Sk Hierarchical Context

Hierarchical Context Maps — Distributed Architecture Context

> Distributes architectural knowledge across the repository by placing a PIPELINE-CONTEXT.md in each significant subdirectory. Agents operating within a directory acquire scope-relevant context automatically, conserving tokens and improving reasoning focus.

The Hierarchical Context system places localized PIPELINE-CONTEXT.md files throughout the project tree rather than centralizing knowledge in a single large file. An agent working in src/api/ loads only the context relevant to that directory instead of an entire monolithic prompt.

A localized markdown file (PIPELINE-CONTEXT.md) describing the purpose and boundaries of its resident directory. The recursive process of generating context maps for all significant project directories.

Protocol Execution

1. DIRECTORY TRAVERSAL

• Identify all significant architectural boundaries (e.g., src/, components/, api/, utils/).
• Skip ignored directories (e.g., node_modules/, .git/, dist/).

2. CONTEXT GENERATION

For each significant directory, create a PIPELINE-CONTEXT.md adhering to LLM-readability standards (Scribius format):

• H1-First & Summary: Begin with an H1 header (# Directory Name) followed immediately by a blockquote summary (> ).
• Cache-Stable Ordering: Place static context (purpose, constraints) before volatile elements.
• XML-Anchored Content: Wrap structured information in semantic XML envelopes:
• ``: A concise summary of what the directory does.
• ``: Specific rules (e.g., "no database access in components").
• ``: Bulleted list of primary modules and their responsibilities.
• ``: How the directory interacts with the broader system.
• Voice & Tone: Third-person impersonal voice, positive scoping, and unambiguous noun anchors (never "this" or "it" without a preceding noun). Preambles omitted.

3. ROOT CONTEXT INJECTION

• Generate a root-level PIPELINE-CONTEXT.md that serves as the entry point, detailing the overall system architecture and linking to subdirectory context maps.

4. MAINTENANCE

• When files are significantly refactored during pipeline execution, flag the relevant PIPELINE-CONTEXT.md for a required update.

• NEVER generate a single monolithic context file; always distribute context hierarchically.
• ALWAYS respect .gitignore when traversing the repository.
• Context maps remain concise and free of redundant code snippets; summaries replace inline code.
• ALWAYS format PIPELINE-CONTEXT.md files according to Scribius standards (XML envelopes, H1-first, impersonal voice).

Reference Files

• ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/sk-pipeline-paths/SKILL.md — Path resolution guidelines.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: gustavo-meilus
• Source: gustavo-meilus/superpipelines
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.