Trim

Shrink an always-on context file that has gotten too big. /trim <file> walks the reduction, safest cuts first, never dropping a rule.

Workflow Routing

Trigger	Workflow
/trim <file>, "trim OPERATIONAL_RULES", "this file is too big", "reduce a doctrine file", "fold the proposal inbox"	Workflows/Trim.md

Quick Reference

• Target resolution: a bare name (OPERATIONAL_RULES) resolves against the always-on set — the system prompt, CLAUDE.md, its @-imports, and the hook-injected memory files. No arg → wc -c that set and take the largest.
• Order is safest-first: (1) show state, (2) deterministic GC (zero-risk), (3) semantic trims (human-gated), (4) safety gate, (5) re-measure. Full steps: Workflows/Trim.md.
• One tool it orchestrates — never reimplement: LIFEOS/TOOLS/ProposalGC.ts (removes superseded/duplicate/absorbed entries). Sizes come from wc -c.
• Three semantic moves: MERGE overlapping rules, TIGHTEN verbose ones, RELOCATE rarely-used detail to an on-demand reference (leave a stub + pointer).
• The invariant: a trim never drops a distinct directive. If a merge would, keep the original.

Gotchas

• USER files commit to the USER_DATA repo, not ~/.claude. LIFEOS/USER/** (OPERATIONAL_RULES, PROJECTS, the identity files) is a symlink into a separate private repo. Commit with git -C ~/.config/LIFEOS/USER …. A ~/.claude commit captures nothing under LIFEOS/USER/ — a false safety net.
• The file can change mid-edit. The autonomic memory loop appends proposals to these files while you work. If a Write/Edit reports "modified since read", RE-READ before writing — a concurrent correction may have landed (this is how a real deploy-command fix was nearly reverted). Never write from a stale read.
• Semantic merges must never drop a directive. Before applying any merge/tighten, confirm every proper noun, path, tool name, and imperative from the originals survives in the result. If one is missing, the merge is wrong — keep the original. Deterministic GC (superseded/dup/absorbed) is always safe; semantic edits are the risky class.
• bun/bunx only, never npm/npx.
• Deterministic first, always. Run ProposalGC before proposing any semantic edit — the free, zero-risk removals often clear enough that no judgment-call edit is needed.

Examples

/trim OPERATIONAL_RULES
# → shows 40,456 B → ProposalGC dry-run (0 removable) → ranks semantic trims (fold the
#   40-entry proposal tail, relocate skill-scoped directives to a reference)
#   → applies approved ones behind the safety gate → commits to USER_DATA → 28,043 B (−31%)

/trim
# → no arg: wc -c the always-on set, take the largest, then the same walkthrough

Execution Log

After completing the workflow, append a single JSONL entry:

echo '{"ts":"'$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)'","skill":"Trim","workflow":"Trim","input":"8_WORD_SUMMARY","status":"ok|error","duration_s":SECONDS}' >> ~/.claude/LIFEOS/MEMORY/SKILLS/execution.jsonl