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docs(harness): add spatial-vs-temporal context taxonomy#10

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datashaman merged 2 commits into
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docs/harness-context-taxonomy
May 2, 2026
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docs(harness): add spatial-vs-temporal context taxonomy#10
datashaman merged 2 commits into
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docs/harness-context-taxonomy

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@datashaman datashaman commented May 2, 2026

Summary

Closes #7. Adds a "Context model: spatial vs temporal" section to skills/harness/README.md, naming the two axes the harness already manages and tabling every existing surface against them.

What changed

  • skills/harness/README.md — new section between ## Where the idea comes from and ## When to use. Two tables (spatial / temporal) plus a short framing paragraph and a closing paragraph that locates the PTC loop on both axes.
  • No behaviour change. No edits to scripts, SKILL.md, CLAUDE.md.tmpl, or any other file.

Why

The harness already manages context on two axes — spatial (CLAUDE.md, MEMORY.md index, loaded skills, system prompt) and temporal (post-compact-reinject, auto-memory, memoize, snapshot, monthly audit). We didn't name them that way, so design discussions had no shared vocabulary and gaps weren't visible at a glance. Naming the axes is pure docs leverage — no cost, makes future coverage decisions easier.

Deviations from issue #7's draft

Validation

  • ./scripts/harness-check.sh passes (shellcheck, ruff, mypy, pytest).
  • Tables cross-checked against skills/harness/SKILL.md and the install matrix in the README — every spatial/temporal surface that exists is listed; nothing fabricated.
  • advisor() pass before commit caught two framing tensions that landed in the diff: removed a forward-reference to a non-existent "feedback axis" section, and dropped the verify-before-stop.sh callout from the closing PTC paragraph (it conflicted with the "hooks aren't context" framing right above it).

@datashaman datashaman added the documentation Improvements or additions to documentation label May 2, 2026
@datashaman datashaman self-assigned this May 2, 2026
@datashaman datashaman marked this pull request as ready for review May 2, 2026 07:49
@datashaman datashaman requested a review from Copilot May 2, 2026 07:49
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Pull request overview

Adds a documentation-only “Context model: spatial vs temporal” taxonomy to the /harness README to give a shared vocabulary for how the harness manages context.

Changes:

  • Introduces spatial vs temporal framing and two tables enumerating existing context surfaces/mechanisms.
  • Adds a short paragraph situating the PTC loop across the two axes.

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Comment thread skills/harness/README.md Outdated
Comment thread skills/harness/README.md
- Reframe the hooks-on-feedback-axis claim: post-compact-reinject.sh is
  a hook implementing a context-preservation mechanism, so it stays in
  the temporal table; sensor hooks remain off both tables.
- Add AGENTS.md to the spatial table — referenced in the temporal
  mechanism (post-compact reinjection) but was missing from spatial.
@datashaman datashaman merged commit c889731 into main May 2, 2026
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harness docs: spatial-vs-temporal context taxonomy in README

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