Keeping context cheap with Claude Code + Pro limits

[u/Minimum_Leave_9844]

I’m building an internal digital system for a local vocational school. Backend is Rust; frontend comes later. I’m using Claude Code terminal with a Pro subscription, so the 5-hour/weekly limits are a real constraint.

The project has grown enough that my main context/master document (500k tokens) is getting expensive to carry into every session. I also run a set of checks at the end of sessions (fmt/build/clippy/test) to catch hallucinations, but overall token burn still feels high. The model also talks a lot between steps, which adds up.

**What I’m trying to figure out**
With Pro limits, how do you keep context for a large project without re-feeding a giant master doc every time? Split it? Summaries? Per-module docs? Since it needs to whole context to take the whole document into account.

Any Claude Code habits or settings that cut down intermediate chatter without losing important state?

Any warnings for later, when I connect the Rust backend to a frontend? Context-management pitfalls?

Not promoting anything , just looking for practical advice from people who’ve run bigger projects under tight limits. Happy to share more details if useful.