story-context

What this skill does

# Story Context

Every subagent handoff starts with a context decision. Get it wrong and the
writer invents facts that contradict established canon, the critic misses a
continuity issue because it never saw the relevant chapter, or the brainstormer
explores territory the author already rejected.

A subagent only knows what you give it. This skill is the judgment: what story
context to pass, when to write decisions down before handing off, and how much
is enough.

## Choose the Right Mechanism

Three ways to get context to a subagent, each for a different situation.

**Point at files**: when context already exists as files — chapters, outlines,
wiki pages, style files, character state. Default choice, because files are
stable, inspectable, and survive compaction. Name the specific files in the
subagent's prompt and scope tightly: pass the files that matter, not everything.

**Put it in the prompt**: when the subagent needs decisions, reasoning, or
brainstorm context that hasn't been written down yet. Capture the *why* behind
choices directly in the prompt — why the author picked this angle, what they
rejected.

**Materialize first**: when context is too important to be ephemeral. If
critical story decisions only live in the conversation, write them to `kb/` or
`work/` *before* handing off. If a writer could accidentally contradict this
context, materialize it. If it's supplementary background, putting it in the
prompt is fine.

## What Each Agent Needs

### Writers

Writers need enough to stay in voice and on-canon, not everything ever written:

- **Scene brief or outline**: what happens in this scene, the beats to hit
- **Relevant style files**: check `kb/styles/` and pick the files that match.
  Character files for whoever appears, scene-type files for the kind of scene.
  Each style file is self-describing: read the top to know when it applies.
- **Continuity anchors**: the immediately preceding chapter or scene (for
  flow), plus any chapters that establish facts this scene references. Two to
  four files, not the entire manuscript.
- **Character state**: character files from `kb/characters/` for characters
  who appear, especially if their emotional state or knowledge has changed
  recently
- **Vocab**: relevant `vocab.md` files when the scene uses invented terms,
  magic/faction names, titles, relationship labels, or genre terms with
  project-specific meanings

Tell the writer where to find more if it needs to explore, for example: "the
full arc outline is in `work/outline/`; focus on the Route 1 section." Avoid
passing everything preemptively.

### Critics

Critics need the draft plus enough context to judge it against:

- **The draft being reviewed**
- **The scene brief or outline**: so the critic can check whether the draft
  achieved what it was supposed to
- **Relevant style files**: so voice critics can compare against the target
- **Prior chapters for continuity**: so continuity critics can cross-reference
- **Author intent**: the direction the author discussed, via materialized
  decision notes or directly in the prompt
- **Known issues**: tracked issues in `kb/issues/` if the critic should watch
  for specific recurring problems
- **Vocab**: relevant `vocab.md` files when consistency of naming, aliases,
  deprecated terms, or invented language matters

### Brainstormers

Brainstormers need constraints, not answers:

- **The question being explored**: scoped tightly in the prompt
- **Established context that constrains the answer**: character profiles,
  timeline, prior decisions that limit the design space
- **What's been rejected**: so they don't re-propose dead ends
- **Existing vocabulary**: enough vocab context to avoid minting new names for
  concepts the project has already named

Don't pass too much: brainstormers that receive the full project history tend
to produce conservative ideas that fit neatly into existing patterns instead of
exploring fresh territory.

### Knowledge Maintenance

- **Chronicler**: the chapter(s) to extract facts from, plus existing canon
  files, timeline entries, and vocab files for deduplication
- **Continuity-checker**: the draft plus canon, timeline, character state, and
  vocab files for any domains the draft touches

## Cross-Phase Context

Carry forward what a previous phase learned. The revision writer benefits from
seeing what the first-draft writer discovered; the critic benefits from seeing
prior critique rounds. When you run a multi-step loop, include the earlier
phase's notes and the files it produced in the next subagent's prompt — reasoning
context for the *why*, files for the *what*.

## Vocab Handoffs

Treat vocabulary as operational story context. If a writer, critic, or
brainstormer could choose the wrong name for a concept, pass the relevant
`vocab.md` file or write the decision down before handing off. This matters most
for magic systems, factions, recurring in-world phrases, titles, relationship
labels, and terms the author corrected during conversation.

When a session settles terminology, record it before handoff: canonical name,
meaning, aliases still in circulation, and boundaries that prevent likely
confusion.