The #1 cost and quality mistake: carrying context from one task into a completely unrelated task.
Why It Matters
- Wasted tokens: Claude re-reads old context that’s irrelevant to your new task
- Lower quality: old context can confuse Claude about what you’re currently working on
- Higher cost: you’re paying for tokens that aren’t helping
The Rule
New task? /clear first. Always.
/clearWhen NOT to Clear
Don’t clear if your next task is related to what you just did:
- “Now add tests for what we just built” → keep context
- “Fix the bug I just introduced” → keep context
- “Completely different feature” → clear
- “Review a different file” → clear