Compact context

Objective

Compress the current conversation and task state into the smallest useful summary that preserves everything needed to continue the work without loss of critical information.

Optimize for token efficiency. Every retained item must justify its cost.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• the conversation is long and responses are degrading;
• you need to carry context into a new chat;
• verbose tool outputs or repeated explanations dominate the session;
• the user explicitly asks to compact, compress, or summarize context.

Cursor also provides /compress for automatic summarization. This skill produces a structured, engineering-focused summary optimized for handoff and continuation.

Context

Before compacting:

1. If project rules are available, read and follow them.
2. If .cursor/work/current-task.md exists, treat it as the primary source of task state.
3. Do not invent facts. Only preserve information supported by the conversation or workspace.
4. Prefer references over reproduction (file paths, function names, decision IDs) instead of pasting large code blocks.

Compaction Process

1. Identify the current objective and scope.
2. Extract decisions already made and constraints in effect.
3. List files created, modified, or identified as relevant — with path only, no full contents.
4. Capture current progress: completed, in progress, remaining.
5. Record open questions, blockers, and unresolved errors (with error message, not full stack traces unless essential).
6. Note assumptions that must survive a context reset.
7. Discard redundant explanations, repeated tool output, exploratory dead ends, and superseded plans.
8. Produce the compact summary using the output format below.
9. If a workspace file exists or the task is multi-step, update or create .cursor/work/context-compact.md.

What to Keep

Category	Keep	Example
Goal	One sentence	"Implement JWT auth for /api/users"
Decisions	Final choice + rationale (1 line each)	"Use httpOnly cookies — XSS mitigation"
Files	Paths and role	src/auth/middleware.ts — token validation
Progress	Checklist state	"[x] login route [ ] refresh token"
Blockers	Active only	"Missing JWT_SECRET in .env"
Errors	Message + location	"TypeError in UserService:42"
Next step	Single immediate action	"Add refresh token endpoint"

What to Discard

• Full file contents already in the repo (reference paths instead).
• Complete tool output logs (summarize outcome: success/failure + key finding).
• Explored but rejected approaches (keep only if rejection reason affects future work).
• Repeated user/agent exchanges saying the same thing.
• Generic explanations the agent already knows.
• Stale plans superseded by later decisions.

Compaction Guidelines

Target 300–800 tokens for the summary. Shorter is better if nothing critical is lost.

Use telegraphic style: noun phrases, arrows, abbreviations where clear.

Never drop: active blockers, unresolved errors, user-stated constraints, security-sensitive decisions.

If information is uncertain, mark it [uncertain] rather than omitting or guessing.

When compaction would lose critical detail, state what was dropped and why the user should preserve it separately.

Do not continue implementing after compacting unless explicitly requested.

Output

Compact Summary

Provide the summary using this template:

## Goal
[one sentence]

## Decisions
- [decision]: [rationale]

## Files
- [path] — [role/status]

## Progress
- [x] done
- [ ] remaining

## Blockers
- [blocker or "none"]

## Next Step
[single immediate action]

## Handoff Note
[paste this block into a new chat to continue]

Token Estimate

State approximate token count of the summary and what was removed.

Recommendation

Conclude with one of:

• Continue in this chat — summary is sufficient to free context
• Start a new chat — paste the Handoff Note block
• Context too fragmented — manual review needed before continuing

Workspace File

When the task spans multiple interactions, write the compact summary to:

.cursor/work/context-compact.md

If .cursor/work/current-task.md already exists, update it with the compacted state instead of creating a duplicate file.

Delete context-compact.md when the task is complete.