usage-audit

Usage Audit

Bloated context costs more and produces worse output. This skill finds the waste and tells you what to cut.

Step 1: Get /context Data

Check the conversation history for /context output. If the user already ran /context in this session, use that data. If not, ask:

"Run /context in this session terminal and let me know when you're done. I can't run slash commands myself, but once I can see the breakdown I'll audit everything it flags."

STOP HERE. Do NOT proceed to Step 2 until the user has ran /context. The context breakdown determines what to audit and in what order. Without it, the audit is guessing. Output the message above and wait for the user's next message.

Step 2: Audit What's Bloated

Based on the /context output, audit each category from largest to smallest. Run checks in parallel where possible.

MCP Servers

Each server loads full tool definitions into context every turn (~15,000-20,000 tokens each).

• Count configured servers from settings.json
• Flag any with CLI alternatives (Playwright, Google Workspace, GitHub all have CLIs that cost zero tokens when idle)
• Report total MCP overhead from /context output

CLAUDE.md

Read all CLAUDE.md files (project root, .claude/, ~/.claude/). Count lines. Then read every rule and test against five filters:

If total CLAUDE.md lines > 200, check for progressive disclosure opportunities: rules that only apply to specific tasks (API conventions, deployment steps, testing guidelines) should move to reference files with one-line pointers. Only recommend splitting when the file is actually bloated -- a lean CLAUDE.md with universal context is fine as a single file.

Skills

Scan .claude/skills/*/SKILL.md. For each skill:

• Count lines (flag > 200, critical > 500)
• Run the same five filters on instructions
• Check for restated goals, hedging ("you may want to"), synonymous instructions ("be concise" + "keep it short" + "don't be verbose")

Settings

Check settings.json for:

File Permissions

Check settings.json for permissions.deny rules. If missing, check whether bloat directories exist in the project:

Step 3: Score and Report

Score starts at 100. Deduct per issue:

Floor at 0. Output this format:

# Usage Audit

Score: {N}/100 [{CLEAN|NEEDS WORK|BLOATED|CRITICAL}]

## Context Breakdown (from /context)
{Paste the key numbers from /context output}

## Issues Found

### [{CRITICAL|WARNING|INFO}] {Category}
{What's wrong}
Fix: {One-line actionable fix}

### Rules to Cut
{Each flagged rule: the text, which filter, one-line reason}

### Conflicts
{Contradictions between files, with paths}

## Top 3 Fixes
1. {Highest-impact fix}
2. {Second}
3. {Third}

Score labels: 90-100 CLEAN, 70-89 NEEDS WORK, 50-69 BLOATED, 0-49 CRITICAL. Severity: CRITICAL > 10pts, WARNING 5-10pts, INFO < 5pts.

Step 4: Offer to Fix

After the report:

"Want me to fix any of these? I can:

• Show you a cleaned-up CLAUDE.md with the flagged rules removed
• Add the missing settings.json configs
• Add permissions.deny rules for build artifacts
• Show which skills to compress"

Auto-apply settings.json and permissions.deny (safe, reversible). Show diffs for CLAUDE.md and skills -- let the user confirm before modifying instruction files.