CTX404 — Preserve your context

$ ctx404 --explain

Start fresh.
Never start over.

Run one command in a new or existing repository. CTX404 preserves what is already there, installs project governance and creates an indexed context system built to travel with your code.

Install CTX404 → See how it works

repository → claude●

$ claude

› /ctx404

mode detected
existing authorities guarded
context protocol planted
governance validated

repository is self-maintaining_

01 / ORIGIN A real problem.
Not a demo problem.

$ ctx404 --why

A new chat should not mean onboarding your own project again.

CTX404 began with a practical frustration: the same work continued across an office machine, a home machine and multiple Claude Code chats — but the project's rules, decisions and current state had to be explained again and again.

Global memories did not travel reliably with the code, repository conventions drifted, and expensive models spent time rediscovering files instead of solving the hard problem. Claudney created CTX404 so the repository itself could carry a compact, versionable and selective record of what matters.

Not artificial memory. A survival protocol for project context.

The session ends. The context survives.

No magical memory. Magic is still in public beta.

LIFECYCLE

Run once. The system stays.

01
Detect
New repository: initialize Git directly. Existing repository: preserve it and begin context from now. Native /init and recap remain your choice.
02
Install the protocol
Governance, indexed JSON state, history, hooks, agents and deterministic helpers are written locally.
03
Define the project
Claude refines scope and rules from your intent and verified repository evidence—not guesses.
04
Continue
The skill leaves. The repository maintains its own compact context across chats and machines.

$ ctx404 --authority-check

Your repository may already have a brain.

When CTX404 detects an existing state, planning, memory or decision system, it stops before writing. Preserving files is not enough; adoption must preserve authority.

01 · RECOMMENDED

INDEX

Keep existing sources authoritative. CTX404 routes to them.

02 · EXPLICIT

EXCLUSIVE

Make CTX404 primary. Migration remains separate and user-approved.

03 · SAFE EXIT

CANCEL

Stop before installation or Git initialization.

ARCHITECTURE

Load the signal, not the noise.

current.json

The smallest resumable state: status, last completion, next step and active topics.

index.json

A compact map for finding relevant topics without loading the whole repository.

topics/*.md

Detailed context loaded only when the current task needs it.

history.jsonl

Append-only checkpoints that preserve verified changes without bloating startup context.

governance.authorities

An ownership map that points to existing sources instead of manufacturing a second truth.

.claude/context/
├── current.json      // resume first
├── index.json        // route next
├── history.jsonl     // audit when needed
└── topics/*.md       // load selectively

INSTALL

Inspect. Install. Then /ctx404.

REQUIREMENTS · CHECK FIRST

Claude Code · Python 3 python · Git git

python --version
git --version
claude --version

Inspect first — recommended

Clone the repository, read the launcher and Python installer, then run the local file you reviewed. No blind pipe required.

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/claudneysessa/ctx404.git
cd ctx404
# read install.sh or install.ps1 + scripts/install.py
python scripts/install.py --force

Review source on GitHub ↗

02 / ONE-COMMAND CONVENIENCE · executes remote code

$curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/claudneysessa/ctx404/main/install.sh | sh

Installs only SKILL.md, scripts/, assets/ and references/ in your user-level Claude skills directory. Replacement is transactional.

Already using CTX404? A global update never overlays the project. Use /ctx404 upgrade for a versioned plan, explicit approval, local backup, doctor validation and automatic rollback on failure. Chained: v0.2 to v0.4.0-beta.3.

Restart the session when /ctx404 finishes. The protocol file and the SessionStart and PreToolUse hooks are read only when a session starts, so the session that just installed them keeps running without them and records nothing. Same after /ctx404 upgrade.

NEW OR EXISTING REPOSITORY→/ctx404→RESTART SESSION→SELF-MAINTAINING CONTEXT

HONEST LIMITS

Delegation helper. Not magic.

What CTX404 does

Creates project-local governance and context structure
Provides token-aware retrieval routes
Offers scoped Haiku and Sonnet helpers
Validates state deterministically with Python

What CTX404 cannot promise

Perfect or automatic model memory
Guaranteed delegation or token savings
Correct project facts without good evidence
A replacement for human review and judgment

$ git checkout -b your-signal

Break it. Test it. Improve it.

CTX404 is a public beta. Issues, compatibility reports and focused pull requests are welcome in English or Portuguese.

Contribute →

Start fresh.Never start over.