time-based-microcompact-trigger

SKILL: Time-Based Microcompact Trigger

Domain: context-management
Trigger: Apply when the interval since the last assistant response exceeds the threshold and cached microcompact cannot run. Source Pattern: Distilled from reviewed context, compaction, and memory-governance patterns.

Core Method

Measure the minutes since the last main-thread assistant message, compare it to gapThresholdMinutes, and only fire when the configured trigger is enabled and the caller is the main thread. When triggered, keep the last keepRecent tool results and content-clear the rest by replacing their content with the [Old tool result content cleared] marker. Log the elapsed gap, tokens saved, and retained count so operators can tune the gap threshold.

Key Rules

• Require a specific querySource (main thread) before firing so external helpers do not misinterpret delays as triggers.
• Return null unless the gap exceeds the threshold, ensuring callers only run the clearing logic when necessary.
• Always keep at least one tool result so the model retains some recent state after the purge.
• Reset cached microcompact state and notify cache deletion after the clearing to keep downstream cache tracking in sync.
• Emit analytics and debug logs describing the gap, tokens saved, and how many tools were cleared.

Example Application

When a session sits idle longer than gapThresholdMinutes, apply this trigger to replace outdated tool results with [Old tool result content cleared], log the 12-minute gap, and still leave the last tool result so future summaries have some fresh context.

Anti-Patterns (What NOT to do)

• Do not run this trigger for non-main-thread sources; the clearing assumes global cache edits.
• Do not drop all cached tools (keep at least one), or the next turn loses every tool reference and can exceed budget on the first message.