Context Mate

A toolkit that works with Claude Code's natural flow. Use what helps, ignore what doesn't.

When This Skill Activates

When context-mate is invoked, analyze the project first before recommending tools.

Step 1: Quick Project Scan

Check for these files (use Glob, don't read contents yet):

Step 2: Git State (if git repo)

git status --short            # Uncommitted changes?
git log --oneline -3          # Recent commit messages?

Step 3: Assess Stage and Recommend

Project Stages:

Step 4: Brief Output

Tell the user:

1. What's already set up (e.g., "You have SESSION.md and phases - mid-project")
2. What would help now (e.g., "Run /continue-session to resume")
3. What's available but not in use (e.g., "No tests yet - test-runner available")

Example:

Project Analysis

✓ CLAUDE.md - AI context configured ✓ SESSION.md - Session tracking active (Phase 2 in progress) ✓ .claude/rules/ - 3 correction rules ○ No test files detected

Recommendations:

• Run /continue-session to resume Phase 2 work
• Use commit-helper agent when ready to commit
• Consider test-runner agent when adding tests

Keep it under 10 lines. Don't overwhelm - just highlight what's relevant.

The name has a double meaning:

1. Your friendly context companion (the toolkit)
2. "It's all about the context, maaate!" (the philosophy)

This isn't "The Correct Way To Do Things" - these tools exist because context windows are real constraints, not because we're dictating methodology.

Quick Reference

Commands (type these)

Agents (Claude uses these automatically)

Skills (background knowledge)

The Toolkit at a Glance

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    PROJECT LIFECYCLE                        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  /explore-idea → /plan-project → [work] → /wrap-session    │
│       ↓              ↓              ↓           ↓          │
│  PROJECT_BRIEF   PHASES.md     SESSION.md   git checkpoint │
│                                     ↓                      │
│                              /continue-session             │
│                                     ↓                      │
│                              [resume work]                 │
│                                     ↓                      │
│                    /reflect → /release                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

When To Use What

Component Skills

Project Lifecycle (project-workflow)

Nine integrated commands for the complete project lifecycle:

Invoke: Skill(skill: "project-workflow")

Session Management (project-session-management)

Track progress across context windows using SESSION.md with git checkpoints.

• Converts IMPLEMENTATION_PHASES.md into actionable tracking
• Creates semantic git commits as recovery points
• Documents concrete next actions for resumption
• Prevents context loss between sessions

Invoke: Skill(skill: "project-session-management")

Developer Agents (developer-toolbox)

Seven specialized agents for common development tasks:

Invoke: Skill(skill: "developer-toolbox")

Deep Debugging (deep-debug)

Multi-agent investigation for stubborn bugs that resist normal debugging.

• Spawns parallel investigation agents
• Cross-references findings
• Handles browser/runtime issues
• Best when going in circles on a bug

Invoke: Skill(skill: "deep-debug")

Quality Auditing (project-health)

Three agents for AI-readability and workflow quality:

Invoke: Skill(skill: "project-health")

Documentation Lifecycle (docs-workflow)

Four commands for documentation management:

Invoke: Skill(skill: "docs-workflow")

Core Concepts

Sessions ≠ Phases

Sessions are context windows (2-4 hours of work before context fills up).

Phases are work units (logical groupings like "Phase 1: Database Setup").

A phase might span multiple sessions. A session might touch multiple phases. They're independent concepts.

Checkpointed Progress

Git commits serve as semantic checkpoints, not just version control:

# Bad: commits as save points
git commit -m "WIP"
git commit -m "more changes"

# Good: commits as progress markers
git commit -m "Complete Phase 1: Database schema and migrations"
git commit -m "Phase 2 partial: Auth middleware working, UI pending"

When resuming via /continue-session, these commits tell the story of where you are.

Progressive Disclosure

Skills load incrementally to preserve context:

1. Metadata (~50 tokens) - Always in context, triggers skill loading
2. SKILL.md body (<5k words) - Loaded when skill activates
3. Bundled resources - Loaded as needed (templates, references, scripts)

This means a 50-skill toolkit only costs ~2,500 tokens until you actually use something.

Skills Teach, Rules Correct

Two complementary knowledge systems:

Rules are project-portable - they travel with the repo so any Claude instance gets the corrections.

Sub-agents for Isolation

Heavy tasks (code review, debugging, testing) run in sub-agents to:

• Keep verbose output out of main context
• Allow parallel execution
• Provide specialized tool access
• Return concise summaries

Getting Started

New Project

/explore-idea    # Optional: clarify what you're building
/plan-project    # Generate phased plan
                 # Work on Phase 1...
/wrap-session    # End with checkpoint

Resuming Work

/continue-session    # Reads SESSION.md, suggests next steps
                     # Continue working...
/wrap-session        # Checkpoint again

Adding a Feature

/plan-feature    # Plan the specific feature
                 # Implement...
/wrap-session    # Checkpoint

Debugging Session

# If normal debugging isn't working:
Skill(skill: "deep-debug")
# Spawns investigation agents

The Philosophy

Context windows are real. They fill up. Work gets lost. Sessions end.

These tools don't fight that - they work with it:

• SESSION.md captures state for next session
• Git checkpoints create recovery points
• Sub-agents keep heavy work isolated
• Progressive disclosure preserves context budget

Use what helps. Ignore what doesn't.

It's all about the context, maaate.