rlm

name	rlm
description	Process large codebases (>100 files) using parallel map-reduce. Treats code as external environment, prevents context rot.
metadata	{"version":"1.0.0","type":"on-demand"}

Recursive Language Model (RLM)

Process large codebases without context rot via parallel map-reduce.

Core principle: Context is an external resource, not a local variable.

Protocol

1. Index & Filter

Identify relevant files without loading them:

• Use grep/find to build file lists
• Never read > 3-5 files into main context

2. Parallel Map

Split work into atomic units, process in parallel:

• Give each sub-task ONE specific chunk or file
• Launch 3-5 parallel agents for broad tasks

3. Reduce & Synthesize

Combine results into coherent answer:

• Collect all outputs
• Look for patterns and consensus
• If incomplete, recurse on missing pieces

Anti-Patterns

• Monolithic: Reading all files sequentially (context degrades)
• Overloading: Giving one agent too many files
• Skipping filter: Processing irrelevant files wastes context