How do I stop Claude Code auto-compact and clear instead?

Let something else handle the context boundary before compaction kicks in. aigent-os watches context use, and at a threshold (80% by default) it saves a verified checkpoint file called a capsule, runs /clear, and resumes in a fresh session from that capsule. Its shipped settings also set "idleCompaction": false, so Claude Code’s idle compaction can’t replace that step.

How aigent-os does it

Claude Code has a fixed context window. When it fills, your built-in options are auto-compact (the model summarizes the conversation and keeps going on the summary) or /clear (you start over and re-explain). aigent-os takes a third path, called Managed Auto-Refresh:

1. Context hits the threshold (AIGENT_PRESSURE_THRESHOLD_PCT, default 80).
2. It asks Claude to write a capsule: objective, what it’s waiting on, next step.
3. It waits for the exact line Capsule Complete, Ready For Clear in Claude’s own reply.
4. It sends exactly one /clear and checks that a fresh session started.
5. It tells the new session to load the capsule and carry on.

No acknowledgement, no clear. If a compaction happens anyway, a PreCompact hook first flushes the latest state into the capsule and hands the compactor pointers into the memory vault.

This isn’t “better than compaction”. It’s a different trade-off: an explicit checkpoint you can read and a clean window, instead of a summary the model wrote.

Install

Full install (needs Claude Code, Node.js 18+ with npm, and bash; on Windows use Git Bash):

git clone https://github.com/wrg32786/aigent-os.git && cd aigent-os && bash install.sh --dry-run

The dry run prints the planned changes and writes nothing. When it looks right, run bash install.sh, open a new terminal and run aigent.

Just want the manual capsule commands? Install the context-capsule plugin inside Claude Code:

/plugin marketplace add wrg32786/aigent-os
/plugin install context-capsule@aigent-os

Limits

• The public evidence is 11 of 11 refresh cycles on one Windows seat, in one live run during v1.1.0-rc.1 testing. That is single-seat evidence, not a reliability claim, and not a claim that this beats compaction.
• The managed runner can still miss a permission dialog and answer it (#104). Until the fix lands, don’t run it unattended on a seat that can hit permission prompts.
• A seat launched from inside another Claude Code session can lose its transcript (#98). Launch seats from a plain terminal.
• Scrolling the seat window during a refresh sends stray input (#99).
• macOS has the least live mileage with the managed runner.

Full list: the Known limits section of the v1.1.0 release notes.

FAQ

Can I turn off auto-compact in Claude Code?

aigent-os ships settings with idleCompaction set to false, and it refreshes the session at 80% context so compaction is not the path it relies on. If a compaction still happens, a PreCompact hook saves state first.

Should I use /compact or /clear?

Use /compact when a summary is good enough. Use /clear when you want a clean window. aigent-os gives you the clean window of /clear without re-briefing by running save, clear and resume for you.

Does the context-capsule plugin stop compaction?

No. The plugin is manual: you run /capsule or /refresh, then /clear yourself. A plugin can’t type /clear for you. Hands-off refresh at a threshold needs the full aigent-os install.

More

• Repo and full README: https://github.com/wrg32786/aigent-os
• All question pages
• Releases