name	context-management
description	Maintain the live agent context surface: bootstrap hygiene, memory routing, conversation continuity, and context-health monitoring.

Context Management

Use this skill when editing always-loaded files, deciding where durable knowledge belongs, diagnosing context bloat, or preserving continuity across compaction.

Contract

The workflow is complete only when:

the request is classified into one context lane
only the relevant files are loaded
durable knowledge is routed to the right store
always-loaded files stay compact and role-pure
touched files are re-read or linted after edits

Context lanes

Lane	Use when	Output
Bootstrap hygiene	Root instruction files are too large, stale, or mixed-purpose	Smaller root files with pointers to deeper docs/skills
Memory routing	A fact, preference, lesson, decision, or project state needs a home	Correct durable memory/document location
Conversation continuity	Compaction, transcript recovery, or session handoff is the problem	Recovery summary and source-of-truth refresh
Monitoring/maintenance	Watchdogs, context budgets, or trend reports show drift	Diagnosis, targeted cleanup, and verification

Routing rules

Facts and preferences go to the durable memory surface.
Decisions with tradeoffs go to decision records.
Lessons from mistakes go to lessons.
Project state goes to project state or the tracker.
Operational procedures become skills or docs, with a short pointer from the always-loaded file.
Brain-native objects such as people, companies, concepts, beliefs, and goals belong in the workspace's chosen structured knowledge layer.

Always-loaded file hygiene

Keep root instructions short. They should contain durable rules, routing pointers, and triggers. Move long procedures to skills, references, or docs.

Before deleting content, diagnose why it is no longer needed. Watchdog output is evidence, not an automatic pruning command.

Verification

After editing:

Re-read the touched file or run the relevant lint/check.
Confirm the file still has one clear job.
Confirm any moved content has a pointer from the original surface if users or agents need to find it.

Context Management

Use this skill when editing always-loaded files, deciding where durable knowledge belongs, diagnosing context bloat, or preserving continuity across compaction.

Contract

The workflow is complete only when:

the request is classified into one context lane

only the relevant files are loaded

durable knowledge is routed to the right store

always-loaded files stay compact and role-pure

touched files are re-read or linted after edits

Context lanes

Lane

Use when

Output

Bootstrap hygiene

Root instruction files are too large, stale, or mixed-purpose

Smaller root files with pointers to deeper docs/skills

Memory routing

A fact, preference, lesson, decision, or project state needs a home

Correct durable memory/document location

Conversation continuity

Compaction, transcript recovery, or session handoff is the problem

Recovery summary and source-of-truth refresh

Monitoring/maintenance

Watchdogs, context budgets, or trend reports show drift

Diagnosis, targeted cleanup, and verification

Routing rules

Facts and preferences go to the durable memory surface.

Decisions with tradeoffs go to decision records.

Lessons from mistakes go to lessons.

Project state goes to project state or the tracker.

Operational procedures become skills or docs, with a short pointer from the always-loaded file.

Brain-native objects such as people, companies, concepts, beliefs, and goals belong in the workspace's chosen structured knowledge layer.

Always-loaded file hygiene

Keep root instructions short. They should contain durable rules, routing pointers, and triggers. Move long procedures to skills, references, or docs.

Before deleting content, diagnose why it is no longer needed. Watchdog output is evidence, not an automatic pruning command.

Verification

After editing:

Re-read the touched file or run the relevant lint/check.

Confirm the file still has one clear job.

Confirm any moved content has a pointer from the original surface if users or agents need to find it.

context-management