timebox

Set Timebox

Set a message budget to force focused, efficient work.

Steps

1. Parse the message count from $ARGUMENTS. Default to 15 if no number is provided.
2. Create the directory .claude/scopes/ if it does not exist.
3. Write the file .claude/scopes/.timebox with this exact content:

budget: {N}
remaining: {N}
started: {ISO 8601 timestamp}

4. After creating the file, output:

Timebox set: {N} messages. You have {N} messages to complete this task. No unnecessary exploration, no verbose explanations, no over-engineering. Be surgical.

Ongoing Behavior

After each message, decrement the remaining count in .claude/scopes/.timebox and remind yourself:

[{remaining}/{budget} messages left]

When remaining reaches 3, add urgency:

[{remaining}/{budget}] — Running low. Start wrapping up.

When remaining reaches 0:

Timebox reached. Wrap up now: commit what works, /handoff what doesn't.

Stop working on the task. Do not send further implementation messages.