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Slash Command

Optimize Context

Analyze and optimize context window usage using MECW principles

Type
Slash Command
GitHub stars
339
License
MIT
Repo last updated
Sep 24, 2026

What Optimize Context is

Optimize Context is a slash command published in the athola/claude-night-market repository on GitHub, which has about 339 stars. The repository describes itself as: “23 Claude Code plugins: TDD enforcement hooks, git/PR workflows, spec-driven development, code review, project lifecycle, fix-from-error, maintenance automation, context optimization, research, and multi-LLM delegation. 186 skills, 128 commands, 54 agents.”

A slash command is a reusable prompt saved as a markdown file and run by typing its name after a slash. In Claude Code, custom commands have been merged into skills: a file in .claude/commands/ and a skill folder in .claude/skills/ both create the same kind of command, and existing command files keep working.

Optimize Context gives you a repeatable way to run the same instructions without retyping them, optionally with arguments.

How to install Optimize Context

Claude Code

  1. Download optimize-context.md from the repository.
  2. Save it to ~/.claude/commands/ (all projects) or .claude/commands/ (one project). As a skill, you can instead save it as ~/.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md.
  3. Run it by typing / followed by its name.

Claude Cowork

  1. Turn the command into a skill: create a folder with the file saved as SKILL.md and zip it.
  2. In Customize → Skills, click +, then upload the ZIP.
  3. Run it from any task with / and the skill name.

New to extending Cowork? Our plugins guide and Customize guide explain how skills, plugins, and connectors fit together.

Inside the source file

An excerpt from plugins/conserve/commands/optimize-context.md, shared under the repository's MIT license. Read the full file on GitHub.

Analyzes context window usage and provides optimization recommendations based on Maximum Effective Context Window (MECW) principles.

Usage

# Analyze current session context
/optimize-context

# Analyze specific skill or directory
/optimize-context skills/my-skill

# Deep analysis with recommendations
/optimize-context --detailed

What It Does

  1. Context Pressure Assessment: Evaluates current context utilization
  2. MECW Compliance Check: Validates against MECW principles
  3. Optimization Recommendations: Suggests specific improvements
  4. Token Budget Analysis: Breaks down token usage by component

MECW Thresholds

Examples

/optimize-context
# Output:
# Context Optimization Report
# ==========================
# Current Usage: 45% (Good)
# Estimated Tokens: 12,500
#
# Recommendations:
# - Consider extracting code examples to scripts/
# - 3 skills exceed recommended token budget

/optimize-context skills/context-optimization --detailed
# Full breakdown with per-module analysis

Headless Mode (Non-Interactive)

For reading context in headless/automated Claude Code sessions:

# Get context breakdown with JSON output
claude -p "run /context" --verbose --output-format json

# Two-call pattern for reliable execution
# (Claude doesn't always execute /context on first prompt)
SESSION_ID=$(claude -p "ready" --output-format json | jq -r '.session_id')
claude --continue "$SESSION_ID" -p "/context" --verbose --output-format json

Key flags:

  • --verbose: Includes categorical token breakdown
  • --output-format json: Machine-parseable output
  • --continue: Resumes existing session for reliable command execution

Example JSON output:

{
  "context": {
    "total_tokens": 45000,
    "usage_percent": 22.5,
    "breakdown": {
      "system": 8000,
      "conversation": 32000,
      "tools": 5000
    }
  }
}

Integration

Works with conservation plugin skills:

  • context-optimization - Core MECW implementation
  • token-conservation - Token reduction strategies
  • optimizing-large-skills - Modularization patterns

Implementation

python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/growth_analyzer.py "${1:-.}"

Before you install

  • Read the whole file first. Skills, commands, and subagents are instructions Claude will follow, so make sure they match what you want.
  • Check which tools, scripts, or MCP servers it uses. Local servers and scripts run with your permissions.
  • Try it in a test project or a copy of your files before pointing it at real work.
  • Pin the version you tested, and review changes before updating.
  • Watch for instructions that fetch web content or run shell commands; those are where prompt injection risks start. See our prompt injection guide.

FAQ

What is Optimize Context?

Optimize Context is a slash command for Claude Code and Claude Cowork from the athola/claude-night-market repository on GitHub. Analyze and optimize context window usage using MECW principles

How do I install Optimize Context in Claude Code?

Download optimize-context.md from the repository. Save it to ~/.claude/commands/ (all projects) or .claude/commands/ (one project). As a skill, you can instead save it as ~/.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md. Run it by typing / followed by its name.

Can I use Optimize Context in Claude Cowork?

Turn the command into a skill: create a folder with the file saved as SKILL.md and zip it. In Customize → Skills, click +, then upload the ZIP. Run it from any task with / and the skill name.

Is Optimize Context safe to install?

It is a third-party community resource, not reviewed by Anthropic or this site. Read the source file first, check which tools and connectors it uses, and install only from sources you trust.

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Listing data comes from the public GitHub repository and was last checked in September 2026. Excerpts are © their authors and shared under MIT. This directory is independent and not affiliated with Anthropic or the resource's authors.