workflow-optimization

Help users optimize their Claude Code workflows by analyzing usage patterns, identifying inefficiencies, and suggesting improvements.

When to Use

Activate when the user:

• Asks how to be more efficient ("how can I work faster?")
• Wants to reduce errors ("how do I stop making mistakes?")
• Requests optimization advice ("optimize my workflow")
• Says they feel unproductive or slow
• Wants best practices ("am I using this right?")
• Asks "what should I change?"

Optimization Process

1. Understand Current State

Gather usage data:

/cc-telemetry:stats
/cc-telemetry:sessions --tail 10
/cc-telemetry:errors --tail 20
/cc-telemetry:performance

2. Identify Optimization Opportunities

Look for:

Performance Inefficiencies:

• Slow tools that could be avoided
• Redundant operations (same file read 10x)
• Large operations that could be chunked
• Tools used inappropriately (Read for 50MB file)

Error Patterns:

• Recurring errors that indicate workflow issues
• Common mistakes that could be prevented
• Tools frequently used incorrectly

Workflow Issues:

• Suboptimal tool chains (Edit→Read→Edit→Read...)
• Missing tools that would help (never using Grep)
• Overusing tools (Write when Edit would work)
• Manual operations that could be automated

Unused Potential:

• Enabled plugins never invoked
• Skills that could help but aren't triggered
• Commands available but unused

3. Prioritize by Impact

Rank opportunities:

• High Impact: Fix frequent errors, eliminate major slowdowns
• Medium Impact: Improve common workflows, adopt better tools
• Low Impact: Nice-to-haves, minor optimizations

4. Generate Recommendations

Provide specific, actionable advice:

Format:

## Workflow Optimization Recommendations

### High Priority
1. **[Issue]**: [Description of problem]
   - **Impact**: [How much time/errors this causes]
   - **Fix**: [Specific action to take]
   - **Example**: [Show how to do it]

### Medium Priority
[...same format...]

### Quick Wins
[Small changes with immediate benefit]

Common Optimization Patterns

Reduce File I/O

Problem: Reading same file multiple times

Tool calls: Read file.txt → Read file.txt → Read file.txt

Solution: Read once, work from memory

Recommendation: After first Read, reference the content mentally instead of re-reading

Use Appropriate Tools

Problem: Using Read for large files

Read 50MB-log.txt → timeout → error

Solution: Use targeted tools

Recommendation: Use Grep to search large files, or Bash with head/tail

Optimize Edit Patterns

Problem: Multiple small edits

Edit (add line 1) → Edit (add line 2) → Edit (add line 3)

Solution: Batch edits

Recommendation: Make multiple changes in one Edit call

Leverage Plugins

Problem: Enabled plugins never used

Plugins installed: api-docs, test-runner
Usage: 0 calls in 30 days

Solution: Learn and use installed tools

Recommendation: Try /api-docs:generate or /test-runner:run next time you need them

Adopt Better Workflows

Problem: Manual trial-and-error debugging

Pattern: Edit → Run → Error → Edit → Run → Error (10x)

Solution: Use systematic debugging

Recommendation: Use /systematic-debugging skill before making changes

Prevent Recurring Errors

Problem: Same error 15x in 2 weeks

Error: "PermissionError: /etc/config.txt"

Solution: Fix root cause once

Recommendation: Move config.txt to ~/project/ where you have write access

Example Optimizations

User: "How can I be faster?"

Analysis:

• You spend 40% of time re-reading files you just read
• You Edit files 3-4 times when 1 Edit would work
• Your error rate is 12% (vs 3% baseline)

Recommendations:

1. Stop re-reading files: After Read, remember content for 5 minutes
2. Batch your edits: Plan all changes, then make them in one Edit
3. Reduce errors: Use /testing skill (TDD mode) before writing code

Expected impact: 30% faster sessions, 9% fewer errors

User: "I keep making the same mistakes"

Analysis:

• Error: "File not found: /tmp/file.txt" appears 8 times
• Always occurs after you Write to /tmp/
• /tmp/ is cleared on reboot

Recommendation:

• Use persistent locations: Write to ~/project/ instead of /tmp/
• Impact: Eliminates 8/15 of your errors

Optimization Report Format

# Workflow Optimization Report

## Current Performance
- Sessions analyzed: [N]
- Avg tools per session: [X]
- Error rate: [Y]%
- Top tools: [list]

## Identified Issues
1. [Issue with frequency and impact]
2. [Issue with frequency and impact]
...

## Recommendations

### High Priority (Do First)
✅ [Action]: [Benefit]

### Medium Priority (Do Soon)  
✅ [Action]: [Benefit]

### Low Priority (Nice to Have)
✅ [Action]: [Benefit]

## Expected Impact
Implementing these recommendations should:
- Reduce errors by ~[X]%
- Speed up sessions by ~[Y]%
- Improve tool efficiency by ~[Z]%

Tips

• Be specific (not "read less", but "batch your reads")
• Quantify impact ("saves 2 minutes per session")
• Show examples ("instead of X, do Y")
• Prioritize by frequency × severity
• Focus on actionable changes
• Celebrate what's already working well