Speeding Up Claude Code: Reducing Context Injection from 228KB to 48KB

In Claude Code, performance issues began to arise as the number of plugins increased. An audit revealed that context injection was reduced from 228KB to 48KB. This problem manifested through symptoms like lost recent instructions and slow session starts. Excessive context injection buried the latest instructions.

The audit distinguished between heavy and foggy sessions as having different causes. While a high number of plugins contributed to heaviness, the total injection volume led to lost instructions. The solution involved disabling unused plugins and cleaning up unnecessary context sources. As a result, the injection volume was reduced by 79%, leading to faster session startups.