What are Budget Zones in cg-budget?

Budget Zones are four stages (Green, Yellow, Orange, Red) that define how Claude should interact with files and commands based on the remaining context window capacity, ensuring the AI doesn't over-consume resources.

Does cg-budget require any external dependencies?

No, cg-budget is part of the Context Guard repository which is built on pure bash with zero external dependencies, making it fast and highly portable.

When should I use the /cg-budget command?

You should use it when you suspect the session is becoming sluggish, if the AI is repeating itself, or if you are working on a very large file and want to see your current context health status.

How does this skill prevent AI hallucinations?

It provides a 'Degradation Self-Check' mental model that allows Claude to evaluate its own memory and reasoning. If signs of degradation are detected, the skill suggests state preservation and session restarts.

Context Guard: Budget & Health

Name: Context Guard: Budget & Health
Author: jlceaser

byjlceaser

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Productivity & Workflow

Monitors and manages Claude Code context usage through tiered budget zones and proactive degradation detection.

cg-budget is a vital component of the Context Guard system designed to prevent AI performance decay during intensive coding sessions. By implementing a four-tiered 'Budget Zone' strategy—ranging from Green (full exploration) to Red (wrap up)—it automatically adjusts Claude's behavior as the context window fills. The skill provides a structured self-diagnostic framework to identify degradation signs like hallucinations or repetitive errors, ensuring developers maintain high output quality by knowing exactly when to snapshot state and refresh the session before the AI loses focus.

Key Features

01Four-tier context budget zones with specific behavioral constraints and rules

02Seamless integration with /cg-snapshot for proactive state preservation

03Degradation self-check checklist to detect memory loss and reasoning errors

04Automated context estimation and session tracking via lightweight bash hooks

05Smart resource management that prioritizes Grep over Read as context limits approach

060 GitHub stars

Use Cases

01Optimizing token consumption by switching to targeted line-range reads in high-pressure zones

02Managing complex refactors where context window limits are frequently challenged

03Preventing AI hallucinations and logic loops during long-running development tasks

What are Skills?·How to Install

Install with 🐟 Skill.Fish

npx skillfish add jlceaser/context-guard cg-budget

For use in Claude.ai and ChatGPT