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name: Context Reuse description: Avoid re-explaining context - skills, memory, checkpoints, CLAUDE.md allowed-tools: Read, Edit, Bash model: haiku

Context Reuse

Stop repeating yourself.

Context Sources

Source	Persists	Auto-loaded	Best For
CLAUDE.md	Forever	Yes	Project rules
Skills	Forever	On invoke	Task patterns
Memory MCP	Forever	On query	Facts, prefs
Checkpoints	Manual	Manual	Session state
Conversation	Session	Yes	Current work

CLAUDE.md (Zero-Token Context)

What Goes Here

# Project: MyApp

## Architecture
- SwiftUI + SwiftData
- MVVM pattern
- Feature-based folders

## Conventions
- Use async/await
- Error handling with Result
- No force unwraps

## Key Files
- App.swift: Entry point
- Theme.swift: Colors, fonts
- Services/: API clients

Why It's Efficient

Every session:
- Auto-loaded
- No tokens spent explaining
- Consistent behavior

Skills (Reusable Prompts)

Instead of Repeating

Every time:
"Review this code, check for bugs,
look at security, consider performance,
follow our Swift style guide..."

Create a Skill Once

# code-review skill
Review for:
- Bugs and edge cases
- Security vulnerabilities
- Performance issues
- Style guide compliance

Invoke Efficiently

/code-review

50 tokens instead of 500.

Memory MCP (Persistent Facts)

Store Once

memory.add:
- "Prefers dark mode in UI"
- "Uses Supabase for backend"
- "Deploys to TestFlight weekly"

Auto-Recalled

"Set up the database"
Memory: "User uses Supabase"
→ Claude uses Supabase without asking

Checkpoints (Session State)

Create Checkpoint

End of work session:
"Checkpoint:
- Completed: Auth flow, user model
- In progress: Payment integration
- Next: Webhook handling
- Blocked: Waiting on Stripe keys"

Resume Next Session

Paste checkpoint →
Claude knows exactly where you left off.
No re-exploration needed.

Conversation Techniques

Summarize Periodically

Every 10-15 messages:
"Summarize our progress in 3 bullets."

Keeps context tight.
Prevents context bloat.

Scope Narrowing

"We've explored the whole codebase.
Now focus only on src/auth/.
Forget the rest."

Reference by Name

✓ "the UserService we built"
✓ "the validation bug"
✓ "that pattern from earlier"

Claude maintains references.
No need to re-describe.

Anti-Patterns

Session Amnesia

❌ Explaining project structure every session
✓ Put in CLAUDE.md once

Prompt Repetition

❌ Same review criteria every time
✓ Create a skill

Copy-Paste Context

❌ "As I mentioned, we use..."
✓ Memory MCP stores it

Over-Explaining

❌ "Remember that file we edited?"
✓ Claude remembers within session

Token Math

Without Context Reuse

Session 1: 500 tokens explaining
Session 2: 500 tokens explaining
Session 3: 500 tokens explaining
...
10 sessions = 5000 tokens explaining same things

With Context Reuse

CLAUDE.md: 0 tokens (auto-loaded)
Skills: 50 tokens (invoke)
Memory: 0 tokens (auto-recalled)
Checkpoint: 100 tokens (once)

10 sessions = 150 tokens

97% savings on repeated context.

Quick Setup

# 1. Create CLAUDE.md in project root
# 2. Add project-specific skills
# 3. Configure memory MCP
# 4. Use checkpoints at session end

One-time setup, forever benefits.

Use when: Every project, every session, always