Auto-Context
Auto-Context is a Claude Code plugin that makes your project smarter over time. Instead of manually maintaining CLAUDE.md, it observes your coding sessions, extracts patterns, detects conventions, and progressively improves your project's context — so Claude gets better at navigating and understanding your codebase with every session.
Think of it as "organizational scar tissue" — but automated.
How it works
It starts the moment you open a Claude Code session. Tool calls (Edit, Write, Bash, NotebookEdit) and user prompts get silently captured and stored in a local SQLite database. Payloads are compressed at ingestion — only metadata (file paths, commands) is kept, not full file contents.
When enough events accumulate (100+), a background worker launches. It analyzes the events across sessions, delegates to specialized sub-agents via the Claude Agent SDK, and produces:
- Rules files (
.claude/rules/local/*.md) are auto-generated from repeated conventions and user corrections. Claude loads them automatically when touching matching files.
- Structural suggestions are created when agents detect AI-unfriendly code patterns (monoliths, unclear naming, missing context). These require your explicit approval.
- Skills (
.claude/skills/*/SKILL.md) are extracted from repeated multi-step workflows — reusable slash commands.
- Hooks (
.claude/hooks/*.sh) are generated when repetitive manual actions are detected (lint, format, test).
- Hygiene reports flag duplicates, contradictions, and stale references in existing rules and suggestions.
Nothing structural changes without your say-so. You run /cac-apply, review the evidence, and decide.
Installation
From GitHub (Recommended)
Add the marketplace:
/plugin marketplace add getklaim/claude-auto-context
Install the plugin:
/plugin install claude-auto-context@claude-auto-context-marketplace
Or open the interactive plugin manager with /plugin, navigate to the Marketplaces tab to add the marketplace, then switch to Discover to install.
From Git URL
/plugin marketplace add https://github.com/getklaim/claude-auto-context.git
Verify Installation
Start a new Claude Code session. The setup hook will auto-install Bun (if missing) and create .claude/rules/local/. The background worker launches automatically when enough events accumulate — no manual setup needed.
Updating
/plugin update claude-auto-context@claude-auto-context-marketplace
The Core Workflow
Automatic (Zero Config)
Once installed, hooks fire automatically across six lifecycle events:
| Event | What happens |
|---|
| SessionStart | Outputs dashboard stats (rules count, pending suggestions, DB size) into session context |
| Setup | Installs Bun if missing, creates .claude/rules/local/, runs auto-cleanup |
| UserPromptSubmit | Captures user prompt → SQLite (uncompressed, to preserve intent), checks for pending suggestions |
| PreToolUse | Version sync on commit, blocks conflict markers and planning files from staging |
| PostToolUse | Captures Edit|Write|Bash|NotebookEdit events → SQLite (compressed), syntax checks on edited files |
| Stop | Launches background worker if 100+ pending events |
All hooks execute in under 100ms. You never notice them.
Commands
| Command | Purpose |
|---|
/cac-apply | Review and apply a specific structural suggestion |
/create-suggestion | Manually create a structural suggestion with evidence |
/extract-rules | Manually extract convention rules from current session |
/context-hygiene | Run a context quality audit (duplicates, contradictions, stale refs) |
/cac-create-skill | Create a SKILL.md from a detected workflow pattern |
/run-worker | Manually trigger the background worker |
What the Worker Produces
Auto-generated (no approval needed):
.claude/rules/local/
error-handling.md ← "Use Result type, not try-catch" (globs: src/**/*.ts)
api-patterns.md ← "All endpoints return ApiResponse<T>" (globs: src/api/**)
Rules files are scoped by glob pattern via frontmatter. Claude loads them automatically when it touches matching files — no CLAUDE.md bloat. Rules auto-decay: revalidated after 30 days, force-deleted after 60 days of no validation.
Suggestions (requires your approval):
.claude-auto-context/suggestions/
001-split-utils.md ← "src/utils.ts has 4% signal ratio → split into date.ts, string.ts"
002-unify-route-patterns.md ← "routes/ uses 3 different patterns → standardize"
Each suggestion includes the problem, proposed fix, and evidence from specific sessions.
Architecture
getklaim