Every message you send in Claude Code costs more than the last. Learn the "backpack" secret to instantly stop wasting tokens and lower your AI bill.

If your Claude Code sessions are getting slow and expensive, it’s not because the AI is greedy it’s because of the invisible context window. Because Claude has no memory, every prompt forces it to re-read your entire history. In this Claude Code tutorial, I break down exactly how tokens work behind the scenes and share the essential commands you need to keep your context light.

You'll learn the crucial difference between the /clear command for starting fresh and the /compact command for summarizing your progress mid-task without losing your coding history. We also dive into advanced workflow tricks, including Plan Mode (Shift-Tab) to map out code before execution and the /btw command for quick side questions that won't bloat your main thread. By treating your context window like a backpack, you'll not only save money on API costs but actually get smarter, faster answers from Claude.

Chapters:
0:00 - The Invisible Cost of Claude Code
0:35 - How the "Backpack" (Context Window) Works
1:20 - Trick 1: When to Use /clear (Empty the Bag)
2:15 - Trick 2: When to Use /compact (Summarize Context)
3:30 - Bonus: Plan Mode & /btw Commands