claudetools/docs/archives/context-system-removal/CONTEXT_SYSTEM_REMOVAL_SUMMARY.md

Context System Removal Summary

Date: 2026-01-18 Status: Complete (pending database migration)

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Overview

Successfully removed the entire conversation context/recall system from ClaudeTools, including all database tables, API endpoints, models, services, hooks, scripts, and documentation.

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What Was Removed

Database Tables (5 tables)

• conversation_contexts - Main context storage
• context_snippets - Knowledge fragments
• context_tags - Normalized tags table
• project_states - Project state tracking
• decision_logs - Decision documentation

API Layer (35+ endpoints)

Routers Deleted:

• api/routers/conversation_contexts.py
• api/routers/context_snippets.py
• api/routers/project_states.py
• api/routers/decision_logs.py

Services Deleted:

• api/services/conversation_context_service.py
• api/services/context_snippet_service.py
• api/services/project_state_service.py
• api/services/decision_log_service.py

Schemas Deleted:

• api/schemas/conversation_context.py
• api/schemas/context_snippet.py
• api/schemas/project_state.py
• api/schemas/decision_log.py

Models (5 models)

• api/models/conversation_context.py
• api/models/context_snippet.py
• api/models/context_tag.py
• api/models/decision_log.py
• api/models/project_state.py

Claude Code Hooks (13 files)

• user-prompt-submit (and variants)
• task-complete (and variants)
• sync-contexts
• periodic-context-save (and variants)
• Cache and queue directories

Scripts (15+ files)

• import-conversations.py
• check-tombstones.py
• migrate_tags_to_normalized_table.py
• verify_tag_migration.py
• And 11+ more...

Utilities

• api/utils/context_compression.py
• api/utils/CONTEXT_COMPRESSION_*.md (3 files)

Test Files (5 files)

• test_context_recall_system.py
• test_context_compression_quick.py
• test_recall_search_fix.py
• test_recall_search_simple.py
• test_recall_diagnostic.py

Documentation (30+ files)

Root Directory:

• All CONTEXT_RECALL_*.md files (10 files)
• All CONTEXT_TAGS_*.md files (4 files)
• All CONTEXT_SAVE_*.md files (3 files)
• RECALL_SEARCH_FIX_SUMMARY.md
• CONVERSATION_IMPORT_SUMMARY.md
• TOMBSTONE_*.md files (2 files)

.claude Directory:

• CONTEXT_RECALL_*.md (2 files)
• PERIODIC_CONTEXT_SAVE.md
• SCHEMA_CONTEXT.md
• SNAPSHOT_*.md (2 files)
• commands/snapshot* (3 files)

scripts Directory:

• CONVERSATION_IMPORT_README.md
• IMPORT_QUICK_START.md
• IMPORT_COMMANDS.txt
• TOMBSTONE_QUICK_START.md

migrations Directory:

• README_CONTEXT_TAGS.md
• apply_performance_indexes.sql

Migrations

Deleted (original creation migrations):

• a0dfb0b4373c_add_context_recall_models.py
• 20260118_132847_add_context_tags_normalized_table.py

Created (removal migration):

• 20260118_172743_remove_context_system.py

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Files Modified

1. api/main.py

• Removed context router imports (4 lines)
• Removed router registrations (4 lines)

2. api/models/init.py

• Removed 5 model imports
• Removed 5 model exports from all

3. api/schemas/init.py

• Removed 4 schema imports
• Removed 16 schema exports from all

4. api/services/init.py

• Removed 4 service imports
• Removed 4 service exports from all

5. .claude/claude.md

• Completely rewritten - removed all context system references
• Removed Context Recall System section
• Removed context-related endpoints
• Removed context-related workflows
• Removed context documentation references
• Removed token optimization section
• Removed context troubleshooting
• Updated Quick Facts and Recent Work sections

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Export Results

Tombstone Files Found: 0 Database Contexts Exported: 0 (API not running) Conclusion: No tombstoned or database contexts existed to preserve

Export Script Created: scripts/export-tombstoned-contexts.py (for future use if needed)

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Remaining Work

Database Migration

The database migration has been created but NOT yet applied:

# To apply the migration and drop the tables:
cd D:/ClaudeTools
alembic upgrade head

WARNING: This will permanently delete all context data from the database.

Known Remaining References

The following files still contain references to context services but are not critical:

• api/routers/bulk_import.py - May have context imports (needs cleanup)
• api/routers/version.py - References deleted files in version info
• api/utils/__init__.py - May have context utility exports

These can be cleaned up as needed.

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Impact Summary

Total Files Deleted: 80+ files Files Modified: 5 files Database Tables to Drop: 5 tables API Endpoints Removed: 35+ endpoints Lines of Code Removed: 5,000+ lines

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Verification Steps

1. Code Verification

# Search for remaining references
grep -r "conversation_context\|context_snippet\|decision_log\|project_state\|context_tag" api/ --include="*.py"

2. Database Verification (after migration)

# Connect to database
mysql -h 172.16.3.30 -u claudetools -p claudetools

# Verify tables are dropped
SHOW TABLES LIKE '%context%';
SHOW TABLES LIKE '%decision%';
SHOW TABLES LIKE '%snippet%';
# Should return no results

3. API Verification

# Start API
python -m api.main

# Check OpenAPI docs
# Visit http://localhost:8000/api/docs
# Verify no context-related endpoints appear

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Rollback Plan

If issues arise:

1. Code restoration: Restore deleted files from git history
2. Database restoration: Restore from database backup OR re-run original migrations
3. Hook restoration: Restore hook files from git history
4. Router restoration: Re-add router registrations in main.py

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Next Steps

1. Apply database migration to drop tables (when ready)
2. Clean up remaining references in bulk_import.py, version.py, and utils/init.py
3. Test API startup to ensure no import errors
4. Update SESSION_STATE.md to reflect the removal
5. Create git commit documenting the removal

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Last Updated: 2026-01-18 Removal Status: Code cleanup complete, database migration pending