prep-compact vs Distil
prep-compact is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by koenvdheide. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-community). Distil is an MCP server published by dshakes. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-14. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |  prep-compact |  Distil |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Listed Version: 3.0.3 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 1 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 1.30.0 Downloads/month (PyPI): 2 211 Downloads/week (PyPI): 331 Forks (GitHub): 3 Stars (GitHub): 19 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | prep-compact | Distil |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 1 (worse) | 19 (better) |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 0 (worse) | 3 (better) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | Installs as a plugin bundle | On your machine (distil-llm) |
| Transport (differs) | Not stated | stdio |
| Tools it declares | Not published | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for | Not published | Not published |
| Hooks it runs (differs) | 2 | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | 3 | Not a bundle |
| Licence (differs) | MIT | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/koenvdheide/prep-compact | github.com/dshakes/distil |
| Changes in the last 7 days | 0 | 0 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
prep-compact
Claude Code's auto-compact fires late and its generic summary often drops the files, decisions, and blockers you needed. The post-compact session then veers off course. prep-compact nudges you earlier: a UserPromptSubmit hook watches your transcript's byte delta since the last compact. When it crosses a configurable threshold (default 4 MB ≈ 450K tokens on Opus 4.7), Claude is prompted to invoke the prep-compact skill, which drafts a tailored /compact <mini-schema> covering goal/next/files/decisions/state. You paste, run /compact, and the post-compact session resumes correctly. Invoke /prep-compact:prep-compact manually any time to refresh the draft before compacting.
Distil
Reversibly compress tool outputs to recoverable handles; expand to exact original bytes on demand.
How to run each
prep-compact As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community
/plugin install prep-compact@claude-communityDistil As a local MCP server: PyPI package
claude mcp add --transport stdio distil -- uvx distil-llmCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
Neither one's marketplaces publish a list of tools, so there is nothing to compare.
Settings each asks for
Neither one's marketplaces publish the settings it asks for.
What it can do: prep-compact · What it can do: Distil · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.