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• Outdated settings: Old model references, deprecated options?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

Command Optimization Patterns

Storage Cleanup Patterns

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.