Domain Modeling

Resolve the target BEFORE the first domain-modeling action — question, fact-lookup, or write; not merely before the first doc write.

Target = the current repo, unless an explicit signal names another repo. Signals (detecting them requires no registry read):

1. The user names a repo by slug or path.
2. The primary artifact under work — the issue, PR, plan doc, or wayfinder map being grilled — belongs to a visible owner/repo that is not the current repo. A repo merely mentioned in conversation is NOT a signal. If several artifacts are in play, the one the user's latest instruction acts on is primary.
3. A wayfinder map's ## Notes names a target repo.

Only after a signal fires, resolve the local clone: the AFK registry (.agents/afk-pipeline/REGISTRY.md) if present, else known checkout roots (~/dev/code/<repo>), else ask. Never silently fall back to the current repo when a signal named a repo you can't resolve.

Safe default in orchestration dirs: if the session sits in a profile/orchestration workspace rather than the artifact's own repo and no signal has fired, ask for the target instead of assuming the current repo — a profile dir is almost never where domain docs belong. Exception: when the domain doc under work is the profile's own glossary, the profile IS the target.

Announce the resolution before the first question ("Maintaining the domain model for <repo> at <path>" / "…for the current repo") and treat it as a confirmation point — proceed only if the human doesn't contradict it.

When the target is NOT the current repo, this resolution re-orients the whole session:

• For the remainder of the session, ALL codebase exploration, fact-lookup, and cross-referencing — including questions a /grilling session answers by exploring — happens against the TARGET's clone and docs.
• ALL documentation writes — CONTEXT.md, docs/adr/ — go to the target repo. Never write domain docs to the repo the session merely sits in.
• Nothing needs installing in the target: CONTEXT.md and docs/adr/ are plain files; create them lazily as usual.
• Commit the doc updates in the target repo (following its conventions) as the session ends.

Domain Modeling

Actively build and sharpen the project's domain model as you design. This is the active discipline — challenging terms, inventing edge-case scenarios, and writing the glossary and decisions down the moment they crystallise. (Merely reading CONTEXT.md for vocabulary is not this skill — that's a one-line habit any skill can do. This skill is for when you're changing the model, not just consuming it.)

File structure

Most repos have a single context:

/
├── CONTEXT.md
├── docs/
│   └── adr/
│       ├── 0001-event-sourced-orders.md
│       └── 0002-postgres-for-write-model.md
└── src/

If a CONTEXT-MAP.md exists at the root, the repo has multiple contexts. The map points to where each one lives:

/
├── CONTEXT-MAP.md
├── docs/
│   └── adr/                          ← system-wide decisions
├── src/
│   ├── ordering/
│   │   ├── CONTEXT.md
│   │   └── docs/adr/                 ← context-specific decisions
│   └── billing/
│       ├── CONTEXT.md
│       └── docs/adr/

Create files lazily — only when you have something to write. If no CONTEXT.md exists, create one when the first term is resolved. If no docs/adr/ exists, create it when the first ADR is needed.

During the session

Challenge against the glossary

When the user uses a term that conflicts with the existing language in CONTEXT.md, call it out immediately. "Your glossary defines 'cancellation' as X, but you seem to mean Y — which is it?"

Sharpen fuzzy language

When the user uses vague or overloaded terms, propose a precise canonical term. "You're saying 'account' — do you mean the Customer or the User? Those are different things."

Discuss concrete scenarios

When domain relationships are being discussed, stress-test them with specific scenarios. Invent scenarios that probe edge cases and force the user to be precise about the boundaries between concepts.

Cross-reference with code

When the user states how something works, check whether the code agrees. If you find a contradiction, surface it: "Your code cancels entire Orders, but you just said partial cancellation is possible — which is right?"

Update CONTEXT.md inline

When a term is resolved, update CONTEXT.md right there. Don't batch these up — capture them as they happen. Use the format in CONTEXT-FORMAT.md.

CONTEXT.md should be totally devoid of implementation details. Do not treat CONTEXT.md as a spec, a scratch pad, or a repository for implementation decisions. It is a glossary and nothing else.

Offer ADRs sparingly

Only offer to create an ADR when all three are true:

1. Hard to reverse — the cost of changing your mind later is meaningful
2. Surprising without context — a future reader will wonder "why did they do it this way?"
3. The result of a real trade-off — there were genuine alternatives and you picked one for specific reasons

If any of the three is missing, skip the ADR. Use the format in ADR-FORMAT.md.