Session Cut

Every message you send re-sends the conversation so far. The longer the session, the heavier each message gets, and the older context starts working against you. Knowing when to cut a session saves more tokens than any single trim.

The Calls

• One task, one session. Starting an unrelated task in an old session makes

the new task carry the old one's weight.

• /clear between unrelated tasks. It is the cheapest reset there is.
• /compact only to continue the SAME task past context limits. Compaction

is a summary; treat it as lossy, because it is.

• Fresh session with a handoff note beats a compacted haze. Before you

clear, have the agent write five lines: what was done, what is next, which files matter. Paste that into the new session.

The Tells

Cut the session when:

• The agent re-reads files it already read this session.
• It forgets or contradicts a decision made earlier in the session.
• Replies slow down or drift off the task you actually asked for.
• The work left is unrelated to the transcript behind it.

Hard Rules

• Never /compact as a reflex. Ask first: is this the same task?
• The handoff note gets written before the clear, not remembered after.
• If the agent is fighting the context instead of the problem, cut the

session. Reset.