context-partitioning

name	context-partitioning
category	context
version	2.0.0
description	Manifest-first context isolation — each subagent receives only its scope, never the full codebase
author	Unite Group (ported from NodeJS-Starter-V1)
priority	1
auto_load	true
triggers	["any_dispatch","spawn_subagent","agent_harness"]
context	fork

Context Partitioning — Manifest-First Dispatch

The Problem

Without explicit context isolation, the main orchestrator context window accumulates:

• Full file reads that were only needed once
• Subagent outputs that are already committed to disk
• Skill files that don't apply to the current task
• Historical reasoning that compaction will destroy anyway

Result: context bloat → compaction → rule violations → wrong output.

The Solution: Manifest-First

Rule: Before dispatching ANY subagent, the orchestrator MUST produce a typed manifest. The manifest is the subagent's entire world — it reads NOTHING outside its manifest.

---

Manifest Format

{
  "agent": "frontend-specialist",
  "task": "Add persona avatar upload to SocialPersonasManager",
  "toolshed": "frontend",
  "token_budget": 60000,
  "files": {
    "must_read": [
      "src/components/social/SocialPersonasManager.tsx",
      "src/lib/businesses.ts"
    ],
    "reference_only": [
      "src/app/globals.css"
    ],
    "must_not_touch": [
      "src/lib/supabase/"