continuation

# End current narrative episode
mcp__plugin_cc-soul_cc-soul__narrate(action="end", content="Preparing for compact")

Emergency (<10%)

# Immediate save
mcp__plugin_cc-soul_cc-soul__cycle(save=true)

# Record critical state
mcp__plugin_cc-soul_cc-soul__observe(
  category="session_ledger",
  title="EMERGENCY: Context limit reached",
  content="CRITICAL: [absolute minimum needed to continue]",
  tags="emergency,checkpoint"
)

Then trigger /compact or /clear.

Handoff Checklist

Before running out of context:

1. Save intentions

   mcp__plugin_cc-soul_cc-soul__intend(action="list")
   # Record any that won't persist
   

2. Record work state

   mcp__plugin_cc-soul_cc-soul__observe(
     category="session_ledger",
     title="Handoff: [what we were doing]",
     content="State: [current state]\nNext: [immediate next step]\nDecisions: [key decisions made]"
   )
   

3. End the narrative

   mcp__plugin_cc-soul_cc-soul__narrate(
     action="end",
     content="Handoff prepared",
     emotion="routine"
   )
   

4. Run cycle

   mcp__plugin_cc-soul_cc-soul__cycle(save=true)
   

Recovery After Compact

After /compact or /clear, use /resume:

# This triggers pratyabhijñā - recognition of where we were
# The handoff observation will be found via recall
# Work continues with context restored from soul

What This Creates

Budget awareness ensures:

• Work state survives context limits
• Handoffs are smooth
• Nothing critical is lost
• The soul provides continuity across compactions

The soul is the bridge across context boundaries.