axiomantic/assembling-context
skills/assembling-context/SKILL.md
Use when preparing context for subagent dispatch or managing token budgets. Triggers: 'prepare context for', 'assemble context', 'token budget', 'context package', 'what context does the subagent need'. Also invoked by develop during planning and execution phases.
$ install --global
skillsauthnpx skillsauth add axiomantic/spellbook assembling-contextInstall this skill globally with one command. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.
Security Scan Results
3 of 9 scanners reported clean
Some scanners were skipped, did not run, or reported a non-clean status. Review each row below.
3
Scanners Passed
9
Scanners in report
Clean
TrivyContainer and dependency vulnerability scanner
95%
Clean
SemgrepStatic code analysis for vulnerabilities
95%
Clean
mcp-scan (Snyk)Model Context Protocol security validation
95%
Skipped
Snyk (dep)Open source security scanning
50%
Skipped
Socket.devSupply chain security analysis
50%
Skipped
VirusTotalMulti-engine malware detection
50%
Skipped
CrowdStrikeAdvanced threat intelligence
50%
Skipped
OSV-ScannerOpen Source Vulnerability database check
50%
Skipped
OWASP Dep-Check
50%
Last scanned: Apr 3, 2026, 3:11 PM4.5s1 file scanned
SKILL.md
- name:
- assembling-context
- description:
- Use when preparing context for subagent dispatch or managing token budgets. Triggers: 'prepare context for', 'assemble context', 'token budget', 'context package', 'what context does the subagent need'. Also invoked by develop during planning and execution phases.
Context Assembly
<ROLE> Context Curator. Deliver precisely the right information at the right time. Too little causes failures. Too much burns tokens and buries signal. Every token must earn its place. </ROLE>Invariant Principles
- Tier 1 Never Truncates: Essential context survives any budget pressure
- Budget Before Assembly: Calculate budget FIRST, then select
- Purpose Drives Selection: Design context differs from implementation differs from review
- Recency Over Completeness: Recent feedback beats historical context
- Summarize, Don't Truncate: Intelligent summarization preserves signal
- Integration Points are Tier 1: Interface contracts are essential
Inputs / Outputs
| Input | Required | Description |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| purpose | Yes | design, implementation, review, handoff, subagent |
| token_budget | Yes | Maximum tokens available |
| source_context | Yes | Raw context to select from |
| Output | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| context_package | Tiered context ready for injection |
| truncation_report | What was excluded and why |
Context Tiers
<CRITICAL>Over budget: remove Tier 3 first, then Tier 2. Never remove Tier 1.</CRITICAL>
| Tier | Budget | Content | Examples | |------|--------|---------|----------| | 1: Essential | 40-60% | Active instructions, user decisions, current artifact, interface contracts, blocking issues | Task spec, APIs, unresolved feedback | | 2: Supporting | 20-35% | Recent learnings, patterns, prior feedback, success criteria | Last 2-3 iterations, codebase patterns | | 3: Reference | 10-20% | Historical context, rejected alternatives, verbose docs | Early iterations, full docs (summarize instead) |
Purpose-Specific Packages
| Purpose | Tier 1 Focus | Budget Split | Use With | |---------|--------------|--------------|----------| | Design | Requirements, decisions, constraints, integration points | 50/30/20 | brainstorming, writing-plans | | Implementation | Task spec, acceptance criteria, interfaces, test expectations | 60/25/15 | test-driven-development, executing-plans | | Review | Code diff, requirements traced, test results | 55/30/15 | code-review, fact-checking | | Handoff | Current position, pending work, active decisions, blocking issues | 70/20/10 | session boundaries, compaction | | Subagent | Task, constraints, expected output format | 65/25/10 | dispatching-parallel-agents |
Token Budget
Estimation: tokens ≈ chars / 4 (conservative)
Available: context_window - system_prompt - response_reserve - tool_overhead
Example: 200000 - 8000 - 4000 - 2000 = 186000
Smart Truncation: Never blind head/tail. Preserve structure: intro (30%) + conclusion (20%), mark omitted middle.
Cross-Session Context
| Action | Items | |--------|-------| | Persist | User decisions, validated assumptions, glossary, blocking issues | | Regenerate | File contents, test results, code patterns (may have changed) | | Discard | Exploration paths, rejected alternatives, verbose logs |
Handoff format: Position → Pending work → Active decisions → Key learnings → Verification commands
Reasoning Schema
<analysis> Before assembling: PURPOSE? TOKEN BUDGET? TIER 1 for this purpose? RECIPIENT? </analysis> <reflection> After assembling: Tier 1 fits? Essential excluded? Room for Tier 2? Truncation report accurate? </reflection> <FORBIDDEN> - Assembling without calculating budget first - Blind truncation (`head`, `tail -n`, arbitrary limits) - Truncating Tier 1 to fit budget - Same package for different purposes - Omitting integration points - Including exploration paths in handoff - Persisting raw command output across sessions </FORBIDDEN>Self-Check
- [ ] Calculated token budget explicitly
- [ ] Identified Tier 1 for this purpose
- [ ] Tier 1 fits within budget
- [ ] Smart truncation applied (not blind)
- [ ] Integration points included
- [ ] Truncation report created
<FINAL_EMPHASIS> Context assembly is invisible infrastructure. Calculate budget. Prioritize by tier. Truncate intelligently. Every token earns its place. </FINAL_EMPHASIS>
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