playbook/outfitter-agents/plugins/outfitter/skills/claude-skills/references/context-modes.md

2.9 KiB

Context Modes

How context field controls skill execution environment.

inherit (default)

Skill runs in the main conversation context.

Characteristics:

  • Access to full conversation history
  • Prior tool results available
  • Changes affect main context
  • Shared memory/state

When to use:

  • Skills that build on conversation context
  • Iterative workflows
  • Skills that need prior decisions/results
---
name: code-improver
context: inherit
---

fork

Skill runs in isolated subagent context.

Characteristics:

  • Clean context (no conversation history)
  • Only skill instructions + user input
  • Results return to main context, but intermediate work doesn't
  • Can run in parallel

When to use:

  • Prevent context pollution from verbose analysis
  • Parallel execution of independent tasks
  • Specialized processing that shouldn't affect main flow
  • Security-sensitive operations with limited exposure
---
name: security-audit
context: fork
agent: outfitter:reviewer
model: sonnet
---

Fork Configuration

When using context: fork, additional fields control the subagent:

Field Purpose Example
agent Agent type for the fork outfitter:analyst
model Model override haiku, sonnet, opus

Agent Selection

Choose agents based on the skill's purpose:

Agent Best For
outfitter:analyst Research, analysis, synthesis
outfitter:reviewer Code review, security audit
outfitter:engineer Implementation, refactoring
Explore Read-only codebase exploration

Model Selection

Model When to Use
haiku Fast, simple tasks, exploration
sonnet Balanced (default)
opus Complex reasoning, nuanced judgment

Patterns

Analysis Without Pollution

---
name: codebase-metrics
context: fork
agent: outfitter:analyst
model: haiku
description: Analyzes codebase for metrics without polluting main context
---

The skill can do extensive file reading and analysis; only the summary returns.

Parallel Security Reviews

---
name: security-scan
context: fork
agent: outfitter:reviewer
model: sonnet
---

Multiple security scans can run in parallel via run_in_background: true in Task tool.

Specialized Processing

---
name: log-analyzer
context: fork
agent: Explore
model: haiku
description: Processes large log files without filling main context
---

Decision Guide

Scenario Context Why
Building on conversation inherit Needs prior context
One-off analysis fork Keep main context clean
Verbose intermediate work fork Prevent pollution
Parallel execution fork Independent subagents
Iterative refinement inherit Needs state between calls
Security-sensitive fork Isolated, controlled exposure