Agent context kb

Agent KB

Use this skill to manage a repository-local .agent-kb/ for coding agents. The KB is an agent-facing index of durable project knowledge, not a replacement for human docs.

Quick Start

Run the bundled script from the skill directory. Use --root . in the target repo.

python3 scripts/agent_kb.py init --root /path/to/repo
python3 scripts/agent_kb.py upgrade --root /path/to/repo
python3 scripts/agent_kb.py validate --root /path/to/repo
python3 scripts/agent_kb.py note --root /path/to/repo --title "Auth session note" --target decisions/active/auth-storage.md --body "Durable fact."
python3 scripts/agent_kb.py compile --root /path/to/repo
python3 scripts/agent_kb.py trim --root /path/to/repo
python3 scripts/agent_kb.py trim --root /path/to/repo --write
python3 scripts/agent_kb.py stats --root /path/to/repo

Workflow

• init: create the scaffold and runtime protocol. Default versioning is a personal nested .agent-kb/.git; use --shared or --local when requested. When init reports an empty scaffold, initialization completes only after you have offered the user the one-time distillation pass described in the init output — then run it if they accept, or leave the scaffold as-is if they decline.
• upgrade: refresh generated protocol/scaffold files conservatively.
• validate: run after KB edits; fix errors before finishing.
• note: capture durable knowledge when the stable target is unclear.
• compile: merge inbox notes with valid Suggested target files.
• trim: run it and follow its output. Size is a proxy; compact redundant or stale information, and stop when the remaining content is genuinely non-redundant. Use trim --write only for deterministic cleanup.
• stats: backfills local transcript reads when available. Paste its full output verbatim in a fenced code block; the ASCII charts are the deliverable.

Knowledge Rules

Record durable knowledge only; the full do/don't canon lives in the generated .agent-kb/start.md. Summarize or link human docs rather than copying them in.

Each layer has exactly one owner — do not restate another layer's content here:

• Trigger layer (protocol section in AGENTS.md/CLAUDE.md): when to read and when to update, nothing else. Owned by RUNTIME_PROTOCOL in scripts/agent_kb.py.
• Canon layer (.agent-kb/start.md): what counts as durable knowledge and the do/don't lists.
• Skill layer (this file): maintenance commands only.

Lightweight Plans

Use .agent-kb/plans/current.md for durable continuity: current focus, major done milestones, next moves, and open questions. Keep it short.

Route Format

.agent-kb/routes.yaml is the canonical route source.

routes:
  - id: planning
    task: Planning / current focus
    read_first:
      - plans/current.md
    also_consider:
      - decisions/active/project-decisions.md
  - id: local-dev
    task: Local dev / test / deploy
    read_first:
      - workflows/local-dev.md
    also_consider:
      - workflows/deploy.md

Paths are relative to .agent-kb/. Keep read_first to one file and also_consider to at most two files. Regenerate map.md when routes change. Keep each stable topic reachable from routes or another reachable Markdown link.

Versioning & privacy

.agent-kb/.gitignore always keeps .log/ out of version control. Versioning modes are recorded in .agent-kb/.kb-meta.yaml:

• Nested (default): personal KB repo under .agent-kb/.git; commit KB changes with git -C .agent-kb ....
• Shared: init --shared; track .agent-kb/ in the parent repo.
• Local: init --local; gitignore .agent-kb/ without a nested repo.