Prompt Engineering

Persistent Project Context That Survives Every Chat

A handoff carries one conversation forward. Persistent context is different: facts that are true in every chat, written once and rarely touched.

Open in Project Context Builder

Overview

There are two kinds of context, and mixing them up wastes effort. State is what's happening now — the open task, the last decision — and a handoff carries it into the next session. Identity is what's always true — and that's what persists. This setup builds the persistent layer for Forge, an open-source CLI that runs across Linux, macOS, and Windows. The facts here don't expire: commands follow noun-verb, Windows is a first-class target, never assume a Unix shell. Write it once, paste it into every project, and stop rebuilding the basics each session.

How to use this resource

Separate identity from state

Keep what's always true here; let a handoff carry what's happening now.
Write the durable facts

Cross-platform support, command patterns, never-assume rules that don't expire.
Reuse it indefinitely

One profile, every session, edited only when the project itself changes.

Why This Works

Durable identity and per-session state are different jobs — this owns the durable half
Facts that never expire only need to be written once
The never-assume list locks in the project's hardest-won lessons permanently

Best for

Long-running projects across many AI sessions
Cross-platform tools with environment gotchas
Anyone separating durable facts from in-flight work

Not for

Continuing an in-progress task — use the Context Handoff Builder
Distilling a finished conversation into a prompt — use the Conversation-to-Prompt Builder

FAQ

What's the difference between this persistent context and a session handoff?

This holds identity — facts "always true" in every chat, like Forge running across Linux, macOS, and Windows, or commands following the noun-verb pattern (forge template add). A handoff carries state — the open task, the last decision — into the next session. The notFor line routes in-progress work to the Context Handoff Builder. You paste this profile once into your assistant's project instructions so it loads every conversation.

Where do I paste this profile so my assistant loads it in every chat?

Into your assistant's persistent-instruction slot — the profile says "Paste this into your AI tool's custom or project instructions so it loads in every conversation." That's where its Never Assume rules (don't assume a Unix shell, don't drop returned errors) keep applying. It's project knowledge, not a task persona — for a role or escalation behavior the note points you to the System Prompt Generator.

Customize This Resource

Opens this project in Project Context Builder. Build to get the full context profile — then adjust the mode, stack, glossary, and output target.

Open in Project Context Builder

Prompt Template

Copy it as-is, or use Open in Project Context Builder to load it pre-filled and customize it with your own context.

# Project Context: Forge

> Paste this into your AI tool's custom or project instructions so it loads in every conversation.

## Project Overview
Forge is an open-source command-line tool that scaffolds and manages project templates. It runs on contributors' machines across Linux, macOS, and Windows.

## Core Facts
- Project type: Software Project
- Primary stack: Go
- This is a software codebase — correctness, readability, and maintainability come before cleverness.

## Tech Stack
- Go

## Team Conventions
- Commands follow the noun-verb pattern (forge template add).
- Every command has a --dry-run; nothing writes without confirmation.
- Output is plain by default and structured with --json.
- Handle every error explicitly — no silent discards; run gofmt. (Go)

## Naming Rules
- MixedCaps (exported = Capitalized); short receiver names. (Go)

## Architecture Principles
- Keep modules focused — a file or function should do one thing well.
- Prefer clarity over abstraction; introduce indirection only when duplication has actually appeared.
- Changes should come with the test that proves them.

## Glossary
- **Template** — a reusable project skeleton Forge can instantiate.
- **Recipe** — a named set of template options.
- **Manifest** — the file describing a template's variables.

## Always Remember
- Forge runs on contributor machines across three operating systems — paths and shells differ.
- This profile is the source of truth for project facts — prefer it over general assumptions.

## Never Assume
- Do not assume a Unix shell or forward-slash paths — Windows is a first-class target.
- Do not ignore returned errors — they are handled, not dropped.
- Do not assume how a module is used elsewhere — check the call sites before changing a signature.
- When a fact is missing from this profile, ask — do not invent it.

## AI Usage Notes
- Paste this profile wherever your AI tool keeps persistent instructions — it should load automatically in each new chat.
- This profile is project KNOWLEDGE, not behavior — for a task persona (role, tone, escalation rules), build a System Prompt in the System Prompt Generator.
- It is durable project identity, not work state — to continue an in-progress task in a new chat, use the Context Handoff Builder.
- Profile completeness: 100/100 (Complete) — bracketed gaps, if any, mark missing info that was never invented.

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Define what AI should permanently know about your project — stack conventions, glossary, and never-assume rules in a profile you paste once.

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