CLAUDE.md Progressive Disclosure Optimizer Skill

CLAUDE.md Progressive Disclosure Optimizer

Analyze and optimize user CLAUDE.md files to reduce context overhead while preserving functionality.

Quick Start

Backup the original file first
Audit the current state (list all sections with line counts)
Classify each section using the criteria below
Propose optimizations with before/after comparison table
Verify information completeness checklist before executing
Execute approved changes
Test that moved content remains discoverable

Section Classification

Analyze each section and classify:

| Category | Criteria | Action | |----------|----------|--------| | Keep in CLAUDE.md | Core principles, short rules (<10 lines), frequently needed | Keep as-is | | Move to references/ | Detailed procedures, code examples, troubleshooting guides | Create ~/.claude/references/<name>.md | | Extract to skill | Reusable workflows, scripts, domain-specific knowledge | Create skill in skills repository | | Remove | Duplicates existing skills, outdated, or unnecessary | Delete after confirmation |

Exceptions to Size Guidelines

Even if a section is >50 lines, KEEP in CLAUDE.md if any of these apply:

| Exception | Reason | Example | |-----------|--------|---------| | Safety-critical | Consequences of forgetting are severe | Deployment protocols, "never force push to main" | | High-frequency | Referenced in most conversations | Core development patterns, common commands | | Easy to violate | Claude tends to ignore when not visible | Code style rules, permission requirements | | Security-sensitive | Must be always enforced | Production access restrictions, data handling rules |

Rule of thumb: If forgetting the rule could cause production incidents, data loss, or security breaches, keep it visible regardless of length.

Optimization Workflow

Step 0: Backup Original File

CRITICAL: Always create a backup before any changes.

# Create timestamped backup
cp ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md.bak.$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

# For project-level CLAUDE.md
cp CLAUDE.md CLAUDE.md.bak.$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

If issues found after optimization:

# Restore from backup
cp ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md.bak.YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md

Step 1: Audit Current State

Task Progress:
- [ ] Create backup (Step 0)
- [ ] Read ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md
- [ ] Count total lines
- [ ] List all ## sections with line counts
- [ ] Identify sections >20 lines

Step 2: Classify Each Section

For each section >20 lines, determine:

Frequency: How often is this information needed?
Complexity: Does it contain code blocks, tables, or detailed steps?
Reusability: Could other users benefit from this as a skill?

Step 3: Propose Changes

Present optimization plan in this format:

## Optimization Proposal

**Current**: X lines
**After**: Y lines (Z% reduction)

| Section | Lines | Action | Destination |
|---------|-------|--------|-------------|
| Section A | 50 | Move to references | ~/.claude/references/section_a.md |
| Section B | 80 | Extract to skill | skill-name/ |
| Section C | 5 | Keep | - |

Step 3.5: Pre-execution Verification Checklist

CRITICAL: Before executing any changes, verify information completeness.

For each section being moved or modified:

Extract key items to verify:
- Credentials/passwords/API keys
- Critical rules ("never do X", "always do Y")
- Specific values (ports, IPs, URLs, paths)
- Code snippets that are frequently referenced
- Cross-references to other sections

Create verification checklist:

## Verification Checklist for [Section Name]

| Key Item | Original Location | New Location | Verified |
|----------|-------------------|--------------|----------|
| Server IP 47.96.x.x | Line 123 | infrastructure.md:15 | [ ] |
| "Never push to main" rule | Line 45 | Kept in CLAUDE.md | [ ] |
| Login credentials | Line 200 | api-login.md:30 | [ ] |

Check cross-references:
- If Section A references Section B, ensure links work after moving
- Update any relative paths to absolute paths if needed

Step 4: Execute Changes

After user approval AND verification checklist complete:

Create reference files in ~/.claude/references/
Update CLAUDE.md with pointers to moved content
Create skills if applicable
Verify each checklist item exists in new location
Report final line count

Step 5: Post-optimization Testing

Verify that Claude can still discover moved content:

Test discoverability - Ask questions that require moved content:

Test queries to run:
- "How do I connect to the production database?"
- "What are the deployment steps for [service]?"
- "Show me the credentials for [system]"

Verify pointer functionality - Each "See reference.md" link should work:

# Check all referenced files exist
grep -oh '`~/.claude/references/[^`]*`' ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md | \
  sed 's/`//g' | while read f; do
    eval test -f "$f" && echo "✓ $f" || echo "✗ MISSING: $f"
  done

Compare with backup - Ensure no unintended deletions:

diff ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md.bak.* ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md | grep "^<" | head -20

Document results:

## Optimization Results

| Metric | Before | After |
|--------|--------|-------|
| Total lines | X | Y |
| Reduction | - | Z% |
| References created | - | N files |
| Skills extracted | - | M skills |

**Verification**: All N checklist items verified ✓
**Testing**: All K test queries returned correct information ✓

Reference File Format

When moving content to ~/.claude/references/:

# [Section Title]

[Full original content, possibly enhanced with additional examples]

CLAUDE.md Pointer Format

Replace moved sections with:

## [Section Title]

[One-line summary]. See `~/.claude/references/[filename].md`

Best Practices

Keep core principles visible: Rules like "never do X" should stay in CLAUDE.md
Group related references: Combine small related sections into one reference file
Preserve quick commands: Keep frequently-used command snippets in CLAUDE.md
Test after optimization: Ensure Claude can still find moved information

Common Patterns

Pattern: Infrastructure/Credentials

Before: Full API examples, deployment scripts, server lists After: One-line pointer to ~/.claude/references/infrastructure.md

Pattern: Code Generation Rules

Before: 50+ lines of coding standards with examples After: Keep bullet-point rules, move examples to references

Pattern: Reusable Workflows

Before: Complete scripts embedded in CLAUDE.md After: Extract to skill with scripts/ directory

Project-Level vs User-Level CLAUDE.md

This skill handles both types, but strategies differ:

User-Level (`~/.claude/CLAUDE.md`)

| Aspect | Approach | |--------|----------| | Reference location | ~/.claude/references/ | | Scope | Personal preferences, global rules | | Sharing | Not shared, personal only | | Size target | 100-200 lines ideal |

Project-Level (`/path/to/project/CLAUDE.md`)

| Aspect | Approach | |--------|----------| | Reference location | docs/ or .claude/ in project root | | Scope | Project-specific patterns, architecture | | Sharing | Committed to git, shared with team | | Size target | 300-600 lines acceptable (more project context needed) |

Key Differences

Reference paths: Use relative paths for project-level (docs/best-practices/)
Git considerations: Project references are versioned with code
Team alignment: Project CLAUDE.md should reflect team consensus
Update frequency: Project-level changes more often as code evolves

Project-Level Pointer Format

## [Section Title]

[Summary]. See `docs/06-best-practices/[topic].md`

Note: For project CLAUDE.md, prefer docs/ over hidden directories for discoverability by human team members.

Agent Skills: CLAUDE.md Progressive Disclosure Optimizer

Skill Files