Familiar in Dex
This is the Dex host profile for Familiar. Familiar is a standalone tool; it
does not need Dex and never assumes it. This file says where things live in a
vault and what extra a vault can offer. Everything else, every stage and every
gate, is defined once in Familiar itself.
Read {{FAMILIAR_HOME}}/skills/familiar/SKILL.md for how the pipeline works,
then {{FAMILIAR_HOME}}/AGENTS.md for the rules, then the stage's prompt. Do
not restate stage behaviour here; if the two ever disagree, Familiar is right.
Execution mode
Run inline in the current conversation by default, so this work can see what the
user has already discussed, decided, or settled this session. Do not fork merely
because this skill was selected. Only run in the background when the user
explicitly asks for a background run, or the host has already obtained a
specific background-work approval for this run.
Paths this host declares
- Familiar home:
{{FAMILIAR_HOME}}
- Config:
06-Resources/Familiar/knowledge/: positioning, voice guide,
style rules, social schedule, links, reflection, models, examples, languages.
This is the knowledge/ any prompt refers to.
- Pieces:
04-Projects/Writing/YYYY-MM-DD-slug/. Wherever a prompt says
the piece folder, it means here.
- Proposals from
learn: 06-Resources/Familiar/proposals/.
An explicit $FAMILIAR_CONFIG or $FAMILIAR_PIECES beats these.
Capabilities this host offers
Use each one only where a prompt asks for that capability. Every one of them is
optional: if the tool is missing or fails, say the lookup could not be done and
carry on. Never treat an absent capability as a blocked stage.
| Capability |
In Dex |
people |
lookup_person (Work MCP) and the company index. Link the person or company page when a piece names them. |
search |
The query tool (QMD) if available, otherwise grep across 00-Inbox, 04-Projects, 05-Areas. Look for evidence a prompt marks "needs finding" before asking the writer for it. Offer what you found; they decide if it counts. |
tasks |
create_task, with the pillar inferred per the vault's CLAUDE.md. Only for an open decision left at a gate, and only after confirming. |
corpus |
learn ingest can read past writing from 06-Resources/Published/ or a 05-Areas/ folder of past work. |
"Could not be searched" and "found nothing" are different sentences. Never
substitute one for the other.
Dex house rules
- Dex names custom skills by their folder, so this installs as
familiar-custom and the commands carry that suffix:
/familiar-custom interview <idea>, /familiar-custom draft. The suffix is
what keeps it safe across Dex updates.
- The board reads the vault's pieces folder:
python3 {{FAMILIAR_HOME}}/scripts/board.py --pieces <vault>/04-Projects/Writing --open
- Context logs go in the piece folder's own
SESSION-CONTEXT.md, per
knowledge/context-log.md, not in the vault root.
Honesty
If the config files are still unfilled templates, say so before drafting
anything and offer learn ingest <path to past writing> as the fastest way to
fill them. Do not write a piece in a voice Familiar has not been taught.
1---2name: familiar3description: Write a newsletter issue about your own work, in your own voice. Familiar interviews you one question at a time, proposes three structures, drafts with a bracket over anything it cannot source, and hands back an editor's report you work through yourself. It also turns a finished issue into a week of social posts and schedules the ones you approve. Every stage stops and waits for you; nothing is applied to your draft and nothing is scheduled without a confirm. Use when the user says 'familiar', wants to start a piece or be interviewed about an idea, has a draft they want read or improved, wants an issue turned into posts, wants approved posts scheduled, or wants Familiar taught their voice. Not for a product requirements doc or feature spec; use `product-brief`. Not for a decision record; use `decision-log`. Not for reflecting on how the week felt; use `weekly-reflection`.4---56# Familiar in Dex78This is the **Dex host profile** for Familiar. Familiar is a standalone tool; it9does not need Dex and never assumes it. This file says where things live in a10vault and what extra a vault can offer. Everything else, every stage and every11gate, is defined once in Familiar itself.1213**Read `{{FAMILIAR_HOME}}/skills/familiar/SKILL.md` for how the pipeline works,14then `{{FAMILIAR_HOME}}/AGENTS.md` for the rules, then the stage's prompt.** Do15not restate stage behaviour here; if the two ever disagree, Familiar is right.1617## Execution mode1819Run inline in the current conversation by default, so this work can see what the20user has already discussed, decided, or settled this session. Do not fork merely21because this skill was selected. Only run in the background when the user22explicitly asks for a background run, or the host has already obtained a23specific background-work approval for this run.2425## Paths this host declares2627- **Familiar home:** `{{FAMILIAR_HOME}}`28- **Config:** `06-Resources/Familiar/knowledge/`: positioning, voice guide,29 style rules, social schedule, links, reflection, models, examples, languages.30 This is the `knowledge/` any prompt refers to.31- **Pieces:** `04-Projects/Writing/YYYY-MM-DD-slug/`. Wherever a prompt says32 the piece folder, it means here.33- **Proposals from `learn`:** `06-Resources/Familiar/proposals/`.3435An explicit `$FAMILIAR_CONFIG` or `$FAMILIAR_PIECES` beats these.3637## Capabilities this host offers3839Use each one only where a prompt asks for that capability. Every one of them is40optional: if the tool is missing or fails, say the lookup could not be done and41carry on. Never treat an absent capability as a blocked stage.4243| Capability | In Dex |44|---|---|45| `people` | `lookup_person` (Work MCP) and the company index. Link the person or company page when a piece names them. |46| `search` | The `query` tool (QMD) if available, otherwise grep across `00-Inbox`, `04-Projects`, `05-Areas`. Look for evidence a prompt marks "needs finding" before asking the writer for it. Offer what you found; they decide if it counts. |47| `tasks` | `create_task`, with the pillar inferred per the vault's `CLAUDE.md`. Only for an open decision left at a gate, and only after confirming. |48| `corpus` | `learn ingest` can read past writing from `06-Resources/Published/` or a `05-Areas/` folder of past work. |4950"Could not be searched" and "found nothing" are different sentences. Never51substitute one for the other.5253## Dex house rules5455- Dex names custom skills by their folder, so this installs as56 `familiar-custom` and the commands carry that suffix:57 `/familiar-custom interview <idea>`, `/familiar-custom draft`. The suffix is58 what keeps it safe across Dex updates.59- The board reads the vault's pieces folder:60 `python3 {{FAMILIAR_HOME}}/scripts/board.py --pieces <vault>/04-Projects/Writing --open`61- Context logs go in the piece folder's own `SESSION-CONTEXT.md`, per62 `knowledge/context-log.md`, not in the vault root.6364## Honesty6566If the config files are still unfilled templates, say so before drafting67anything and offer `learn ingest <path to past writing>` as the fastest way to68fill them. Do not write a piece in a voice Familiar has not been taught.
intentionaut