Purpose

If AGENTS.md exists, follow its reading order exactly.

2. Load project brief (MUST read)

cat docs/BRIEF.md 2>/dev/null
cat docs/spec/CANONICAL-BRIEF.md 2>/dev/null
cat docs/DECISIONS.md 2>/dev/null | head -50  # Recent decisions
cat docs/CONSTRAINTS.md 2>/dev/null
cat docs/process/workflow.md 2>/dev/null

3. Load stack context (MUST read)

# Identify stack from manifest
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | head -30
cat Cargo.toml 2>/dev/null | head -30
cat pyproject.toml 2>/dev/null | head -30
cat go.mod 2>/dev/null

# Load stack-specific conventions
cat docs/STACK-PROFILE.md 2>/dev/null

4. Load current work state (SHOULD read)

# What's in progress?
cat tickets/BOARD.md 2>/dev/null
# Or check for GitHub issues
gh issue list --state open 2>/dev/null | head -10

# Recent activity
git log --oneline -10 2>/dev/null

# Any uncommitted work?
git status --short 2>/dev/null

5. Load architecture (IF deep work needed)

cat docs/ARCHITECTURE.md 2>/dev/null
tree -L 2 -I 'node_modules|dist|target|__pycache__' 2>/dev/null

6. Build context summary

After loading, synthesize into working memory:

## Project Context Summary

**Project:** [name from README]
**Stack:** [from package.json/Cargo.toml/etc.]
**Current state:** [from BOARD.md/git status]

**Key constraints:**
- [from CONSTRAINTS.md]

**Recent decisions:**
- [from DECISIONS.md]

**Active work:**
- [from BOARD.md in_progress column]

**Ready for:**
[What task to pick up next based on context]

7. Validate context is sufficient

Before proceeding with work, confirm:

• Know what the project does
• Know the tech stack
• Know current work state
• Know any blocking constraints

If any are unclear, investigate before making changes.

Reading order priority

1. Always read: README.md, AGENTS.md (if exists)
2. Always read if exists: docs/BRIEF.md, docs/spec/CANONICAL-BRIEF.md, docs/CONSTRAINTS.md, docs/process/workflow.md
3. Read before coding: docs/STACK-PROFILE.md, package.json equivalent
4. Read before picking tickets: tickets/BOARD.md, tickets/manifest.json
5. Read for deep work: docs/ARCHITECTURE.md, relevant source directories

Context caching

For long sessions, note context load timestamp:

Context loaded: [ISO timestamp]
Last commit when loaded: [short sha]

Reload if >1 hour old or if git log shows new commits.

Output defaults

Return a context summary that enables immediate productive work:

## Context Loaded

**Project:** [name]
**Purpose:** [one-line from BRIEF]
**Stack:** [language/framework]
**Health:** [GREEN if no blockers, YELLOW if warnings, RED if issues]

**Current Work:**
| Status | Count | Next Up |
|--------|-------|---------|
| in_progress | 1 | TKT-003 |
| ready | 3 | TKT-004 |

**Constraints to Remember:**
- [key constraint 1]
- [key constraint 2]

**Ready to work on:** [recommended next action]

References

• Follows AGENTS.md reading order if present
• Context prevents drift by grounding decisions in project reality

Failure handling

• No README found: Warn "No README.md—project identity unclear. Create one before proceeding with major work."
• No BRIEF found: Acceptable for simple projects. Note "No formal brief—inferring purpose from README."
• Conflicting context files: Flag specific conflict, ask for resolution before proceeding
• Stale context: If BOARD.md older than recent commits, flag "Work state may be outdated. Run workflow-observability to reconcile."