# Context Verify > Validates AI context file quality with 16 checks and 0-100 health scoring. Works on any platform — also available as a standalone CLI script (bin/context-verify.sh). Validates line budgets, AGENTS-to-bridge consistency, stale paths, MEMORY.md drift, plugin manifest, and modern Cursor (.cursor/rules/*.mdc) / Cline (.clinerules/) / Copilot (AGENTS.md native) layouts. - Skill: `tomevault-io/context-verify` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/context-verify` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/context-verify/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/context-verify --- # Context Verifier ## Philosophy Generating context files is solved — `ai-context` handles that. Preventing decay is not. This skill validates that AI context files remain accurate, lean, and consistent. Overstuffed context files reduce AI task success by ~3% (ETH Zurich, 2026). ## Verification Checks ### 1. Line Budget Compliance Check line counts and estimate tokens (lines × 4). Apply budgets: | File | Warning | Over Budget | |------|---------|-------------| | AGENTS.md | >120 lines | >160 lines | | CLAUDE.md bridge | >20 lines | >80 lines | | Other bridge files | >20 lines | >60 lines | Warn on bridge length only when the extra lines appear to restate shared `AGENTS.md` content rather than genuine tool-specific instructions. ### 2. Discoverable Content Detection Flag file tree characters (├──, └──, │), "Project Structure" sections with directory listings, dependency lists mirroring manifests, and architecture descriptions visible from source code. Report specific line numbers. ### 3. Stale Path Detection Extract backtick-quoted paths from context files and verify each exists on disk. Report stale paths. ### 4. AGENTS-to-Bridge Consistency Treat `AGENTS.md` as the canonical shared context. Bridge files may subset or reference it, but they must not contradict key commands, hard rules, naming conventions, or security notes. Flag missing bridge references (for example `@AGENTS.md` in `CLAUDE.md`) and bridges that duplicate AGENTS sections instead of staying thin. ### 5. MEMORY.md Drift If a project MEMORY.md exists, check for convention-like patterns ("Always", "Never", "Use") not yet promoted to CLAUDE.md. ### 6. Context Guard Status *(Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Copilot, Cursor)* Check for hook scripts and registration entries. In Claude Code: `.claude/hooks/context-*.sh` and `.claude/settings.json`. Other platforms use their own hook directories. ### 7. Context Load (Aggregate Token Estimate) Calculate per-tool aggregate token load using the tool-to-file mapping from `.claude/rules/context-quality.md`. Thresholds: <5,000 tokens healthy, 5,000–10,000 warning, >10,000 over budget. Report format shows per-tool totals with file-level breakdown and top contributors: ``` Context Load: Claude Code: ~3,200 tokens (~1.6% of 200K window) ✓ CLAUDE.md — 320 tokens AGENTS.md — 480 tokens .claude/rules/*.md — 2,400 tokens ← top contributor ``` ### 8. @import Path Validation If any CLAUDE.md contains `@path/to/file` import lines, verify each target exists on disk. Report broken imports with the source file and line number. ### 9. Rule Path-Scope Validation If any `.claude/rules/*.md` has `paths:` YAML frontmatter, verify each glob pattern matches at least one existing file. Report orphaned path-scope rules where globs match nothing. ### 10. Rule Symlink Targets If any `.claude/rules/*.md` is a symlink, verify the target file exists. Report broken symlinks with the rule name and dangling target path. ### 11. .mcp.json Validation If `.mcp.json` exists, validate JSON structure — check `mcpServers` object exists, each server has a valid `command` or `url` field, and referenced commands exist on PATH or as relative paths. Report structural errors and invalid server entries. ### 12. Agent Memory Directory Hygiene Check if `.claude/agent-memory/` or `.claude/agent-memory-local/` directories are tracked in git (they should be gitignored — these contain per-agent runtime state). Warn if tracked. Check for `.gitignore` entries covering these paths. ### 13. Plugin Manifest Completeness If `.claude-plugin/plugin.json` exists, verify required fields: `name`, `version`, `description`. Warn on missing optional fields: `keywords`, `author`, `repository`. Report missing fields. ### 14. Modern Cursor Layout Check If `.cursorrules` exists but `.cursor/rules/` does not, warn that current Cursor versions ignore the legacy single-file format in Agent mode. Suggest migrating to `.cursor/rules/agents.mdc` with `description`, `globs`, and `alwaysApply` frontmatter. If both exist, note that the legacy file is redundant. If only `.cursor/rules/` exists, mark as healthy. ### 15. Modern Cline Layout Check If `.clinerules` is a flat file (not a directory), suggest migrating to `.clinerules/` directory mode with optional `paths:` frontmatter for path-scoped rules. If `.clinerules/` directory exists, validate that each Markdown file has either no frontmatter or valid `paths:` frontmatter pointing to existing files. ### 16. Copilot Bridge Optionality *(advisory only)* If `.github/copilot-instructions.md` exists and `AGENTS.md` is present, count unique non-trivial lines in the Copilot bridge that aren't in AGENTS.md. If fewer than 5, suggest deletion (Copilot loads AGENTS.md natively since Aug 2025). Advisory only — never deducts. ## Scoring | Dimension | Max | Deductions | |-----------|-----|-----------| | Line Budget | 20 | -2 per file over warning, -5 per file over budget | | Signal Quality | 20 | -1 per discoverable instance (max -5), -3 if "Project Structure" present, -3 if agent memory dirs tracked in git | | Path Accuracy | 20 | -2 per stale path, broken @import, orphaned path-scope rule, broken rule symlink, or invalid .mcp.json server entry (max -10) | | Consistency | 15 | -3 if a bridge contradicts AGENTS.md on commands or rules, -2 if a required bridge reference/import is missing, -2 per missing required plugin manifest field | | Freshness | 15 | -2 if MEMORY.md not promoted, -3 per file stale 90+ days | | Context Load | 10 | -3 per tool over 5K warning, -5 per tool over 10K budget | ### Grade Bands | Score | Grade | Label | |-------|-------|-------| | 90–100 | A | Lean and current | | 80–89 | B | Minor tuning needed | | 70–79 | C | Needs attention | | 60–69 | D | Significant drift | | <60 | F | Overhaul recommended | Report includes per-dimension breakdown and specific actions to reach grade A. The new layout checks (14, 15) deduct 2 points each for using legacy formats; check 16 is advisory and never deducts. ## Standalone CLI For platforms without skill support, or for CI pipelines, use the standalone script: ```bash bin/context-verify.sh # Interactive report bin/context-verify.sh --ci # CI mode (exit 1 below threshold) bin/context-verify.sh --ci --min-score 90 # Custom threshold ``` The CLI implements checks 1, 3, 5–16 automatically (bash + git). Check 2 (discoverable content) and check 4 (bridge consistency) are partially automated — full semantic analysis requires this AI-powered skill. ## CI Integration With `ci` argument (skill or CLI), output machine-readable format and exit code 1 on failures. Accept `--min-score N` to fail the CI job below a threshold. --- > Source: [littlebearapps/contextdocs](https://github.com/littlebearapps/contextdocs) — distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io).