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compress: remove duplicate sections and fix tone conflict in delegation-instructions #143

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51 changes: 8 additions & 43 deletions context/agents/delegation-instructions.md
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -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

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -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.
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -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.**
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