3. Scope-Attached Rule File
A constraint that auto-applies whenever the agent operates on a matching path or context. Cross-cutting rules ride along instead of needing to be re-stated in every persona.
INDUSTRY TERMS: “instruction file”, “rule”, “memory”, “always-load”.
WHEN TO USE: invariants that must hold across many capabilities (encoding rules, secret-handling, project-specific style) — attach to the path or glob they govern.
KEY PROPERTY: the harness controls when these load (path match, file match). The author does not call them; the runtime injects them.
See also
Section titled “See also”- Persona Scoping File — personas declare WHO; rules declare WHAT INVARIANTS hold.
- Per-harness rule file paths and frontmatter dialects: Harness setup.