degradation-signslisted

# Context Degradation Self-Diagnosis Context performance degrades in predictable ways as the window fills. Monitor for these signs and take corrective action. ## Degradation Stages ### Stage 1: Mild (60% context) **Signs:** - Occasionally forgetting a detail from early in the conversation - Asking the user to re-confirm something already discussed - Slight inconsistencies in variable names or API shapes **Action:** - Re-read the most critical file before making changes - Summarize the current plan before proceeding - Switch to more targeted tool use (Grep over Read) ### Stage 2: Moderate (75% context) **Signs:** - Forgetting which files you've already modified - Proposing changes that contradict earlier decisions - Missing imports or references that were established earlier - Generating code that doesn't match the project's patterns **Action:** - Stop and create a brief status summary for yourself - Re-read only the files you're actively modifying - Delegate research tasks to the investigator agent - Consider creating TASK.md + PROGRESS.md ### Stage 3: Severe (85% context) **Signs:** - Hallucinating function signatures or file contents - Looping: trying the same fix repeatedly without progress - Producing code that won't compile/run due to misremembered APIs - Losing track of the overall goal **Action:** - **Stop coding immediately.** - Create TASK.md and PROGRESS.md with current state - Tell the user: "I'm experiencing context degradation. Let me save our progress so