knowledge-layers

name	knowledge-layers
description	Use when deciding where knowledge goes or reading/writing durable docs: AGENTS.md, .context/, KB, docs/, and work directories.

Knowledge Layers

Load /qi-layer when writing or editing AGENTS.md or .context/ files: it owns the craft (four principles, contents guidelines, what doesn't belong). Load /information-hierarchy if not already loaded for disclosure tiers. Load /llm-writing if not already loaded.

The Five Layers

Layer	What it holds	When to use it
AGENTS.md	Intent and mental model for a directory	First thing agents read on entry; what to understand before working here
.context/	Contracts, architecture, rationale (CONTEXT.md); deferred work (TODO, FUTURE)	Reference depth and tracked deferrals, co-located with the code they describe
KB	Cross-cutting decisions, domain concepts, patterns	Spans directories; outlives sessions; no single directory owns it
docs/	User-facing documentation	Different audience, different update cadence
Work directory	Temporary design decisions and scratch	Not colocated with durable content; scoped to an active work item

Placement Rules

If it's intent/mental-model for a directory → AGENTS.md. If it's directory-scoped depth an agent looks up → .context/. If it's deferred work scoped to this directory → .context/TODO (must-do) or .context/FUTURE (nice-to-have). Flat markdown lists — each entry names the affected path and concrete follow-up. Cross-cutting items or items needing external visibility get filed in the project's issue tracker instead. If it's big picture — cross-cutting decisions, domain concepts, higher-level system architecture → KB. If it's for end users → docs/. If it's a temporary work artifact → work directory.

When in doubt, colocate. Knowledge that depends on one subsystem belongs in that subsystem's AGENTS.md or .context/ even when it reads like a concept; the KB stays code-agnostic, holding what survives implementation change. Knowledge that lives far from what it describes rots faster: changes to the code don't trigger awareness that a distant doc needs updating.

Current Truth Over History

Every durable layer — AGENTS.md, .context/, KB, docs/ — holds the best current understanding; work directories may keep intermediate reasoning while their work item is active. When durable content is superseded, delete it or (for KB pages) move it to archive/ (.kgignore'd, excluded from the knowledge graph). Live content never references archived content. Pages read as current truth, never narrate their own evolution.

Deletion needs no replacement. A page whose subject is gone, or that describes behavior the system no longer has, gets deleted on sight — even with nothing new to write in its place. Stale knowledge is worse than a gap: agents load it and reason from it. Deletion is the content-truth owner's call; structural roles flag instead.

Git history is the archive. Commit untracked files before deleting them so the removal lands in history, and say what was removed and why in the commit message. Deletion is cheap because nothing tracked is ever truly lost.

Truth is anchored per layer. AGENTS.md and .context/ describe the checkout that contains them: update them in the same branch as the code change and let the merge carry both — with parallel PRs in flight, each branch documents itself. The KB is code-agnostic: it records the current settled intent — what the system should be — and a settled decision is KB truth the moment it's made, merged or not. Unsettled intent isn't KB material; it stays in the work directory. docs/ describes shipped behavior.

Decision records are the exception: preserve superseded decisions in place when they explain why the system changed. Mark the old decision as superseded and link to the replacement.

KB Conventions

Structure

The KB is a directory tree like any other: it carries its own AGENTS.md and .context/ pair, written per /qi-layer — intent in AGENTS.md, governance depth (writing conventions, structure, validation) in .context/. Read the KB's own AGENTS.md before writing. Treat this skill as the cross-project default; the local KB guide wins for that KB. See resources/bootstrap.md for a suggested starting layout.

Wiki Page Conventions

Follow /information-hierarchy. One concept per document; name files by what they describe (token-validation.md), not when (auth-redesign-notes.md). Cross-reference instead of re-explaining. Load /shared-dao for vocabulary methodology. Use mermaid for anything spatial; capture what code can't easily tell you.

Operations

Ingest: new information enters the KB. Read the source, extract key knowledge, write or update wiki pages, and update indexes/cross-links touched by the change.

Maintain: keep the wiki current per Current Truth Over History above.

Lint: health-check the wiki. Look for contradictions, stale claims, orphan pages, missing cross-references. Use /md-validation for link checking and diagram validation.

Flag content needing human attention with > [!FLAG] **Needs human review**.