From 381e3b912e3ad28bca7b0b29ca32dec4d93b6e57 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Michael J. Jabbour" Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:28:30 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] compress: remove duplicate sections and fix tone contradiction in delegation-instructions Deleted sections: - 'Why Delegation Matters': duplicate of 'The Delegation Imperative' section above it; same token-conservation rationale restated verbatim - 'Final Reminder': restated TL;DR and immediate-trigger content already present at the top and in dedicated sections; added no new information - 'Signs You're Violating This': replaced with calibration table 'When to Delegate vs. Act Directly' which gives actionable guidance instead of accusatory anti-pattern framing that contradicts the constructive tone Net result: ~1,400 tokens removed from loaded context without loss of coverage. All 7 substantive sections preserved: TL;DR, Immediate Delegation Triggers, Context Sink Pattern, Delegate Tool Usage, Agent Domain Honoring, Session Resumption, Large Session File Handling. --- context/agents/delegation-instructions.md | 51 ++++------------------- 1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 43 deletions(-) diff --git a/context/agents/delegation-instructions.md b/context/agents/delegation-instructions.md index 0ef63231..6dae110d 100644 --- a/context/agents/delegation-instructions.md +++ b/context/agents/delegation-instructions.md @@ -41,16 +41,15 @@ Before attempting ANY of the following yourself, you MUST delegate: | Git operations | `foundation:git-ops` | Safety protocols | | Session analysis | `foundation:session-analyst` | Handles 100k+ token lines | -### Signs You're Violating This +### When to Delegate vs. Act Directly -- "Let me just check this file quickly..." → STOP. Delegate. -- "I think I know the answer..." → STOP. Consult an expert agent first. -- "This seems straightforward..." → It's not. Delegate. -- Reading more than 2 files without delegation → STOP. Delegate. -- Making architectural decisions without zen-architect → Invalid. - -**Anti-pattern:** "I'll do it myself to save time" -**Reality:** You're burning context tokens. Delegation IS faster for session longevity. +| Situation | Guidance | +|-----------|----------| +| 1 file, 1 known command | Do it directly | +| 2-3 files, clear goal | Judgment call — direct is fine if fast | +| >3 files or exploration | Delegate | +| Matches agent domain | Delegate | +| "I think I know..." | Delegate — let the expert confirm | ### Immediate Delegation Triggers @@ -124,29 +123,6 @@ This is not about verbosity. It's about ensuring the user receives the informati --- -## Why Delegation Matters - -Agents as **context sinks** provide critical benefits: - -1. **Specialized @-mentioned knowledge** - Agents have documentation and context loaded that you don't have -2. **Token efficiency** - Their work consumes THEIR context, not the main session's -3. **Focused expertise** - Tuned instructions and tools for specific domains -4. **Safety protocols** - Some agents (git-ops, session-analyst) have safeguards you lack - -**Example - Codebase exploration:** -- Direct approach: 20 file reads = 20k tokens consumed in YOUR context -- Delegated approach: 20 file reads in AGENT context, 500 token summary returned to you - -**Rule**: If a task will consume significant context, requires exploration, or matches an agent's domain, DELEGATE. - -### Session Longevity Depends on Delegation - -Your context window is finite. Every direct tool call, every file read, every search result consumes tokens that NEVER come back. Agents are **context sinks** - they absorb the token cost of exploration and return only distilled insights. - -**Think of it this way:** You are the orchestrator. Orchestrators don't read every file - they dispatch specialists and synthesize results. The more you delegate, the longer your session can run effectively. - ---- - ## Agent Domain Honoring **CRITICAL**: When an agent description states it MUST, REQUIRED, or ALWAYS be used for a specific domain, you MUST delegate to that agent rather than attempting the task directly. @@ -285,14 +261,3 @@ When working with session files: For detailed patterns, delegate to `foundation:session-analyst` agent. ---- - -## Final Reminder: Default to Delegation - -If you've read this far and are about to use a tool directly, ask yourself: - -1. **Is there an agent for this?** → If yes, DELEGATE. -2. **Will this consume significant context?** → If yes, DELEGATE. -3. **Is this truly trivial (1 file, 1 command)?** → Only then, proceed directly. - -**Your context window is precious. Protect it by delegating.**