Agent Skill
2/7/2026

skill-phase-context

Skill loading tiers: TIER 0 (always), TIER 1 (phase-triggered), TIER 2 (extended). Defines when to load which skills.

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matrixfounder
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npx skills add MatrixFounder/Agentic-development

SKILL.md

Nameskill-phase-context
DescriptionSkill loading tiers: TIER 0 (always), TIER 1 (phase-triggered), TIER 2 (extended). Defines when to load which skills.

name: skill-phase-context description: "Skill loading tiers: TIER 0 (always), TIER 1 (phase-triggered), TIER 2 (extended). Defines when to load which skills." tier: 2 version: 1.1

Phase Context Loading Protocol

This skill defines skill loading tiers to optimize token consumption while preserving automation capabilities.

[!IMPORTANT] Single Source of Truth for Skill Loading Strategy. Reference this skill to understand WHEN to load WHICH skills.

TIER 0: System Foundation — ALWAYS LOADED

[!CAUTION] NEVER lazy-load TIER 0 skills. They enable core automation. These skills MUST be available in EVERY session at bootstrap.

SkillTokensWhy Always Load
core-principles~519Anti-hallucination rules, Stub-First, Documentation First
skill-safe-commands~927Enables automationmv, ls, git, tests auto-run
artifact-management~636Archiving protocol, file management, dual state tracking
TOTAL~2,082Non-negotiable system foundation

TIER 0 Loading Rule

  • Load at session bootstrap (via GEMINI.md / .cursorrules)
  • These skills are loaded BEFORE any phase begins
  • Never remove or defer loading of TIER 0 skills

TIER 1: Phase-Triggered — Load on Phase Entry

These skills are phase-specific and loaded when entering the corresponding phase.

PhaseSkills to LoadApprox. Tokens
Analysisrequirements-analysis, skill-task-model, (skill-archive-task if new task)~2,000-2,900
Architecturearchitecture-design, (architecture-format-core OR -extended)~1,750-3,100
Planningplanning-decision-tree, skill-planning-format, tdd-stub-first~1,425
Developmentdeveloper-guidelines, documentation-standards~1,100
ReviewPhase-specific -review-checklist skill~300-400
Securitysecurity-audit~500
VDDvdd-adversarial, (adversarial-* per workflow)~1,000-2,500

TIER 1 Loading Conditions

Analysis Phase:

  • requirements-analysis — When 02_analyst activated
  • skill-task-model — When creating/updating TASK.md
  • skill-archive-task — When existing TASK.md detected AND new (unrelated) task

Architecture Phase:

  • architecture-design — When 04_architect activated
  • architecture-format-coreDefault for most updates
  • architecture-format-extended — Load ONLY for:
    • Creating NEW system from scratch
    • Major refactor (>3 components affected)
    • User explicitly requests "full architecture template"

Planning Phase:

  • planning-decision-tree — When 06_planner activated
  • skill-planning-format — When creating PLAN.md
  • tdd-stub-first — When stub creation starts

Development Phase:

  • developer-guidelines — When 08_developer activated
  • documentation-standards — When updating docs

Review Phase:

  • Load the appropriate *-review-checklist for the current review type

TIER 2: Extended — Load Only When Explicitly Requested

These skills are specialized and loaded only when explicitly invoked by user or workflow.

SkillTokensLoading Condition
architecture-format-extended~3,000New system / major refactor / user requests full template
skill-reverse-engineering~1,322User requests "sync docs with code" / docs-code mismatch
skill-update-memory~1,101Post-development phase, .AGENTS.md updates needed
skill-adversarial-security~838VDD workflow with security focus
skill-adversarial-performance~946VDD workflow with performance focus
vdd-sarcastic~145VDD workflow with sarcastic mode

Integration

How Agents Should Reference This

Agent prompts should:

  1. Always load TIER 0 skills at session start
  2. Load TIER 1 skills when entering their specific phase
  3. Load TIER 2 skills only when explicitly triggered

Referenced By

  • .gemini/GEMINI.md — TIER 0 at bootstrap
  • .cursorrules — TIER 0 at bootstrap
  • All agent prompts — TIER 1 at phase entry
  • VDD workflows — TIER 2 when invoked
Skills Info
Original Name:skill-phase-contextAuthor:matrixfounder