Context Manual
Use the schema for routine calls; open this manual for unfamiliar workflows or recovery risk. Context has four operations:
summarize records compact replacements for selected old tool results; it does not rebuild provider context.rebuild recomposes all canonical prompt sources, applies summaries, then requests provider replay. Bare input={} is valid; durable file edits do not hot-load.molt sheds conversation while retaining durable files and stores. It is an irreversible boundary, not housekeeping.manual returns the installed context-manual without changing context.
Shortest useful path
When current meta_guidance says a consumed result needs a posteriori compaction, inspect it first, then use context(action="summarize", input={"items": [...]}); do not use this as routine cleanup. Use one context(action="rebuild", input={}) to apply pending summaries or a durable prompt edit now. The summarize reference owns selection, recovery, and pressure guidance.
Before a deliberate molt:
- Make the task, authority, blockers, live IDs, evidence paths, and next action recoverable. Update only stores that changed.
- Write the session-journal child and parent-index pointer. It must be
knowledge/session-journal/<entry>/KNOWLEDGE.md, nonempty UTF-8, with valid name/description frontmatter and type: session-journal or session_journal: true. Use the journal scaffold if useful.
- Pass its path as
session_journal_path and write the shortest sufficient handoff: active state, verified results, pending authority, next steps, live IDs, artifact/evidence paths, blockers, and lessons. Use the optional handoff scaffold only when it lowers real risk.
- Call
context(action="molt", ...). The journal is validated before shedding; invalid input leaves molt count/history untouched. keep_tool_calls refuses unknown IDs; keep_last preserves a suffix and complete tool-call batches. The schema is authoritative.
Molt preserves durable files and source reconstruction: it archives/snapshots the old conversation, rebuilds the fresh prompt, and publishes a post-molt notification. It does not delete durable stores. Molt for sustained pressure, an explicit human reset, or confusion—not merely task completion. Tending stores need not create gratuitous edits or new skills.
After a molt
Read the post-molt notification/summary_path, current prompt/Pad, journal index, and new producer messages. Treat the briefing as context, not a command to run blindly. Re-check IDs and evidence paths. After reorientation, explicitly choose continue, defer, or obsolete and dismiss the channel with a reason, for example notification(action="dismiss_channel", input={"channel":"post-molt","force":null,"reason":"continue: ..."}, reasoning="..."); use the Notification manual/schema for its exact fields. Resume through the originating channel/tool; a saved briefing or provider replay is not proof of delivery.
The action summarize records Context history; the optional root summarize boolean only presents results. They are not the same input. Use psyche(action="manual", input={}, reasoning="load durable-store routes") for store ownership; generic writes are through file, followed by one rebuild when needed.
1---2name: context-manual3description: Use for an unfamiliar or consequential context operation, session journaling, handoff, or context-loss recovery; routine calls can follow the schema.4---56# Context Manual78Use the schema for routine calls; open this manual for unfamiliar workflows or recovery risk. Context has four operations:910- `summarize` records compact replacements for selected old tool results; it does not rebuild provider context.11- `rebuild` recomposes all canonical prompt sources, applies summaries, then requests provider replay. Bare `input={}` is valid; durable file edits do not hot-load.12- `molt` sheds conversation while retaining durable files and stores. It is an irreversible boundary, not housekeeping.13- `manual` returns the installed `context-manual` without changing context.1415## Shortest useful path1617When current `meta_guidance` says a consumed result needs a posteriori compaction, inspect it first, then use `context(action="summarize", input={"items": [...]})`; do not use this as routine cleanup. Use one `context(action="rebuild", input={})` to apply pending summaries or a durable prompt edit now. The [summarize reference](reference/summarize-manual/SKILL.md) owns selection, recovery, and pressure guidance.1819Before a deliberate molt:20211. Make the task, authority, blockers, live IDs, evidence paths, and next action recoverable. Update only stores that changed.222. Write the session-journal child and parent-index pointer. It must be `knowledge/session-journal/<entry>/KNOWLEDGE.md`, nonempty UTF-8, with valid `name`/`description` frontmatter and `type: session-journal` or `session_journal: true`. Use the [journal scaffold](assets/session-journal-entry-template.md) if useful.233. Pass its path as `session_journal_path` and write the shortest sufficient handoff: active state, verified results, pending authority, next steps, live IDs, artifact/evidence paths, blockers, and lessons. Use the [optional handoff scaffold](assets/molt-template.md) only when it lowers real risk.244. Call `context(action="molt", ...)`. The journal is validated before shedding; invalid input leaves molt count/history untouched. `keep_tool_calls` refuses unknown IDs; `keep_last` preserves a suffix and complete tool-call batches. The schema is authoritative.2526Molt preserves durable files and source reconstruction: it archives/snapshots the old conversation, rebuilds the fresh prompt, and publishes a post-molt notification. It does not delete durable stores. Molt for sustained pressure, an explicit human reset, or confusion—not merely task completion. Tending stores need not create gratuitous edits or new skills.2728## After a molt2930Read the post-molt notification/`summary_path`, current prompt/Pad, journal index, and new producer messages. Treat the briefing as context, not a command to run blindly. Re-check IDs and evidence paths. After reorientation, explicitly choose `continue`, `defer`, or `obsolete` and dismiss the channel with a reason, for example `notification(action="dismiss_channel", input={"channel":"post-molt","force":null,"reason":"continue: ..."}, reasoning="...")`; use the Notification manual/schema for its exact fields. Resume through the originating channel/tool; a saved briefing or provider replay is not proof of delivery.3132The action `summarize` records Context history; the optional root `summarize` boolean only presents results. They are not the same input. Use `psyche(action="manual", input={}, reasoning="load durable-store routes")` for store ownership; generic writes are through `file`, followed by one rebuild when needed.
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