Baton is a sophisticated context management system designed to solve the 'compaction' problem in long-running AI agent sessions. It maintains a structured memory of tasks, decisions, and bugs within a local `.claude/` directory, allowing Claude to restore full project context instantly with minimal token overhead. By providing automated TLDR summaries and state snapshots, it ensures continuity and prevents the loss of critical technical details during autonomous workflows, achieving up to a 100x reduction in token usage for context restoration.

When should I use baton?

baton is useful in the following scenarios: • Maintaining continuity in long-running autonomous coding sessions where context window resets (compactions) occur frequently, preventing the loss of technical rationale. • Managing multiple concurrent workstreams by using the switch command to jump between different feature branches or conversation contexts without losing state. • Tracking architectural decisions and failed implementation attempts in dedicated logs to prevent the AI from entering repetitive 'retry loops'. • Generating automated progress reports for team standups and detailed git commit messages based on tracked task completion and file modifications. • Ensuring project health and data integrity through automated validation checks and archival of completed tasks to prevent file bloat.

name	baton
description	Context management system for solving compaction problems. Provides TLDR summaries, conversation tracking, and efficient post-compaction recovery. Triggers on "/baton".

Baton - Context Management Skill

Manages context across sessions and compactions using TLDR summaries and structured documentation.

Implementation

When /baton is invoked, parse the subcommand and execute the corresponding action:

Core Commands

No arguments or load: Display current TLDR summary
init: Initialize new conversation
rename <title>: Set conversation title (max 60 chars)
rename --suggest: Get AI-generated title suggestions
save [note]: Save current state with optional note
update [section]: Update SUMMARY.md sections automatically
update --auto: Auto-generate updates from recent activity
history: Show all conversations with titles
status: Show token usage and save recommendation
archive: Archive completed items to prevent file bloat

switch <conv-id-or-title>: Switch to different conversation
switch --recent: Show recent conversations to choose from

Search & Discovery

search <term>: Search across all conversations, bugs, decisions
search --bugs <term>: Search only bugs
search --decisions <term>: Search only decisions
search --conversations <term>: Search only conversations
context <topic>: Load relevant past context (smart search)

Reporting & Analytics

report [timeframe]: Generate work summary report
report --today: Today's work summary
report --week: Past week summary
report --conversation <id>: Specific conversation report
metrics: Show baton system effectiveness metrics
stats: Alias for metrics

Validation & Health

validate: Check file structure integrity
health: Alias for validate

Configuration

auto-save on|off|status: Configure auto-save triggers
template create <name>: Create custom SUMMARY.md template
template use <name>: Switch to custom template
template list: Show available templates

Git Integration

git-link: Associate conversation with current git branch
git-summary: Generate commit message from SUMMARY.md

Implementation Details

Each command should be implemented by reading/writing the appropriate files in .claude/:

For `/baton init`

CONV_ID="conv-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)"
mkdir -p .claude/conversations/$CONV_ID
echo $CONV_ID > .claude/CURRENT_CONVERSATION_ID
# Create SUMMARY.md from template
# Initialize shared files if they don't exist
touch .claude/{BUGS.md,DECISIONS.md,CONVERSATION_HISTORY.md,ENHANCEMENTS.md,USER_FEEDBACK.md}
mkdir -p .claude/{archive,templates}
# Create default settings if missing
cat > .claude/settings.json <<EOF
{
  "autoSave": {
    "enabled": true,
    "thresholds": [70, 85, 95],
    "notifyOnSave": true
  },
  "archiveThresholds": {
    "conversations": 10,
    "bugs": 20,
    "decisions": 15
  },
  "defaultTemplate": "standard"
}
EOF

For `/baton load`

Read .claude/CURRENT_CONVERSATION_ID
Display .claude/conversations/{conv-id}/SUMMARY.md
Display filtered entries from .claude/BUGS.md (matching conversation ID)
Display filtered entries from .claude/DECISIONS.md (matching conversation ID)
Display current TODO list if available

For `/baton rename <title>`

Read .claude/CURRENT_CONVERSATION_ID
Update .claude/conversations/{conv-id}/SUMMARY.md Title field
Update .claude/CONVERSATION_HISTORY.md entry for this conversation
Validate title length (max 60 chars for clean display)
Used in standardized response format header
Example: /baton rename Self-Improving AI Chatbot

For `/baton rename --suggest`

Analyze recent work: TODO items, file changes, recent conversation
Generate 3-5 concise title suggestions (max 60 chars each)
Display suggestions with numbers for easy selection
Allow user to choose or provide custom title

Example output:

Suggested titles based on recent work:
1. API Authentication System
2. User Login Bug Fixes
3. Database Schema Migration
4. Payment Integration Setup
5. Custom: [Enter your own]

Choose (1-5) or press Enter for custom:

For `/baton save [note]`

Read current state (TODO list, recent changes)
Update .claude/conversations/{conv-id}/SUMMARY.md
Add timestamp and optional note
Update Task Checklist, Key Files, State Snapshot sections
Show confirmation: "Saved at 45% token usage"

For `/baton update [section]`

Auto-update specific sections:

--auto: Analyze recent activity and update all sections
tasks: Update Task Checklist from TODO list
files: Update Key Files from recent git changes
state: Update State Snapshot from current file/line
context: Update Context in 3 Lines from recent work

Implementation:

Read recent TODO completions, file modifications
Analyze conversation for decisions, bugs discovered
Update relevant SUMMARY.md sections
Show what was updated: "Updated: Task Checklist (3 completed), Key Files (2 modified)"

For `/baton history`

Display .claude/CONVERSATION_HISTORY.md
Format with conversation IDs, titles, status, dates
Show active vs completed conversations

For `/baton status`

Check current token usage (estimate from conversation length)
Calculate percentage to 70% threshold
Show time since last SUMMARY.md update
Recommend save if > 70%
Check file sizes and recommend archival if thresholds exceeded:
- CONVERSATION_HISTORY.md > 10 conversations
- BUGS.md > 20 bugs
- DECISIONS.md > 15 decisions
Display auto-save configuration status

For `/baton archive`

Count items in each file by status
Move completed/fixed/implemented items to .claude/archive/
Archive structure:
- archive/conversations/YYYY-MM.md (completed conversations by month)
- archive/bugs/fixed-YYYY-MM.md (fixed bugs by month)
- archive/decisions/implemented-YYYY-MM.md (implemented decisions by month)
Update main files to remove archived items
Show summary: "Archived 5 conversations, 12 bugs, 8 decisions"
Keep last 10 active conversations, all active/in-progress bugs, all proposed/accepted decisions

For `/baton switch <conv-id-or-title>`

Switch between conversations:

Accept either conversation ID or title (fuzzy match)
Update .claude/CURRENT_CONVERSATION_ID
Load new conversation's SUMMARY.md
Show transition message: "Switched from 'API Redesign' → 'Bug Fixes'"
Display new conversation's current state

With --recent flag:

List 5-10 most recent conversations
Show: ID, Title, Last Modified, Status
Allow numbered selection

Example:

Recent conversations:
1. [Active] API Authentication System (modified 2h ago)
2. [Active] Database Migration (modified 5h ago)
3. [Paused] Payment Integration (modified 2d ago)

Choose conversation (1-3):

For `/baton search <term>`

Search across all baton files:

Search SUMMARY.md files in all conversations
Search BUGS.md, DECISIONS.md, ENHANCEMENTS.md, USER_FEEDBACK.md
Return matches with context (file, conversation ID, line)
Highlight matching text
Sort by relevance (exact match > partial match)

Example output:

Found 'authentication' in 5 locations:

CONVERSATIONS:
  conv-20251224-015859: API Authentication System
    - Line 12: "Implementing OAuth2 authentication"

  conv-20251223-140521: User Login Refactor
    - Line 8: "Fixed authentication token expiry bug"

DECISIONS:
  Decision #3 (conv-20251224-015859)
    - "Chose OAuth2 over email/password authentication"

BUGS:
  Bug #7 (conv-20251223-140521)
    - "Authentication fails after 24 hours"

With specific filters:

--bugs: Search only BUGS.md
--decisions: Search only DECISIONS.md
--conversations: Search only SUMMARY.md files

For `/baton context <topic>`

Smart context loading:

Semantic search across past conversations for topic
Load relevant decisions, bugs, failed attempts
Show context from most relevant conversations
Example: /baton context authentication

Output:

Loading context for 'authentication'...

Found 3 relevant conversations:

1. conv-20251224-015859: API Authentication System (Active)
   Decisions: OAuth2 implementation, JWT tokens
   Bugs: None currently
   Status: 85% complete

2. conv-20251223-140521: User Login Refactor (Completed)
   Decisions: Session timeout 24h
   Bugs: Fixed token expiry issue
   Failed: Email/password approach (too complex)

3. conv-20251220-093012: Security Audit (Completed)
   Decisions: Require 2FA for admin accounts

Key learnings:
- Avoid email/password (maintenance overhead)
- Use OAuth2 with established providers
- JWT tokens preferred over sessions

For `/baton report [timeframe]`

Generate work summary reports:

Aggregate work across conversations
Count tasks completed, bugs fixed, decisions made
List key files modified
Perfect for standups, status updates

Timeframes:

--today: Today's work
--week: Past 7 days
--month: Past 30 days
--conversation <id>: Specific conversation
No flag: Ask for timeframe

Example output:

## Work Summary: Past 7 Days (Dec 18-25, 2025)

**Active Conversations:** 3
**Completed Conversations:** 2

### Tasks Completed: 24
- API authentication system (12 tasks)
- Database migration (8 tasks)
- Bug fixes (4 tasks)

### Bugs Fixed: 5
- Authentication token expiry
- Database connection timeout
- API rate limiting error
- UI rendering glitch
- Memory leak in cron job

### Decisions Made: 8
- OAuth2 for authentication
- PostgreSQL for main database
- Redis for caching
- Next.js for frontend
- ... (4 more)

### Files Modified: 47
Top 10:
- src/auth/oauth.ts (23 changes)
- src/db/schema.sql (18 changes)
- src/api/endpoints.ts (15 changes)
... (7 more)

### Key Achievements:
- Completed API authentication system
- Migrated database schema to v2
- Reduced bug count from 12 → 7

For `/baton metrics` or `/baton stats`

Show system effectiveness:

Total conversations tracked
Token savings vs full conversation logs
Compaction survival rate
Average context restoration time
File sizes and growth trends

Example output:

📊 Baton System Metrics

CONVERSATIONS:
  Total: 12 (3 active, 9 completed)
  Avg Duration: 3.2 hours
  Avg Compactions: 4.2 per conversation
  Longest: conv-20251215-081234 (12 compactions)

TOKEN EFFICIENCY:
  Full Conversation Logs: ~612,000 tokens
  TLDR Summaries: ~6,200 tokens
  Compression Ratio: 98.9% (99x reduction)
  Estimated Cost Savings: $18.36 (at $0.03/1K tokens)

CONTEXT RESTORATION:
  Success Rate: 100% (12/12 compactions survived)
  Avg Restoration Time: 1.2 seconds
  Avg Tokens Read: 1,150 per restoration

FILE HEALTH:
  CONVERSATION_HISTORY.md: 2.1 KB (12 entries)
  BUGS.md: 1.8 KB (7 active, 15 archived)
  DECISIONS.md: 2.4 KB (11 active, 8 implemented)
  Archive Size: 18.2 KB (47 archived items)

RECOMMENDATIONS:
  ✅ System healthy
  ℹ️ Consider archiving (BUGS.md has 22 total entries)

For `/baton validate` or `/baton health`

Check file integrity:

Verify .claude/ directory structure exists
Check all required files present
Validate SUMMARY.md has required sections
Detect missing conversation IDs, broken tags
Check for orphaned files
Validate settings.json syntax

Example output:

🔍 Baton Health Check

DIRECTORY STRUCTURE:
  ✅ .claude/ exists
  ✅ .claude/conversations/ exists
  ✅ .claude/archive/ exists
  ✅ .claude/templates/ exists

REQUIRED FILES:
  ✅ CONVERSATION_HISTORY.md (2.1 KB)
  ✅ BUGS.md (1.8 KB)
  ✅ DECISIONS.md (2.4 KB)
  ✅ CURRENT_CONVERSATION_ID (present)
  ✅ settings.json (valid JSON)
  ⚠️ ENHANCEMENTS.md (empty)
  ⚠️ USER_FEEDBACK.md (empty)

CONVERSATIONS:
  ✅ conv-20251224-015859: All sections present
  ✅ conv-20251223-140521: All sections present
  ❌ conv-20251220-093012: Missing "Failed Attempts" section

TAGS:
  ✅ All BUGS.md entries have Conv: tags
  ⚠️ 2 DECISIONS.md entries missing Conv: tags

ISSUES FOUND: 3
  [1] conv-20251220-093012/SUMMARY.md missing "Failed Attempts"
  [2] DECISIONS.md line 45 missing Conv: tag
  [3] DECISIONS.md line 67 missing Conv: tag

FIX COMMAND:
  /baton fix --auto   # Auto-fix common issues

For `/baton auto-save on|off|status`

Configure automatic saves:

on: Enable auto-save at configured thresholds
off: Disable auto-save
status: Show current configuration

Auto-save behavior:

Monitor token usage continuously
Save at thresholds: 70%, 85%, 95% (configurable)
Show notification: "🔁 Auto-saved at 72% token usage"
Never interrupt user work
Settings stored in .claude/settings.json

Example output:

Auto-Save Configuration:
  Status: ✅ Enabled
  Thresholds: 70%, 85%, 95%
  Notify on save: Yes
  Last auto-save: 15 minutes ago (at 71%)

Current token usage: 68% (save at 70%)

For `/baton template create <name>`

Create custom templates:

Copy current SUMMARY.md structure
Save to .claude/templates/<name>.md
Allow editing/customization
Templates stored for reuse

Example:

/baton template create research

Created template: research
Location: .claude/templates/research.md

Customize with additional sections:
- Research Questions
- Literature Review
- Methodology
- Data Sources

For `/baton template use <name>`

Switch templates:

Load template from .claude/templates/<name>.md
Apply to new conversations
Existing conversations keep their template

For `/baton template list`

Show available templates:

Available Templates:
  ✓ standard (default) - Standard development template
  • research - Academic research template
  • devops - Infrastructure/deployment template
  • bugfix - Bug investigation template

Current conversation template: standard

For `/baton git-link`

Git integration:

Associate current conversation with git branch
Store mapping in .claude/git_links.json
Add conversation ID to commit template
Tag commits with conversation context

Example:

/baton git-link

✅ Linked conversation to git:
   Conv: conv-20251224-015859
   Branch: feature/oauth-authentication

Commits on this branch will be tagged with conversation ID.
Use /baton git-summary to generate commit message.

For `/baton git-summary`

Generate commit message from SUMMARY:

Extract Task Checklist completed items
Summarize key changes
Include conversation ID for traceability

Example output:

feat: implement OAuth2 authentication system

- Add OAuth2 provider integration (Google, GitHub)
- Create JWT token generation and validation
- Implement user session management
- Add authentication middleware
- Write integration tests for auth flow

Related to conversation: conv-20251224-015859

Problem Solved

During long autonomous sessions, Claude Code can go through 5-10 auto-compactions, losing critical technical details:

Bug reproduction steps
Failed approaches (leads to retry loops)
Architecture decisions and rationale
Exact file locations and current state
What was tried and why it didn't work

Solution

Two-tier context system with intelligent automation:

Tier 1 (TLDR): ~1,000 tokens - Always read after compaction
Tier 2 (Full details): ~50,000 tokens - Read on-demand only
Compression: 25-100x token reduction
Auto-save: Never lose work at compaction boundaries
Search: Find past context instantly
Smart updates: Reduce manual overhead

Commands Reference

Core Commands

/baton init Initialize context management for new conversation

/baton load or /baton Display current conversation TLDR

/baton save [note] Manually save current state

/baton update [section] ⭐ NEW Auto-update SUMMARY.md from recent activity

/baton rename <title> Set conversation title (max 60 chars)

/baton rename --suggest ⭐ NEW Get AI-generated title suggestions

/baton history Show all conversations and status

/baton status Check token usage, get save recommendations

/baton archive Archive completed items to prevent bloat

/baton switch <conv-id-or-title> ⭐ NEW Switch between conversations

/baton switch --recent ⭐ NEW Show recent conversations menu

Search & Discovery

/baton search <term> ⭐ NEW Search across conversations, bugs, decisions

/baton search --bugs <term> ⭐ NEW Search only bugs

/baton search --decisions <term> ⭐ NEW Search only decisions

/baton context <topic> ⭐ NEW Load relevant past context (smart search)

Reporting

/baton report [timeframe] ⭐ NEW Generate work summary report

/baton metrics ⭐ NEW Show system effectiveness metrics

/baton stats ⭐ NEW Alias for metrics

Validation

/baton validate ⭐ NEW Check file structure integrity

/baton health ⭐ NEW Alias for validate

Configuration

/baton auto-save on|off|status ⭐ NEW Configure automatic saves

/baton template create <name> ⭐ NEW Create custom SUMMARY.md template

/baton template use <name> ⭐ NEW Switch to custom template

/baton template list ⭐ NEW Show available templates

Git Integration

/baton git-link ⭐ NEW Associate conversation with git branch

/baton git-summary ⭐ NEW Generate commit message from SUMMARY

ENHANCEMENTS.md - Future Ideas Tracking

Track potential improvements and feature ideas:

## Enhancement #1: Add Dark Mode
**Conv:** conv-20251224-015859
**Proposed:** 2025-12-24
**Priority:** High | Medium | Low
**Status:** Proposed | Accepted | In Progress | Implemented | Rejected
**Rationale:** Users requested dark mode for nighttime viewing
**Impact:** Affects all UI components, requires theme system
**Effort:** ~2 days
**Dependencies:** None
**Proposed By:** User | Claude
**Notes:** Consider CSS variables for easy theming

When to add:

User mentions "we should..." or "it would be nice if..."
Claude identifies optimization opportunities
Discussing future improvements
Brainstorming features

Status progression:

Proposed → Accepted → In Progress → Implemented
Or: Proposed → Rejected (with reason)

USER_FEEDBACK.md - Questions Waiting for User

Critical for long autonomous sessions when user is away:

## Feedback Request #1: Authentication Method
**Conv:** conv-20251224-015859
**Asked:** 2025-12-24 03:15
**Risk Level:** High | Medium | Low
**Status:** Pending | Auto-Decided | Answered | No Longer Needed
**Context:** Building user authentication system
**Question:** Should we use OAuth2 or email/password auth?
**Options:**
1. OAuth2 (Google + GitHub) - Easier for users, harder to implement
2. Email/Password - Traditional, requires password reset flow
3. Both - Best UX, most complex
**Blockers:** Can't proceed with auth implementation until decided
**Workaround:** Working on other features in the meantime
**Recommendation:** OAuth2 (most common for modern apps, aligns with best practices)
**Auto-Decision:** [If Low risk, Claude fills this in with choice made]
**User Validation:** [User confirms or requests redo]

Risk Assessment Guide:

High Risk - Block and wait for user (COSTS MONEY or irreversible):

Costs money: Cloud provider choice (AWS vs GCP), paid services, API pricing
Expensive to redo: 3+ days of rework if wrong choice
Architecture decisions affecting entire system
Breaking changes or data migration
Security-critical choices (authentication, authorization, encryption)
Irreversible decisions (data deletion, production deployments)
User explicitly requested input on this type of decision
RULE: If choosing wrong costs money or >2 days rework → HIGH RISK

Medium Risk - Auto-decide, document, validate (easy to redo):

Framework/library choices (can swap in <1 day)
UI/UX decisions (can redesign easily)
Non-critical performance tradeoffs
Feature prioritization
RULE: If wrong choice costs <1 day to fix → MEDIUM RISK

Low Risk - Auto-decide, implement, validate later (trivial to redo):

Variable naming conventions (<1 hour to refactor)
File organization (can reorganize easily)
Minor styling choices (quick CSS changes)
Error message wording (find/replace)
Default values (config change)
Logging verbosity (config change)
RULE: If wrong choice costs <1 hour to fix → LOW RISK

When to add:

High Risk: Add to USER_FEEDBACK.md, block work on that feature
Medium/Low Risk: Make decision, document in DECISIONS.md with status="Auto-Decided"

Auto-Decision Workflow (Low/Medium Risk):

Claude makes best-guess decision
Implements the feature

Documents in DECISIONS.md:

**Status:** Auto-Decided (Pending User Validation)
**Chosen:** OAuth2
**Rationale:** Modern apps prefer OAuth, easier UX
**Alternatives:** Email/password, Both
**Risk:** Low - Can swap auth provider without data loss
**Redo Effort:** ~2 hours if user prefers different approach

At next session start, ask user: "I chose OAuth2 for auth (modern standard). Alternatives were email/password or both. Okay with this?"
User validates (70% chance) or requests redo (30% chance)

Critical behavior:

ALWAYS check USER_FEEDBACK.md at start of session
Surface pending HIGH-RISK questions immediately
For Auto-Decided items: Ask user for validation
Be ready to redo work if user disagrees (~30% of time)
Mark as "Validated" once user confirms

Auto-Behavior (No Command Needed)

Claude automatically follows these behaviors if .claude/ directory exists:

On Session Start:

Check for .claude/CURRENT_CONVERSATION_ID
Read CONVERSATION_HISTORY.md (all conversations overview)
Read conversations/{conv-id}/SUMMARY.md (this conversation's TLDR)
Read BUGS.md and DECISIONS.md (filtered to this conversation)
Read USER_FEEDBACK.md - Surface any pending questions immediately
Read settings.json - Load auto-save configuration
Total: ~1,000-1,500 tokens for full context restoration

During Work:

Use standardized response format (see CLAUDE.md) with Title, Request, Tasks, Summary
Monitor token usage for auto-save triggers
Update SUMMARY.md after significant actions
Update conversation Title via /baton rename when conversation focus shifts
Append to BUGS.md when discovering bugs
Append to DECISIONS.md when making architecture choices
Append to ENHANCEMENTS.md when ideas are discussed
Append to USER_FEEDBACK.md when user input needed but user away
Update CONVERSATION_HISTORY.md on major milestones
Auto-save at 70%, 85%, 95% token thresholds if enabled

After Compaction:

IMMEDIATELY run /baton load equivalent automatically
Restore from TLDR (~1K tokens instead of 50K+ full log)
Resume work with full context

Auto-Save Triggers:

At 70% token usage: First checkpoint
At 85% token usage: Second checkpoint
At 95% token usage: Final checkpoint before compaction
Show notification: "🔁 Auto-saved at 72% token usage"

File Structure

.claude/
├── CONVERSATION_HISTORY.md          # All conversations (~200 tokens)
├── BUGS.md                          # All bugs, tagged with conv-id
├── DECISIONS.md                     # All decisions, tagged with conv-id
├── ENHANCEMENTS.md                  # Future enhancement ideas
├── USER_FEEDBACK.md                 # Questions waiting for user input
├── CURRENT_CONVERSATION_ID          # Current conversation ID
├── settings.json                    # Baton configuration
├── git_links.json                   # Git branch associations
├── conversations/
│   └── {conv-id}/
│       └── SUMMARY.md               # This conversation TLDR (~300 tokens)
├── templates/
│   ├── standard.md                  # Default template
│   ├── research.md                  # Research project template
│   └── devops.md                    # DevOps/infrastructure template
└── archive/
    ├── conversations/
    │   └── YYYY-MM.md               # Archived conversations by month
    ├── bugs/
    │   └── fixed-YYYY-MM.md         # Fixed bugs by month
    └── decisions/
        └── implemented-YYYY-MM.md   # Implemented decisions by month

settings.json Configuration

{
  "autoSave": {
    "enabled": true,
    "thresholds": [70, 85, 95],
    "notifyOnSave": true
  },
  "archiveThresholds": {
    "conversations": 10,
    "bugs": 20,
    "decisions": 15
  },
  "defaultTemplate": "standard",
  "gitIntegration": {
    "enabled": true,
    "tagCommits": true,
    "addConvIdToMessage": true
  },
  "search": {
    "caseSensitive": false,
    "maxResults": 50
  }
}

SUMMARY.md Format

# Conversation {conv-id} - TLDR

**Title:** [Brief conversation goal, set via /baton rename, max 60 chars]
**Status:** Active | Completed | Paused
**Started:** YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM
**Duration:** Xh
**Compactions:** N

## Context in 3 Lines
[High-level overview of what's happening]

## Task Checklist
- [x] Completed task
- [ ] Pending task

## Decisions Made
- Decision #N: What was decided and why

## Key Files Created/Modified
- path/to/file.ts (what changed)

## Failed Attempts (Don't Retry)
- Approach X: Why it failed

## Next Actions
1. First priority
2. Second priority

## State Snapshot
**Current file:** exact/path.ts
**Current line:** 42
**Current task:** Specific thing being worked on
**Blockers:** Any blockers
**Ready to:** Next immediate action

Conversation ID Tagging

When adding to shared files (BUGS.md, DECISIONS.md):

**Conv:** conv-20251223-225929

This enables:

Multiple conversations working simultaneously
Each conversation identifying their work
Shared awareness across conversations
No file conflicts

Integration with CLAUDE.md

Add this to your project's CLAUDE.md:

## Context Management Protocol

This project uses `.claude/` context management system.

**After compaction:** Automatically reads TLDR summaries
**Manual control:** Use `/baton` skill commands
**Token efficiency:** 25-100x compression (50K→1K tokens)
**Auto-save:** Enabled at 70%, 85%, 95% thresholds

See full protocol in CLAUDE.md for details.

Portability

To use across multiple projects:

Option A - Local per project:

cp -r .claude-code/skills/baton /path/to/other/project/.claude-code/skills/

Option B - Global symlink:

# Move to central location
mv .claude-code/skills/baton /mnt/foundry_project/Claude_skills/

# Symlink from ~/.claude/skills/
ln -s /mnt/foundry_project/Claude_skills/baton ~/.claude/skills/baton

Option C - Copy to central location:

cp -r .claude-code/skills/baton /mnt/foundry_project/Claude_skills/
ln -s /mnt/foundry_project/Claude_skills/baton ~/.claude/skills/baton

Token Efficiency

Full conversation log: 50,000+ tokens
TLDR summary: 500-2,000 tokens
Compression ratio: 25-100x
Post-compaction read: ~1,000-1,500 tokens total
Auto-save overhead: ~50 tokens per save
Enables: Long autonomous sessions without context loss

Benefits

✅ For humans:

Quick scan of what happened
Thread view of conversations
Easy navigation
Instant search across all work
Weekly/monthly reports for standups

✅ For Claude:

Efficient context restoration
No retry of failed approaches
Preserves technical details
Enables multi-conversation work
Auto-saves prevent context loss

✅ For projects:

Portable across projects
Standardized context management
Reduced token costs (98%+ reduction)
Better long-running session support
Git integration for traceability

Version

Baton v2.0 - Enhanced with 11 new features (2025-12-25)

New in v2.0:

Auto-save triggers (prevent context loss)
Conversation switching (multi-conversation workflow)
Smart SUMMARY.md updates (reduce manual overhead)
Search across conversations (find past context)
Title auto-suggestions (AI-powered naming)
Validation & health check (data integrity)
Export & reporting (status summaries)
Conversation metrics (prove system value)
Smart context loading (relevance-based)
Git integration (branch association, commit messages)
Template customization (project-specific needs)

When & Why to Use This Skill

Use Cases

Baton - Context Management Skill

Implementation

Core Commands

Navigation & Switching

Search & Discovery

Reporting & Analytics

Validation & Health

Configuration

Git Integration

Implementation Details

For /baton init

For /baton load

For /baton rename <title>

For /baton rename --suggest

For /baton save [note]

For /baton update [section]

For /baton history

For /baton status

For /baton archive

For /baton switch <conv-id-or-title>

For /baton search <term>

For /baton context <topic>

For /baton report [timeframe]

For /baton metrics or /baton stats

For /baton validate or /baton health

For /baton auto-save on|off|status

For /baton template create <name>

For /baton template use <name>

For /baton template list

For /baton git-link

For /baton git-summary

Problem Solved

Solution

Commands Reference

Core Commands

Navigation

Search & Discovery

Reporting

Validation

Configuration

Git Integration

ENHANCEMENTS.md - Future Ideas Tracking

USER_FEEDBACK.md - Questions Waiting for User

Auto-Behavior (No Command Needed)

File Structure

settings.json Configuration

SUMMARY.md Format

Conversation ID Tagging

Integration with CLAUDE.md

Portability

Token Efficiency

Benefits

Version

For `/baton init`

For `/baton load`

For `/baton rename <title>`

For `/baton rename --suggest`

For `/baton save [note]`

For `/baton update [section]`

For `/baton history`

For `/baton status`

For `/baton archive`

For `/baton switch <conv-id-or-title>`

For `/baton search <term>`

For `/baton context <topic>`

For `/baton report [timeframe]`

For `/baton metrics` or `/baton stats`

For `/baton validate` or `/baton health`

For `/baton auto-save on|off|status`

For `/baton template create <name>`

For `/baton template use <name>`

For `/baton template list`

For `/baton git-link`

For `/baton git-summary`