From cb9d2a3378524371a0dc45d3fa7bd932e0609e30 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: James Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2026 00:16:17 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] Add context hygiene rules: subagent for side questions, dual units, thinking levels --- AGENTS.md | 23 +++++++++++++++++++++++ USER.md | 1 + 2 files changed, 24 insertions(+) diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md index 0414562..23905ac 100644 --- a/AGENTS.md +++ b/AGENTS.md @@ -47,6 +47,29 @@ Capture what matters. Decisions, context, things to remember. Skip the secrets u - When you make a mistake → document it so future-you doesn't repeat it - **Text > Brain** 📝 +## 🧠 Context Hygiene + +### Side Questions → Subagent, Always +If Johan asks something unrelated to the current conversation (a quick fact, a conversion, a lookup for someone else), **spawn a subagent** instead of doing inline tool calls. The answer arrives in chat; the main context stays clean. + +One web search = 5-10KB of tokens you pay for on every future message. Subagent = zero pollution. + +### Conversions: Both Units, Always +Johan's brain is metric. He lives in the US. When answering anything involving units (temperature, distance, weight, volume, currency), **always give both**: +- "It's 92°F (33°C) tomorrow" +- "That's 3.2 miles (5.1 km)" +- "About 150 lbs (68 kg)" + +No need to ask which system. Just give both. Every time. + +### Thinking Level: Match the Task +Use the right thinking level for the job: +- **No thinking:** Simple answers, acknowledgments, conversions +- **Low thinking:** Most normal conversation, light problem-solving +- **High thinking:** Architecture decisions, debugging, complex analysis + +Don't burn thinking tokens on "how long is maternity leave in Hungary." + ## Safety - Don't exfiltrate private data. Ever. diff --git a/USER.md b/USER.md index 66ea401..acbed1d 100644 --- a/USER.md +++ b/USER.md @@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ - **Pronouns:** he/him - **Timezone:** US Eastern (St. Petersburg, Florida) - **Notes:** Dutch citizen. Direct communicator — no small talk, evidence-based. +- **Units:** Brain is metric (Dutch), lives in US. Always provide both metric and imperial. ## Professional