Server instructions orient the workflow; using-scribe splits into reference files (#4389, #4398) #187

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bvandeusen merged 2 commits from dev into main 2026-09-24 11:30:03 -04:00

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bvandeusen commented 2026-09-24 11:29:59 -04:00

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What this merges

4fb53b8: server instructions (#4389)

• _INSTRUCTIONS drops from 1,998 to 1,503 characters, written as plain practices about how the tools fit together.
• JUDGE, REPORT and MISSED are removed. Each is already stated in full in a skill.
• The instructions budget is now 1,600 characters.

d5dad58: using-scribe split (#4398)

• SKILL.md goes from 478 to 317 lines.
• Three new reference files, each linked from SKILL.md with when to read it: projects.md, writing-records.md and missed-retrieval.md.
• New test_skill_structure checks:
  • SKILL.md stays at or under 350 lines.
  • Every reference file is linked from SKILL.md.
  • No reference file links another.
  • Any reference file over 100 lines opens with a contents list.
• Plugin version is now 2026.09.24.1358.

Verification

• CI run 7469 on d5dad58 passed on every job.
• Run 7453 (4fb53b8) failed only the plugin-version check; d5dad58 fixes that.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

## What this merges **4fb53b8: server instructions (#4389)** - `_INSTRUCTIONS` drops from 1,998 to 1,503 characters, written as plain practices about how the tools fit together. - JUDGE, REPORT and MISSED are removed. Each is already stated in full in a skill. - The instructions budget is now 1,600 characters. **d5dad58: using-scribe split (#4398)** - `SKILL.md` goes from 478 to 317 lines. - Three new reference files, each linked from `SKILL.md` with when to read it: `projects.md`, `writing-records.md` and `missed-retrieval.md`. - New `test_skill_structure` checks: - `SKILL.md` stays at or under 350 lines. - Every reference file is linked from `SKILL.md`. - No reference file links another. - Any reference file over 100 lines opens with a contents list. - Plugin version is now 2026.09.24.1358. ## Verification - CI run 7469 on d5dad58 passed on every job. - Run 7453 (4fb53b8) failed only the plugin-version check; d5dad58 fixes that. 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

bvandeusen added 2 commits 2026-09-24 11:29:59 -04:00

refactor(mcp): _INSTRUCTIONS orients the workflow, not a rulebook (#4389) ... 4fb53b844d

Spike #4389 read the spec, Claude's docs and a dozen servers: the field is
for how the tools fit together, and the field runs ~600-1,600 characters.
Ours sat at the 2,048 cap as a keyword index that also carried stance.

- JUDGE, REPORT and MISSED leave the index. They fire mid-work, not at
  session start; using-scribe and reporting-back state them in full, and
  `placement`/`report_back` cue reporting in-band. No skill text changes.
- The rest is rewritten as plain practices (1,503 chars) and keeps every
  session-start marker the ownership registry pins.
- INSTRUCTIONS_BUDGET 2000 -> 1600; the three index markers are dropped
  from the registry; the miss-route index test now checks that the index
  keeps what_might_apply and stays off the route.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

refactor(skills): using-scribe keeps the every-turn practices; moment-specific depth moves to reference files (#4398) ... d5dad587f1

Anthropic's skill guidance: keep SKILL.md under 500 lines, split into
reference files linked one level deep as it nears that. using-scribe was
478 and every new practice lands there.

- SKILL.md 478 -> 317 lines. It keeps orientation, one copy, the reflexes,
  scope, the judge section, UI and the process-skill index, plus a "Read
  these when the moment comes" list naming each file with its moment.
- projects.md: binding a non-git directory (.scribe) and project inception.
- writing-records.md: where a new rule goes, lesson growth, and notes that
  carry their own check (reflex 10 keeps a pointer).
- missed-retrieval.md: the record-before-dial route, verbatim.
- Text moved, not rewritten, except for the seams and one cross-reference.

Tests:
- tests.helpers.skill_text reads SKILL.md plus its reference files. The
  ownership registry, the miss-route and the verification tests use it, so
  a topic stays owned by its skill whichever file holds it.
- The force test scans every skill .md on its own, since each file is read
  on its own.
- New test_skill_structure: SKILL.md <= 350 lines, every reference file is
  linked from SKILL.md, none links another, and one over 100 lines opens
  with Contents. Each guard is shown to fail.

The plugin version is minted. That also clears 4fb53b8's red Plugin hooks
lane, which failed only because PACKAGING.md changed without a mint.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

bvandeusen merged commit 33c0f2c95d into main 2026-09-24 11:30:03 -04:00

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Reference: bvandeusen/FabledScribe#187