Project Tiny Context Harness

Translations: Chinese (Simplified)

project-tiny-context-harness ships the ty-context CLI for Project Tiny Context Harness: repo-native project memory for AI coding agents.

The default is Minimal Context Harness. It maintains a compact project_context/** fact source, a short AGENTS.md startup router, role Skills and a validate-context gate so fresh agents can recover project intent, constraints, verification entry points and next safe actions quickly.

It does not default to lifecycle phases, plan tasks, stage skills, stage documents or phase gates. Harness maintains context quality; your project tests, CI, review process and human acceptance remain responsible for product quality.

Use it when coding agents repeatedly lose project intent across new chats, handoffs, RFC/debug turns or tool changes. The intended tradeoff is: keep durable intent and recovery paths; leave execution evidence to code, tests and review.

Think of it as durable project memory behind AGENTS.md, not another agent, process framework or task manager.

Best for:

• repos where coding agents keep rediscovering project intent
• teams using multiple agents or frequent fresh chats
• maintainers who want durable context without a full planning ceremony

Not for:

• replacing tests, review, CI or issue trackers
• autonomous Tiny Context execution
• codebase semantic indexing or external docs retrieval

Concrete shift:

Before: ask a fresh agent to read the repo and tell you what matters.
After: ask it to read AGENTS.md and project_context/** first, then summarize goal, non-goals, architecture boundaries and validation paths before proposing code.

What gets added:

flowchart LR
  A["Fresh agent session"] --> B["AGENTS.md startup router"]
  B --> C["project_context/** durable facts"]
  C --> D["Goal, non-goals, architecture boundaries, validation paths"]
  D --> E["Code proposal starts with repo intent loaded"]
  F["Tests / CI / review"] --> G["Product quality evidence"]
  C -. "does not own" .-> G

The demo shows the core loop: initialize AGENTS.md and project_context/**, run validate-context, then ask a fresh agent to recover intent before proposing code. Use the npm install path below, or inspect the no-install previews first.

No-install preview:

• Read the fresh-agent recovery walkthrough.
• Inspect the Minimal Context sample guide.
• Browse a tiny generated sample repository at examples/minimal-context-sample/.

Why It Exists

Coding agents can move quickly inside one thread and still drift when a new chat, model, tool, reviewer or debugging session loses the project-specific facts that were never encoded anywhere stable.

Minimal Context Harness creates a small, explicit recovery path: project goal, boundaries, architecture context, validation entry points and durable task conclusions. It is designed to sit beside specs, tests, issues, docs and code intelligence tools instead of replacing them.

The core bet is: keep the memory, drop the ceremony. Earlier stage-based workflows pushed ordinary software work through explicit phase artifacts and gates. Modern coding agents already internalize much of the understand, design, implement, test and repair loop, so Project Tiny Context Harness keeps the high-density repo context that survives fresh chats without making every task follow Tiny Context-stage choreography.

Positioning

| Adjacent tool type | Use it for | Harness stance | |---|---|---| | Spec-first kits | Turning feature ideas into structured specs and plans. | Complementary; Harness keeps durable project facts, not a required spec chain. | | BMAD-style workflows and full Tiny Context processes | Coordinated role/process ceremonies on high-risk work. | Lighter default; no phase gates or work-product trees. | | Task Master-style planners | Backlog decomposition and task execution state. | Complementary; Harness does not own task state. | | Context7/Serena-style retrieval or code-intelligence tools | Pulling external docs, symbols or repository facts on demand. | Complementary; Harness stores local repo truth. | | IDE or agent memory | Tool-specific continuity inside one product surface. | Portable fallback; plain files any agent can read. |

Try It In 60 Seconds

mkdir project-tiny-context-harness-demo
cd project-tiny-context-harness-demo
git init
npm init -y
npm install -D project-tiny-context-harness@latest
npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context init
make validate-context

Then open AGENTS.md, project_context/global.md and project_context/architecture.md. Those files are the small recovery surface a fresh agent should read before changing the project.

Source checkout preview:

Browser preview:

Open https://codespaces.new/Seven128/project-tiny-context-harness

When the Codespace finishes npm ci, run:

npm run smoke:quickstart
npm run preview:pack

Local preview:

git clone https://github.com/Seven128/project-tiny-context-harness.git
cd project-tiny-context-harness
npm ci
npm run smoke:quickstart
npm run preview:pack
cd /path/to/your/test-repo
npm install -D /path/to/project-tiny-context-harness/tmp/ty-context/source-preview/package/project-tiny-context-harness-0.2.57.tgz
npx --no-install ty-context init --adopt
make validate-context

Use this tarball path only for source-preview testing, private review or package development. For normal installs, use project-tiny-context-harness@latest from npm.

If the source preview path fails, open a Source preview report with the command, environment and shortest useful output.

Expected result:

AGENTS.md
project_context/
  context.toml
  global.md
  architecture.md
  areas/main.md
  areas/main/verification.md

Fresh-agent test prompt:

Read AGENTS.md and project_context/** first. Summarize the project goal, non-goals, architecture boundaries, validation entry points and next safe action before proposing code changes.

If the agent can answer that without rediscovering the repo from scratch, the Harness is doing its job.

A useful first answer should recover the project goal, non-goals, architecture boundaries, validation entry points and next safe action. It should not invent benchmark results or claim tests passed.

Feedback from real repositories is especially useful right now. If you try the Harness, open an adoption report with what your agent was forgetting, what Minimal Context made easier and what recovery facts were still missing.

Early feedback and starter issues:

• If the README, sample repo or generated Context leaves a fresh-agent recovery fact unclear, open a Context recovery gap.
• Share what worked or failed in the pinned adoption reports issue.
• Pick a starter issue: demo, sample walkthrough, benchmark rerun or launch FAQ.
• Keep claims narrow: recovery evidence is useful; benchmark speedup claims need fresh Minimal Context benchmark runs.

For current priorities and non-goals, see the roadmap.

For benchmark boundaries, read Benchmarking And Evidence.

For contribution, support, security, conduct and governance, see CONTRIBUTING.md, SUPPORT.md, SECURITY.md, CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md and GOVERNANCE.md.

For concrete examples, read the fresh-agent recovery walkthrough, the Minimal Context sample guide and the browseable sample repository.

For the longer technical argument, read Fresh coding-agent sessions need project memory, not more ceremony.

For adjacent-tool fit, read the comparison guide.

For existing repositories, read the adoption guide. For Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode and other tool-specific setup notes, see agent surface recipes.

For common launch and adoption questions, see the FAQ.

Install

npm install -D project-tiny-context-harness@latest
npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context init

For existing projects:

npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context init --adopt

init creates project_context/context.toml, project_context/global.md, project_context/architecture.md, project_context/areas/main.md, project_context/areas/main/verification.md, agent guidance, Context authoring Skills, a Product Surface Contract Skill, a full-project export Skill, a Harness upgrade Skill, a plan acceptance checklist Skill, managed templates/tools, a Makefile include and .github/workflows/harness.yml. The generated workflow runs only the selected Harness gate: validate-context, validate-code-modularity or the composite validate-harness; maintainer-only package tests and source-drift checks are intentionally kept out of consumer projects. It does not create business Product Surface Contract files, stage work-product trees, lifecycle state or stage skills by default.

FAQ

Why not just write a better README?

README is for humans and broad orientation. Minimal Context is a smaller machine-readable recovery path for fresh agents: durable intent, non-goals, boundaries, validation commands and context drift notes.

Is this only for Codex?

No. The generated files are plain repository assets. Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Cline, Roo or a human reviewer can read the same facts.

The support assets can live in a tool-specific harness folder such as .codex, .claude, .cursor, .cline, .roo, .gemini or a custom folder; the durable recovery contract stays in root AGENTS.md and project_context/**. See agent surface recipes.

Is this an English-only or Chinese-only tool?

Neither. Public docs, npm copy, launch posts, CLI help/errors, generated Skill activation and default artifact names must be fully usable in English. Generated Skills may include multilingual trigger examples, but those examples are additive compatibility; every supported non-English trigger needs an equivalent narrow English trigger.

Does validate-context prove the project works?

No. It checks that recovery facts exist and avoids fake test-result claims. Product quality still belongs to tests, CI, review and human acceptance.

Will this create documentation burden?

It should stay smaller than a full process. Ordinary bug fixes and local refactors do not update Context unless they produce durable product, architecture, API, state or validation facts.

CLI Entry Safety

The canonical npm package is project-tiny-context-harness; ty-context is the bin name. Prefer package-qualified npx commands for ad hoc use because bare npx ty-context can resolve an older package name or a stale local install. After init, the managed Makefile wrapper uses the canonical latest CLI by default and can be overridden with TY_CONTEXT=... when a project intentionally pins a local package.

Use npx --no-install ty-context ... only when you explicitly want the already installed local package, such as release smoke tests against a packed tarball.

Capabilities

| Capability | Entry Point | Description | |---|---|---| | Project initialization | npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context init | Creates project_context/context.toml, project_context/global.md, project_context/architecture.md, project_context/areas/main.md, project_context/areas/main/verification.md, AGENTS.md, minimal managed assets and a Makefile include. | | Existing project adoption | npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context init --adopt | Adds Minimal Context Harness non-destructively to an existing repository. | | Configurable Harness root | --harness-folder, package.json#tyContext.harnessFolderName, ty-context.config.json | Supports Codex .codex, Claude .claude, Cursor .cursor, Cline .cline, Roo .roo, Gemini .gemini or a custom folder. | | Product planning Skill | <harnessRoot>/skills/context_product_plan/SKILL.md | Handles explicit product-planning requests and writes durable product conclusions to project_context/**. | | UI/UX design Skill | <harnessRoot>/skills/context_uiux_design/SKILL.md | Handles explicit UI/UX design requests, writes screen/interaction conclusions to project_context/**, updates root DESIGN.md visual tokens with Google @google/design.md, and includes compact visual-quality calibration for product/page positioning, user needs, information density, brand/product UI and common AI-design anti-patterns. | | Development engineer Skill | <harnessRoot>/skills/context_development_engineer/SKILL.md | Handles explicit development-engineering requests and writes durable engineering conclusions to project_context/**. | | Product Surface Contract Skill | <harnessRoot>/skills/context_surface_contract/SKILL.md | Handles explicit Product Surface Contract, Screen Contract, surface responsibility and main/drilldown ownership work; it compiles project-owned surface contracts into project_context/** without adding a new context role or gate. | | Full project context export Skill | <harnessRoot>/skills/context_full_project_export/SKILL.md | Handles explicit full-project or code-level export requests and uses export-context --all, --full or --code to create temporary artifacts under tmp/ty-context/context-exports/**. | | Harness upgrade Skill | <harnessRoot>/skills/context_harness_upgrade/SKILL.md | Handles explicit Tiny Context / Project Tiny Context Harness upgrade requests such as “upgrade Tiny Context” and “use the Tiny Context upgrade skill to upgrade this project”; it runs the canonical upgrade path, handles only migration-scoped manual_required / blocked follow-up, then runs diagnostics. | | Plan acceptance checklist Skill | <harnessRoot>/skills/plan_acceptance_checklist_compiler/SKILL.md | Handles explicit requests to turn a referenced plan, RFC or implementation proposal into a falsifiable acceptance checklist and paste-ready goal/target-mode prompt under tmp/ty-context/plan-acceptance/**; it does not execute the plan or prove completion. | | Project-local Skills | <harnessRoot>/skills/<role>/SKILL.md | Optional local product/design/development Skills created by the project, such as product_plan, uiux_design or development_engineer. They supersede package-managed default Skills when more specific, are not overwritten by sync, and should keep front matter trigger keywords aligned with the project AGENTS.md role-trigger rule. | | Managed file sync | make ty-context-sync or npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context sync | Refreshes package-managed guidance, default Skills, Makefile include, context templates, tools and workflow YAML. It does not run migrations or perform semantic Context generation; it may block only direct asset-refresh safety issues such as invalid managed blocks or deprecated managed Skill overrides. | | Upgrade | make ty-context-upgrade or npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context upgrade | Use for releases marked upgrade-required or manual-required. Builds an upgrade plan, stops before writes when blocked items exist, otherwise applies safe_pending migrations, runs sync and doctor, and exits non-zero when manual follow-up or diagnostics remain. | | Upgrade check | npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context upgrade --check [--json] | Checks the upgrade plan without writing files. Reports safe_pending, manual_required and blocked; exits non-zero when any work remains. | | Combined project export | npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context export-context --all [--check] | Creates both default temporary exports under tmp/ty-context/context-exports/**. | | Project Context export | npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context export-context --full [--output tmp/ty-context/context-exports/name.md] [--check] | Creates a temporary Context summary artifact. It is not Context and must not be registered in project_context/context.toml. | | Code implementation export | npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context export-context --code [--output tmp/ty-context/context-exports/name.md] [--check] | Creates a temporary single-file code implementation artifact. It is not Context and must not be registered in project_context/context.toml. | | Modularity check | npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context check-modularity --touched [--limit 300] [--fail-on-warning] | Reports selected handwritten source files over the physical line-count limit; --file <path> and --base <ref> select explicit files or branch changes, and config waivers are reported distinctly. | | Code modularity validation | make validate-code-modularity | Hard gate for touched handwritten source modularity; CI can set TY_CONTEXT_MODULARITY_BASE=<ref> to audit PR/base changes. | | Harness validation | make validate-harness | Composite gate for validate-context and validate-code-modularity. | | Context validation | npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context validate-context, make validate-context | Checks required project recovery fields, Context graph metadata, declared paths/roles and fake test-execution claims. | | Diagnostics | make ty-context-doctor or npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context doctor | Reports Harness root, package version, schema version and required Minimal Context paths. | | Package source checks | ty-context package sync-source, ty-context package check-source | Maintainer-only commands for keeping package canonical assets aligned with the source workspace. |

For product, UI/UX and engineering tasks that touch design intent, API/Schema, state/runtime behavior, architecture boundaries or verification design, the default Skills compile a short current-task contract before implementation. The contract starts with Context Delta: none|required; required preserves context-first behavior, while none means the task can proceed against existing Context. For engineering, RFC and implementation work, the existing Task Contract also includes Modularity Check: none|required|exception so oversized touched files trigger split-or-exception reasoning. For module design work, the development engineer Skill also compiles Applicable Module Design: the relevant principles, minimal design logic and durable rationale that control the current implementation or verification choice. The task contract and Contract Conformance are handoff evidence, not new PRD, tech-plan, validator or gate surfaces.

For long-running plans, RFCs or implementation proposals, the plan acceptance checklist Skill can turn a plan plus relevant Context into a falsifiable acceptance checklist and a paste-ready goal/target-mode prompt. It is one pre-execution acceptance pass, not a task planner or workflow engine: it stores temporary inputs under tmp/ty-context/plan-acceptance/**, asks for confirmation when durable assumptions are unclear, and leaves execution evidence to the future executor, tests, CI, review or human acceptance.

For Product Surface work, context_surface_contract turns broad product/page/UI principles into project-owned surface responsibilities. A Product Surface can be a Web page, mobile screen, desktop window, game UI/HUD/menu, CLI/TUI output, extension UI or embedded/device interface. Cross-surface contracts use the existing contract role; area-owned screen facts stay in area or subdomain; repeatable validation paths use verification. The Harness does not add a new surface-specific role, does not create business surface contracts during init or upgrade, and does not turn surface conformance into a validator gate. Projects that want mandatory task blocks should add a separate project-local Skill, while product-surface-contract.md is only a compact managed template for optional Context authoring.

To create Product Surface Context in a user project, use the Skill through an agent because the package cannot safely infer business-specific screen duties from code alone. For a new project, init installs the Skill, template and routing guidance; as the project grows, ask the agent to run Product Surface Audit / Compile when a durable surface appears or when a product/UI/engineering task changes main/drilldown ownership. For an existing project, first run ty-context upgrade; then ask the agent to backfill the current surface responsibilities, review the proposed contract, and only then apply it to project_context/**:

Use context_surface_contract in Audit + Compile mode for this repo. Inspect current user-facing routes, screens, panels, CLI/TUI outputs and relevant Context. Propose Product Surface Contract Context using existing roles only. Do not edit product code.

After review, apply the approved contract:

Apply the approved Product Surface Contract to project_context/**, update project_context/context.toml if a new contract file is needed, keep roles to contract/area/subdomain/verification, and run make validate-context.

ty-context check-modularity supports that field by auditing selected handwritten source files for physical line-count risk. It is warning-only by default as a report command, while validate-code-modularity and validate-harness run it as a hard gate. The gate is not validate-context: validate-context remains pure Context recoverability. When policy is scoped_waivers, over-limit exceptions must be backed by <harnessRoot>/config.yaml modularity.waivers entries with path, narrow category, reason and future_split_boundary; handoff prose alone is not a machine waiver.

Modularity Policy

Newly generated Harness configs default to strict_except_generated, which enforces the touched/PR handwritten source limit without legacy waivers:

modularity:
  limit: 300
  policy: strict_except_generated

Generated and non-source files are still auto-skipped when they match existing lock/build/dist/path exclusions or generated-file headers such as @generated / Code generated ... DO NOT EDIT. strict_except_generated does not allow modularity.waivers; any configured waiver fails the modularity gate.

Use scoped_waivers when a small number of legacy exceptions must be explicit and time-bounded:

modularity:
  limit: 300
  policy: scoped_waivers
  waivers:
    - path: src/legacy/big-file.ts
      category: legacy_migration
      reason: "Existing legacy module exceeds the hard source size bound."
      future_split_boundary: "Extract provider adapters and retry policy."

Omitting policy behaves the same as scoped_waivers for compatibility with existing projects. Allowed waiver categories are generated, third_party_reference, legacy_migration, aggregate_styles and fixture_snapshot.

Multilingual trigger phrases are compatibility details. Public README, npm and launch copy stay English-first, and public/package-managed surfaces must remain English-complete; literal non-English examples are documented only where they explain generated Skill matching and must not be the sole activation path.

The Harness upgrade Skill exists so consumer agents have a short, repeatable upgrade procedure for existing projects. It treats upgrade as the default after package updates and for explicit upgrade requests; sync-only only allows a direct managed-asset refresh shortcut when that is what the user asked for. Manual handling stays limited to the migration scope reported by the CLI instead of guessing project semantics.

For complex task-contract work, agents may use plan.md or an equivalent temporary plan surface as scratch space for Context Delta, Task Contract, implementation steps and Conformance notes. It is execution cache only: durable facts must be extracted into project_context/** or DESIGN.md, and temporary plans are not Context, not registered in context.toml and not default project assets.

For Product Surface work, frontend layout, UI/UX, product module boundaries or decisions about where information belongs, agents should run a lightweight product/page positioning check before deciding whether the change is context-first. The check asks what judgment the user needs to make on the surface, what information/actions/feedback the product must provide, what should not be persistent, what belongs on the main surface versus drilldown, operations, diagnostics, evidence or detail, and whether layout and information density match the surface task. If ownership is unclear, inspect the relevant surfaces and Context first, and use context_surface_contract for a focused audit. The check is input to change classification: it does not by itself require a Context update, new role, new document chain or validator gate.

The expected Context Priority Ladder is: read Context first, run the product/page positioning or Surface Contract check when applicable, classify durable-fact impact or use Context Delta inside task-contract scenarios, choose context-first or code-first, then perform Contract Conformance when applicable and Context drift check before handoff. This is prompt-level guidance, not an edit-order validator.

Managed AGENTS.md guidance is intentionally a startup router, not a full manual. It should contain fact-source entry points, hard boundaries, key triggers and shortest validation commands; package consumers default long design reasoning to Context unless they already have a local spec/design convention. The source repository keeps stable Harness workflow rationale in PROJECT_SPEC.md. Role procedures belong in Skills and human usage guidance in README. The recommended 40-70 line range is a soft budget, not a validator gate.

Minimal Context Contract

project_context/global.md should contain:

• project goal
• non-goals / boundaries
• background
• design rationale
• architecture context link
• product / delivery brief
• UX / screen brief
• short verification context pointers
• current state
• next safe action
• context index

project_context/architecture.md should contain restrained architecture facts:

• system boundary
• component map
• data / control flow
• design rationale
• constraints and tradeoffs
• verification implications
• open risks

project_context/context.toml is the Schema v4 Context graph manifest. init creates a default main product/domain area for ordinary projects and registers project_context/areas/main/verification.md as its default verification role Context. upgrade creates a conservative baseline manifest for existing projects by registering current project_context/areas/**/*.md files as areas, except obvious verification.md and deployment.md role files. Larger projects can add [[areas]] and [[context]] entries with role, trigger/read policy, default children and monorepo boundary metadata such as forbidden_runtime_dependencies.

project_context/areas/<unit>.md should contain product/domain ownership context by default. Complex projects can freely nest context nodes under areas/, such as areas/<area>/README.md, areas/<area>/contracts/*.md, areas/<area>/foundation/*.md, areas/<area>/verification.md, areas/<area>/deployment.md or other durable context files:

• responsibility
• user / system contract
• core data / API / state
• module design capsule when stable principles, design logic or rationale should affect future work
• key constraints
• code entry points
• related role context pointers
• open risks

A module design capsule should stay small and decision-shaped: Principles are stable execution constraints, Design Logic is the minimum choose/reject/degrade/compose logic, and Design Rationale keeps only reasons that change later implementation or verification decisions. Current thresholds, commands and probe parameters belong in the relevant contract or verification Context as execution instances, not as permanent principles.

Other context files under project_context/** can declare context_role in front matter or receive a role from context.toml. Roles are semantic labels for agent reading and authoring behavior; validate-context checks graph structure, paths and field shapes instead of enforcing a writing template for every role. Supported roles are global, architecture, area, domain, subdomain, contract, foundation, verification, deployment, archive, implementation-index and decision-rationale.

Product Surface Contracts use these existing roles. Use contract for cross-surface or cross-area files such as project_context/areas/product-surface-contracts.md; use area or subdomain for owned screen contracts inside one domain; use verification for repeatable UI/app/CLI surface checks. Do not add roles such as surface-contract, product-surface, web-contract, app-contract or game-surface.

init gives new projects the Product Surface Contract capability, not a pre-filled business contract. The first durable contract is created when a user or agent explicitly audits/compiles a surface responsibility and writes the approved facts into project_context/**. Existing projects receive the same Skill and template after upgrade, but upgrade intentionally does not inspect current screens or guess their responsibilities; treat Product Surface Context backfill as an explicit follow-up task.

When authoring, migrating or cleaning up project_context/areas/**, run a soft role placement scan before registering every Markdown file as an [[areas]] entry. Keep area / domain for product ownership, use subdomain only for a smaller owned product context, move interface semantics into contract, stable theory or vocabulary into foundation, repeatable test/deploy execution paths into verification / deployment, code maps into implementation-index, design reasons into decision-rationale, and non-default historical or external material into archive. This is prompt-level guidance, not a validator gate.

Automatic migration moves legacy project_context/modules/**/*.md files into project_context/areas/**/*.md, creates a usable graph baseline and does not infer deep semantic roles. If an existing deep area file is really a foundation, contract, archive or implementation index, a later agent should update context.toml explicitly. Boundary rules are metadata only; Harness does not scan source imports or build a runtime dependency graph.

Temporary Project Exports

export-context --all creates both temporary Markdown artifacts for copying into an external tool, archiving an ad hoc discussion or handing context to a one-off collaborator:

npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context export-context --all
npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context export-context --all --check

This generates both default artifacts with the same timestamp: tmp/ty-context/context-exports/full-project-context-<timestamp>.md and tmp/ty-context/context-exports/code-level-implementation-<timestamp>/code-level-implementation.md. --all does not accept --output; use --full or --code for custom single-artifact paths.

export-context --full creates only the temporary Markdown Context bundle:

npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context export-context --full
npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context export-context --full --output tmp/ty-context/context-exports/my-export.md
npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context export-context --full --check

The default output is tmp/ty-context/context-exports/full-project-context-<timestamp>.md. The file title is # Full Project Context Export. --check reports the planned output path, source count, source file list and warnings without writing a file. The artifact header always says Export artifact. Do not reference from project_context/context.toml.

The exporter includes Context files, key README / AGENTS / DESIGN documents, managed Skill guidance, Makefile verification-entry summaries, a directory tree summary and Context code-entry indexes. It excludes .env*, secret/token/cookie-oriented files, raw captures, licensed payload dumps, node_modules, build output, caches, coverage, test reports and existing export artifacts; obvious sensitive assignment values are redacted and reported as warnings.

export-context --code creates one temporary Markdown file for handing the current implementation state to an external model:

npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context export-context --code
npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context export-context --code --output tmp/ty-context/context-exports/my-code-export.md
npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context export-context --code --check

The default output is tmp/ty-context/context-exports/code-level-implementation-<timestamp>/code-level-implementation.md. The file title is # Code-Level Implementation Export. It scans main source and engineering configuration files, adds each file path, type, line count, character count, SHA256, a heuristic one-sentence summary and a fenced redacted code block. It does not split output into multiple Markdown files.

Both export modes refuse project_context/** and non-temporary output paths. validate-context also rejects obvious export artifact names such as code-level-implementation, full-project-context, legacy Chinese export names, project-overview, context-bundle, context-summary or context-export if they are registered in project_context/context.toml.

The Context should be dense, durable and short. Former ADR content belongs in Design Rationale when it still affects future changes. Implementation details that are obvious from code should stay in code and tests; only non-obvious constraints belong in Context.

Verification and deployment role Context are allowed only when a test, smoke, CI, deployment, bootstrap or runtime path has durable recovery value. Record minimal preparation, the shortest command/path, expected stage or signal, acceptable warnings and dead ends already ruled out. Verification paths are reusable execution instances, not independent definitions of capability, metric or acceptance targets; first use the owning module's design Context to decide what claim should be proven, then choose the command or probe. Do not record one-off logs, full output, temporary JSON, CI artifacts, release ledgers, reports, secrets, tokens, cookies, device ids or raw payloads. Put execution details in the owning area's verification or deployment role Context; use project-level references only for truly cross-domain paths.

project_context/** is authoritative for intended responsibility, ownership, product intent, architecture boundaries, integration direction, allowed or forbidden dependencies and verification/deployment entry paths. Source code is authoritative for current implementation state. If code shape, keyword search results or nearby implementations disagree with Context, agents should call out implementation drift, missing work or stale Context instead of overriding Context-declared ownership or intent.

Before the first code edit, agents should classify the change instead of relying on a fixed timer. Long-term fact changes include product ownership or plans, module responsibilities, information architecture, API / Schema, state-machine or scheduler semantics, cross-area boundaries and verification/deployment entry paths. If a task hits one of these categories, Context-first is the default path and the first update should be the relevant project_context/** entry with enough durable context to guide implementation, without a fixed line-count limit:

context -> implementation -> verification -> context drift check

Code-first is a controlled exception for ordinary bug fixes, local styling changes, local implementation-drift repairs, test fixes and exploratory spikes; those should not update Context unless they produce a durable fact. Once code discovery produces one, the agent should update Context before final alignment or handoff:

implementation discovery -> context update if long-term fact changed -> implementation alignment -> verification

This ordering is guidance, not a new validator gate. validate-context checks recoverability and fake verification claims; it does not infer whether Context or code was edited first. Automation may warn about possible context-first drift, but should not block work. Handoffs should report only a lightweight status such as Context: updated ... or Context: no durable fact change.

The product planning, UI/UX and development engineer Skills are Context authoring helpers. They may shape product plans, screen flows, design handoff, implementation plans or technical decisions, but they do not create a default PRD/UIUX/tech-plan document chain. Their descriptions intentionally avoid broad generic single-word triggers such as product, design or development in any language. For visual systems, init creates root DESIGN.md as the durable source for colors, typography, spacing, shapes and component tokens; upgrade creates it for existing Harness projects when missing. The generated file starts as a neutral starter baseline with visual tokens, background/color logic, typography, spacing, component states and do/don't guidance; user-authored design rules take precedence once present. Validate it with npx @google/design.md lint DESIGN.md. The product/design Skills keep compact calibration for product/page positioning, user needs, information density, content/action placement, true empty/error/loading states, layout stability, register choice, design-system continuity and common AI-design anti-patterns.

Harness installs Impeccable as a default package dependency. For design drafts, redesigns, visual polish, frontend redesign/styling or existing-UI review work, agents should run Impeccable by default when there is a scan target such as UI source, page files, build output or a local/remote URL:

npx impeccable detect src/

Impeccable is a default design-review step when a scan target exists, but it is not a validate-context gate. If there is no suitable target or the command cannot run, the agent should say why and continue. Its findings are design-review signals, not a replacement for screenshots, project tests or human review.

Project-specific Skill rules can be added as separate project-local Skills. Do not edit package-managed context_* Skills directly; sync overwrites them:

mkdir -p <harnessRoot>/skills/uiux_design
$EDITOR <harnessRoot>/skills/uiux_design/SKILL.md

When a project-local Skill and a package-managed default Skill both apply, agents should use the more specific project-local Skill first. The local Skill should keep durable conclusions in project_context/** and DESIGN.md. Its front matter description should stay aligned with the matching default context_* Skill and the project AGENTS.md role-trigger rule; update both the local Skill and agent guidance when adding or narrowing product/design/development trigger terms. sync does not merge Skill overrides and does not overwrite separate project-local Skills. Existing <harnessRoot>/ty-context-managed/override_skills/*.md files should be migrated into standalone project-local Skills before running sync.

Do not customize the package-managed Surface Contract, Harness upgrade or plan acceptance checklist Skills directly. Project-specific surface responsibilities, upgrade facts and acceptance semantics belong in project_context/**; recurring project-local procedures belong in separate project-local Skills.

Sync And Upgrade Boundary

sync is intentionally narrow. It refreshes managed files and never generates project semantics. sync does not run migrations or call the full migration registry; it may refuse writes only for direct asset-refresh safety blockers such as unsupported schema, invalid managed blocks or deprecated managed Skill overrides.

After updating the package, run ty-context upgrade. It is the default update entry because it checks local migration state, applies safe migrations when needed, refreshes managed assets and runs diagnostics. For releases marked sync-only, direct sync is an allowed shortcut only when you explicitly want managed-asset refresh without the upgrade diagnostics.

upgrade first builds an upgrade plan. If blocked items exist, it prints the plan, runs diagnostics and exits non-zero before migrations or internal sync. Without blockers, it applies only safe_pending migrations, then runs sync and doctor. If manual_required follow-up or diagnostics remain, the command exits non-zero and prints follow-up. upgrade --check performs the same planning step without writing files; upgrade --check --json is intended for release checks and CI.

Release update modes:

| Update mode | What to run | Meaning | |---|---|---| | sync-only | Default: ty-context upgrade; shortcut: ty-context sync | The release changes only package-managed assets. No new migrations are expected. | | upgrade-required | ty-context upgrade | The release includes safe mechanical migrations and managed asset refresh. | | manual-required | ty-context upgrade, then manual follow-up | The release includes items that cannot be mechanically changed without user intent. |

Migration statuses:

| Status | Meaning | |---|---| | safe_pending | A known Harness schema, config or path convention can be migrated mechanically. | | manual_required | The path is in migration scope, but the Harness cannot prove the right semantic role or user intent. | | blocked | A target conflict or overwrite risk prevents a safe write. Blocked items stop upgrade writes until resolved. |

Examples:

• project_context/modules/main.md -> project_context/areas/main.md is safe when the target does not already exist.
• Missing project_context/context.toml can receive a conservative baseline manifest.
• project_context/areas/main/verification.md can be registered as verification by path convention.
• project_context/areas/payment/api.md without a manifest role is manual_required; the Harness does not guess whether it is an area, contract, foundation or implementation index.
• If the target already exists, the migration is blocked; upgrade stops before migrations or sync, and no file is overwritten.
• Projects installed before the rename from sdlc-harness may contain package.json#sdlcHarness, sdlc-harness.config.json, <harnessRoot>/pjsdlc_managed/**, sdlc-harness.mk or pjsdlc:sdlc-harness managed markers. upgrade --check --json reports these under legacy-sdlc-harness-rename; safe cases copy canonical tyContext / ty-context.config.json and refresh managed paths, while root conflicts, old override skills, unknown old managed content and target conflicts are manual_required or blocked.

The former migration command has been removed because existing users have completed that migration path.

Common Commands

npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context init
npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context init --adopt
npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context export-context --all
npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context export-context --full
npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context export-context --code
make ty-context-check-modularity
npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context check-modularity --touched
make ty-context-sync
make ty-context-upgrade
npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context upgrade --check
npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context upgrade --check --json
npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context validate-context
npx --yes --package project-tiny-context-harness@latest ty-context doctor
make ty-context-doctor
make validate-context
make validate-code-modularity
make validate-harness

make validate-harness runs validate-context and the hard touched-source modularity gate.

Current Boundary

The former stage-based workflow is no longer shipped as a runnable default, compatibility layer or migration command.

The package direction is now smaller: keep the minimum durable facts that help agents recover context and continue safely.