Claude Housekeeping - Configuration Cleanup & Optimization

This skill performs comprehensive audits of Claude configuration folders to identify waste, redundancy, and optimization opportunities.

Parameters

• scope: user (default) | project | all
  • user: Analyzes ~/.claude (global user configuration)
  • project: Analyzes .claude in current working directory
  • all: Analyzes both locations

Workflow

Phase 1: Discovery - Leave No Stone Unturned

Systematically scan the target directory for all configuration artifacts:

1.1 Hooks Analysis

# Find all hook files
find <target> -name "*.js" -path "*/hooks/*" -type f
find <target> -name "*.ts" -path "*/hooks/*" -type f

For each hook, analyze:

• Token efficiency: Does it inject large context on every invocation?
• Execution frequency: Pre-tool, post-tool, session hooks - how often does it fire?
• Output size: How much data does it add to context?
• Redundancy: Does it duplicate information available elsewhere?
• Error handling: Silent failures that waste processing?

1.2 Commands Analysis

find <target> -name "*.md" -path "*/commands/*" -type f

For each command:

• Usage patterns: Is it ever invoked?
• Token cost: How large is the command definition?
• Duplication: Does it overlap with built-in or plugin commands?
• Optimization: Can prompts be more concise?

1.3 Plugins Analysis

ls -la <target>/plugins/

Analyze:

• Cache bloat: Multiple versions cached? Old temp directories?
• Unused plugins: Installed but never invoked?
• Duplicate functionality: Multiple plugins doing same thing?
• MCP server configs: Orphaned or broken configurations?

1.4 Storage Analysis

du -sh <target>/*
find <target> -type f -size +100k
find <target> -name "*.log" -o -name "*.jsonl"

Identify:

• Log files: Accumulating without rotation?
• Cache directories: Stale or oversized?
• Session files: Old sessions cluttering storage?
• Backup files: .bak, .backup, copy files?
• Temp files: Orphaned temporary artifacts?

1.5 Settings & Configuration

cat <target>/settings.json
cat <target>/.mcp.json
cat <target>/CLAUDE.md

Check for:

• Outdated settings: Old model references, deprecated options?
• MCP server bloat: Too many servers configured?
• CLAUDE.md size: Is it too large for efficient context loading?
• Duplicate configurations: Same settings in multiple places?

1.6 Rules & Agents

find <target> -path "*/rules/*" -type f
find <target> -path "*/agents/*" -type f

Analyze:

• Rule conflicts: Overlapping or contradictory rules?
• Agent redundancy: Multiple agents with similar purposes?
• Token overhead: Verbose rules that could be condensed?

Phase 2: Analysis & Metrics

For each discovered item, calculate:

1. Token Cost

   • File size in characters → approximate token count (÷4)
   • Frequency of loading into context
   • Total token impact per session

2. Storage Impact

   • Disk space consumed
   • Growth rate (if logs/caches)

3. Value Assessment

   • Is this actively used?
   • Does it provide unique value?
   • Could it be consolidated with something else?

4. Risk Rating

   • SAFE: Can remove without any impact
   • LOW: Minimal risk, unlikely to affect functionality
   • MEDIUM: May affect some workflows, backup recommended
   • HIGH: Core functionality, careful review needed

Phase 3: Action Plan Generation

Compile findings into a structured action plan:

# Claude Housekeeping Report
**Scope**: [user/project/all]
**Analyzed**: [timestamp]
**Total Files Scanned**: [count]

## Executive Summary
- Total potential token savings: ~[X]k tokens/session
- Storage recoverable: [X] MB
- Items requiring attention: [count]

## Priority Actions

### 🔴 High Priority (Immediate token savings)
| Item | Current Impact | Action | Savings |
|------|---------------|--------|---------|
| [file/item] | [X] tokens/load | [action] | [benefit] |

### 🟡 Medium Priority (Optimization opportunities)
| Item | Current Impact | Action | Savings |
|------|---------------|--------|---------|

### 🟢 Low Priority (Nice to have)
| Item | Current Impact | Action | Savings |
|------|---------------|--------|---------|

## Detailed Findings

### Hooks ([count] found)
[Per-hook analysis with specific recommendations]

### Commands ([count] found)
[Per-command analysis]

### Plugins ([count] found)
[Plugin cache and configuration analysis]

### Storage ([size] total)
[Storage breakdown and cleanup opportunities]

### Configuration
[Settings optimization opportunities]

## Before/After Comparison

| Metric | Before | After | Improvement |
|--------|--------|-------|-------------|
| Context overhead | [X] tokens | [X] tokens | -[X]% |
| Disk usage | [X] MB | [X] MB | -[X]% |
| Startup time | [estimated] | [estimated] | [improvement] |

## Recommended Actions

Select which actions to perform:
1. [ ] [Action 1 - description]
2. [ ] [Action 2 - description]
...

Phase 4: Interactive Execution

After presenting the plan, wait for user selection:

1. User selects items by number or category
2. Confirm before destructive actions - especially for HIGH risk items
3. Create backups before removing anything with MEDIUM+ risk
4. Execute incrementally - one action at a time with verification
5. Report results after each action

Common Optimization Patterns

Hook Token Waste Patterns

Pattern	Problem	Solution
Large JSON injection	Every tool call adds 1000+ tokens	Cache in file, load on demand
Verbose logging	Debug logs in production hooks	Add log level controls
Duplicate context	Same info in multiple hooks	Consolidate to single source
Synchronous file reads	Reading files that don't exist	Add existence checks

Command Optimization Patterns

Pattern	Problem	Solution
Verbose prompts	500+ word command definitions	Condense to essentials
Unused commands	Old experiments never removed	Archive or delete
Duplicate commands	Same function, different names	Consolidate

Storage Cleanup Patterns

Pattern	Problem	Solution
Log accumulation	No rotation, grows forever	Add log rotation
Cache sprawl	Old plugin versions cached	Clean old versions
Orphaned files	Temp files, failed operations	Remove orphans

Safety Protocols

1. Never delete without backup: Create .housekeeping-backup/ before removing
2. Confirm high-risk actions: Always ask before touching core configs
3. Incremental changes: One action at a time, verify after each
4. Rollback capability: Keep backup until user confirms success
5. Dry-run option: Show what would happen without doing it

Usage Examples

/housekeeping                    # Analyze ~/.claude (default)
/housekeeping scope=project      # Analyze .claude in current project
/housekeeping scope=all          # Analyze both user and project

Output Interpretation

• Token savings: Approximate reduction in context window usage per session
• Storage savings: Actual disk space recoverable
• Risk level: How likely the change is to affect functionality
• Benefit ratio: Savings vs effort to implement

When presenting findings, always show the comparative benefit so users can make informed decisions about which optimizations to pursue.