A Portable Agent Contract Cannot Link to a Local Plan
A Portable Agent Contract Cannot Link to a Local Plan An AGENTS.md file can tell every compatible agent how a repository should be handled. That promise breaks when a rule links to a planning file that exists only on one developer's machine. The link works for its author, then becomes a dead end in a fresh clone. This is a small boundary, but it is a useful test for portable context. If a future…
Portable Agent Contracts must not reference local plans, as the link becomes invalid when cloned to a new machine. An AGENTS.md file defines what every compatible agent should do with a repository. When a rule links to a local file, it fails in a fresh clone. This small boundary checks portable context. If a future contributor cannot read the instruction and its dependencies, it is not yet a project contract.
APC provides portable context, storing repository-owned rules, agent definitions, and non-secret MCP expectations in AGENTS.md and .apc/. APX is the runtime and tooling layer, running agents and storing local operational material separate from the repository. A local plan should be on the APX side unless intentionally shared. A link claims the target is durable and shareable.
If the claim is false, update the contract. Promote decisions, not scratchpads. Extract the lasting rule from a local plan and place it in AGENTS.md or a tracked decision document. Keep raw command output and machine paths local. Promote the decision by linking only to the tracked artifact from APC context. This allows a clean clone to act without importing private or outdated task history.
Promote only the verified conclusion when it becomes a real project constraint. Portable context is a self-contained contract, not a directory of references.
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