Role
Keeps rules and machine-facing context close to the knowledge they govern.
Component / Operating layer
system/ folder
The internal operating layer: contracts, docs, scripts, indexes, workflow state, templates, and agent instructions that make the vault runnable.
Contains
- system/docs/agent-instructions.md
- system/scripts/vault/*
- contracts and validation rules
- workflow queues, indexes, generated artifacts
Interfaces
- Hermes reads these before vault work
- Scripts create validated mutations
- Agents use this as operational context
Maintenance rule
Operational files live here when they help validate, route, index, or instruct the vault workflow.
Reliability signal
A future agent can read the folder and understand the contract before changing anything.
What goes in
Operational contracts, scripts, schemas, and docs enter here only when they are reusable system infrastructure rather than one-off notes.
What comes out
The folder should answer how the knowledge system works: contracts, validation, automation hooks, and agent-readable instructions live in predictable places.
Quality check
Is this a reusable contract or script, does it have a stable owner/path, and would changing it affect multiple capture or validation flows?
Concrete example
A validation script, schema contract, or agent instruction belongs here when multiple workflows depend on it. A one-off brainstorm or private reflection should stay in normal notes instead.
What stays private
Describe contracts and maintenance rules at the system level; do not publish private automation paths, credentials, or vault-only procedures.
Failure mode: If system rules live only in chat memory, they drift and cannot be audited.