ai-config-authoringlisted

# AI Config Authoring ## Core Principle: Context Is a Budget Every always-loaded line competes with the user's actual task for model attention, and attention degrades as volume grows — bloated config makes agents ignore the instructions that matter. Pay the always-on price only for content needed every session; defer everything else behind on-demand loading (progressive disclosure). For each line, apply the deletion test: would removing it cause mistakes? If not, cut it. ## Budget Table | Artifact | Budget | Cost is paid | |---|---|---| | Always-on instruction file | < 200 lines | Every session, every turn | | Glob-scoped rule | < 200 lines each | Only while matching files are in play | | Skill metadata (name + description) | ~100 tokens per skill | Every session, all skills | | Skill body (SKILL.md) | < 500 lines / < 5k tokens | Only when the skill triggers | | Skill bundled files | Effectively unlimited | Only when read or executed | | Subagent | Isolated window | Separate budget; only its summary returns | | Hook | Zero context | Never — scripts run outside the context | ## The Artifact-Type Landscape The first matching row picks the type. Full comparison — vendor support, failure modes, migration paths — in [references/choosing-types.md](references/choosing-types.md). | The content is... | Use | |---|---| | Mechanical, must happen 100% of the time, no judgment | Hook | | Identity, commands, conventions relevant to every task | Always-on instruction file | | A stand