context-init

name	context-init
description	Create a new context file for a research Phase. Called once at Phase start to initialize the file that subsequent context-checkpoint calls will append to. Use this skill whenever a new research Phase begins and a fresh context file is needed.

Context Init

Create a new context file for a research Phase. One file per Phase — subsequent checkpoints append to this file.

When Called

Once at the beginning of each research Phase, imported by the plan file:

step: "import context-management:context-init"

Execution Protocol

Step 1: Get Timestamp

Run the timestamp script to get the current time:

python <context-management-repo-path>/scripts/timestamp.py

Output format: yyyy-mm-dd-hh-mm (e.g., 2026-05-16-14-30)

Step 2: Determine Topic Slug

Based on the current Phase context, decide a topic slug:

• Lowercase, hyphen-separated
• Reflects the Phase name or research topic
• Examples: lit-survey, gap-analysis, protein-folding-ideation

Step 3: Create Context File

Create the file at: context/<timestamp>-<topic-slug>.md

Write the initial content:

# <Phase Topic>

> Created: <yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm>
> Topic: <Research Topic>
> Phase: <Phase Name>

## Plan Context

<Plan excerpt for this Phase: objectives, expected outputs, constraints,
relationship to other Phases in the pipeline>

The Plan Context section should contain the relevant plan excerpt describing this Phase's goals, expected deliverables, and how it connects to the broader research pipeline.

Step 4: Initialize or Update INDEX.md

If context/INDEX.md does not exist, create it:

# Context Index

| File | Phase | Topic | Checkpoints | Last Updated |
|------|-------|-------|-------------|--------------|

Add a new row for this file:

| <filename> | <Phase Name> | <Research Topic> | 0 | <yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm> |

Idempotency

If a context file for the current Phase already exists (check INDEX.md for a matching Phase name created in the current session), skip creation and return the existing file path.

Output

The file path of the created (or existing) context file. This path is used by subsequent context-checkpoint calls within the same Phase.