Descriptions:
This short official tutorial from Anthropic’s Claude channel explains how Claude Code manages its context window and what developers can do to work within its limits effectively. The video treats the context window as Claude’s working memory — every file read, tool call result, and message exchanged consumes a finite portion of it — and walks through the three primary commands for managing that space: /compact (summarizes the session and removes unnecessary tool call results while preserving important details), /clear (wipes the context entirely for a fresh start), and /context (displays a breakdown of what is currently consuming context and how much).
Beyond the basic commands, the tutorial covers several less-obvious optimization strategies. Writing more specific prompts actually reduces total context consumption because vague instructions force Claude to explore the codebase independently, generating far more tool calls and results than a precise two-sentence instruction would. MCP servers load all available tools into context by default, so disabling unrelated servers for a given project can meaningfully reduce overhead. The video also introduces ‘skills’ as an alternative to MCP servers that avoids loading the full tool set into context.
Sub-agents are highlighted as a practical pattern for context isolation: tasks that require only a final answer — such as locating an authentication endpoint — can be delegated to a sub-agent running in its own separate context window, keeping the main agent’s window focused on the current feature. The clip closes with a recommended rule of thumb: compact when mid-feature and running low, clear when switching to an entirely new task.
📺 Source: Claude · Published May 18, 2026
🏷️ Format: Tutorial Demo
