get-context

name	get-context
source	neotoma_bundle:core_workflows
requires_entity_types	["contact","event","task","observation","conversation","conversation_message"]
depth_tiers	["snapshot","standard","full"]
description	Pull everything the agent needs to know about a topic (person, company, project, decision) before doing the work. Resolves the target, fetches the entity snapshot, the observation history, linked tasks, recent communication, and walks one hop of the relationship graph. Synthesizes a brief rather than dumping data.

get-context

Specification status: This file is a specification, not a runnable skill. The core_workflows bundle is defined in m1 of the Bundles Strategy (plan ent_089da2ecebc3bd804d63dcf2); the runtime path that installs and auto-loads these skills lands in m2 alongside plan ent_b5a51d1395d206e10945b6b1 (Resolve #205). Until m2, treat this file as the locked spec the implementation MUST match.

Adapted in structure from the reference implementation in lemon-skills-share (https://github.com/Lemonbrand/lemon-skills-share).

Purpose

Synthesize a context brief about a target entity before substantive work begins. The output is a synthesized brief, not a raw data dump. Depth scales with caller intent via the depth_tiers field.

When to use

• Before drafting any output (email, decision memo, deck, code change) that depends on prior state.
• Before any conversation where the user wants to walk in primed.
• When the user names a person, company, or project and asks "what do we know".

Required entity types

contact, event, task, observation, conversation, conversation_message. All provided by the default-install core bundle.

Depth tiers

Tier	Scope	When to use
snapshot	Current entity snapshot only. No history, no graph walk.	Quick orientation; agent has most context already.
standard	Snapshot, recent observations (last 30 days), linked open tasks, last 5 communication touchpoints.	Default. Covers most pre-work briefs.
full	Standard plus full observation history, all linked tasks, all communication threads, one-hop graph walk.	Decision memos, due diligence, escalations.

The caller MUST specify a tier. The skill MUST NOT silently upgrade or downgrade.

Process

Step 1: Resolve target

Resolve the user-provided reference (name, identifier, URL) to a canonical Neotoma entity_id. If ambiguous, return the candidate set and stop.

Step 2: Snapshot

Fetch the entity snapshot via Neotoma retrieve_entity_snapshot.

Step 3: Observation history

For standard and full: fetch the observation history within the tier's window. Order by observed_at DESC.

Step 4: Linked tasks

For standard and full: fetch task entities linked to the target.

Step 5: Recent communication

Fetch conversation and conversation_message records referencing the target. Scope by tier.

Step 6: Recent transcripts

For full only: include meeting and call transcript references that mention the target.

Step 7: One-hop graph walk

For full only: walk one hop of the relationship graph (company to people, person to company and collaborators).

Step 8: Synthesize brief

Produce a brief (not a dump) covering: who or what this is, current state, recent activity, open threads, and any obvious next actions. The brief MUST cite entity IDs so the caller can drill in.

Step 9: Return entity IDs

Return the list of entity IDs touched, for cross-reference at close-session.

Outputs

• A synthesized brief.
• A list of entity IDs touched.
• The depth tier used (echoed back for audit).

Related

• docs/skills/core_workflows/start-session/SKILL.md
• docs/skills/core_workflows/close-session/SKILL.md
• docs/foundation/bundles.md