Efficient Prime

Prime Claude's context with your project's codebase structure, key files, and recent changes so it can work more effectively on all subsequent tasks in the session.

When to Use This Command

Run this command when...

• You are starting a new Claude Code session and want maximum effectiveness from the first prompt
• Your project is large and Claude needs to understand the directory layout and key entry points
• You want Claude to be aware of recent git changes that affect the current work

Avoid this command when...

• You have already loaded context through other means earlier in this session
• You are working on an isolated file that has no project-level dependencies

Quick Start

Copy
# .claude/commands/efficient-prime.md
---
allowed-tools: ["Bash", "Read", "Glob", "Grep"]
---
Read project structure, key configuration files, and recent git
history. Build a mental model of the codebase for subsequent tasks.

Example usage:

/efficient-prime

Example output:

Priming Complete
================
Project: e-commerce-api (Node.js + Express + PostgreSQL)
Key Files:
  - src/server.ts (entry point)
  - src/routes/index.ts (route registry)
  - prisma/schema.prisma (database schema)

Recent Changes (last 5 commits):
  - Add pagination to product listing
  - Fix cart total calculation
  - Update Prisma to v5.8

Active Branch: feature/order-history
Ahead of main by: 3 commits

Ready for your next task.

Core Concepts

Concept	Description
Structure scan	Maps the directory tree and identifies key entry points
Config parsing	Reads package.json, tsconfig, .env.example for tech stack info
Git awareness	Loads recent commits, current branch, and uncommitted diff summary
Entry point detection	Finds main files, route registries, and database schemas

Project Root --> List Structure --> Identify Key Files
                                         |
                              Read Configurations
                                         |
                              Load Git Context
                                         |
                              Primed & Ready

Configuration

Option	Default	Description
depth	3	Directory tree depth to scan
history	5	Number of recent commits to include
include-diff	true	Include a summary of current uncommitted changes
key-files	auto	Override auto-detected key files with explicit paths
verbose	false	Show every file scanned during priming

Best Practices

1. Prime once per session -- repeated priming wastes tokens without adding new information.
2. Customize key files -- if auto-detection misses important files, list them explicitly.
3. Include recent history -- recent commits help Claude understand what work is actively in progress.
4. Use before complex tasks -- priming pays off most for multi-file changes and large refactors.
5. Combine with CLAUDE.md -- priming automatically reads CLAUDE.md if present, so keep it current.

Common Issues

1. Priming takes too long -- reduce depth and history count for very large monorepos.
2. Key files missed -- add them to the key-files config list or mention them in CLAUDE.md.
3. Token limit reached -- very large projects may exceed context limits. Reduce scan depth or exclude large generated directories.