Topic-Focused Orientation

Overview

Produce a focused orientation briefing for a specific topic by searching across the knowledge graph, knowledge files, journal entries, and research index. Designed for targeted context loading — get only what's relevant instead of everything.

Core principles:

1. Targeted, not exhaustive. Only return information related to the requested topic.
2. Graceful degradation. If MCP Memory Server is not connected, skip graph sections. Knowledge files and research still work.
3. Conversation output. Briefing goes to the conversation, not files. The user can ask to save.
4. Token-conscious. Output stays between ~800-2000 tokens. Orientation briefing, not document dump.

When to Use

User types /orient followed by:

• Topic keyword → search everything for that topic (membrain, data engineering)
• Entity type name → search graph for that type (desires, open tensions)
• Time qualifier → show recent entries (recent, last week, today)
• Combination → compound search (recent membrain, desires and tensions)

Invocation Examples

/orient membrain
/orient desires and tensions
/orient recent evidence
/orient the streaming migration project
/orient data engineering

Workflow Order

Follow in order. Skip a step only when its required component is absent (e.g., MCP not connected → skip Graph).

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Step 1: Parse Input

Classify the argument into one or more of:

Type	Detection	Example
Entity type	Matches known graph type (case-insensitive): Desire, Tension, Evidence, Project, Research, Concept, Value, Idea, Procedure, Question, Goal	desires, open tensions
Time qualifier	Contains: "recent", "latest", "last week", "today", date patterns (YYYY-MM-DD)	recent evidence
Topic keyword	Everything else — natural language	membrain, data engineering

Time qualifier definitions (applies to journal only — graph searches are always full-graph unless the query is explicitly temporal):

• "today" → today's journal entry only
• "recent" / "latest" → journal entries from the last 1 month
• "last week" → journal entries from the last 7 days
• Specific date (YYYY-MM-DD) → that journal entry
• User-specified timeframe → use that instead

Parsing rules:

• Strip filler words ("the", "and", "about") when extracting the core query
• Handle compound inputs: "desires and tensions" → two entity types
• Combinations are valid: "recent membrain" = time qualifier + topic keyword

Entity type vs keyword disambiguation: When a word matches both a known entity type and a plausible keyword (e.g., "project", "research", "idea"), ask the user for clarity before searching: "Does 'project' mean the entity type (graph nodes of type Project) or the topic keyword (anything related to projects)?" Skip this check when context makes the intent obvious (e.g., "open tensions" → entity type).

Entity type reference: Check knowledge/reference.md for the current schema if unsure which entity types exist.

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Step 2: Search Graph

Requires: MCP Memory Server (search_nodes, open_nodes tools available)

If MCP Memory Server is not connected, skip this step entirely and note it in the output: "Graph: MCP Memory Server not connected — skipped."

Smart query construction:

1. Try the topic phrase as a single search_nodes query first (e.g., search_nodes("streaming migration"))
2. If results are sparse (<3 entities), decompose into individual domain-specific keywords — drop generic words like "project", "system", "the" — and search each keyword separately
3. Merge and deduplicate results across queries
4. This uses signal from the first query to decide whether decomposition is needed

Search strategy:

• Call search_nodes("topic") with the parsed topic keyword (using smart query construction above)
• If entity type detected, also call search_nodes("EntityType") for each type
• If both topic and entity type detected, search for both

Hard caps:

Guard	Limit
read_graph	NEVER called — this dumps the entire graph
search_nodes calls	Max 3 per orientation
open_nodes calls	Max 2 per orientation
Entities shown	Max 10
Observations per entity	Max 3

Breadth guard: If search returns >15 results, show the top 10 most relevant and note: (Showing top 10 of N results — narrow your query for more specific results.)

Selection: From results, select the top 10 most relevant entities. Show max 3 observations per entity.

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Step 3: Scan Knowledge Files

1. List the knowledge/ directory to discover what files exist
2. Use the Grep tool to search discovered files for the topic keyword(s)
3. For time qualifiers: list knowledge/journal/ and read matching date entries (most recent first, per time qualifier definitions in Step 1)
4. Extract only the enclosing section (H2/H3 level) around each match — NOT entire files
5. Cap: Aim for 3-5 files; extend beyond if the topic genuinely spans more
6. Cap: Read at most 3 journal entries
7. Prioritization: Prefer files whose filename directly relates to the topic, or that have the most substantive matches (not incidental keyword hits). For files tied on relevance, use these hints:
   • Technical/project topics → prefer projects.md, evidence.md, development_log.md
   • Conceptual/identity topics → prefer core_principles.md, identity.md, procedures.md

If no knowledge/ directory exists, skip this step and note it.

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Step 4: Scan Research Index (conditional)

1. If research/INDEX.md exists, grep it for the topic keyword(s)
2. Check if a research/[topic]/ directory exists — if so, list its files
3. List only — do NOT read synthesis files. Offer to read specific ones.
4. Cap: Show up to 5 matching research entries

If no research/ directory or INDEX.md exists, skip this step.

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Step 5: Present Briefing

Use this output structure. Omit empty sections — do not include a section header with no content.

## Orient: [Topic]

### Graph
- **EntityName** (Type) — observation 1; observation 2; observation 3
- **EntityName** (Type) — observation 1

### Knowledge
> From projects.md: [relevant excerpt — the enclosing section, condensed]
> From evidence.md: [relevant excerpt]

### Journal
- **2026-03-07:** [relevant excerpt from that day's entry]
- **2026-03-06:** [relevant excerpt]

### Research
- `research/membrain/architecture.md` — membrain architecture reference
- `research/agent-memory/hindsight.md` — biomimetic agent memory

### Suggested Queries
- `/orient membrain governance` — governance layer details
- `/orient membrain phase 5` — phase 5 planning context
- `open_nodes(["Desire-Build-Something-Shippable"])` — full desire context (entity details)

Rough token budget per section (guidance, not hard caps):

• Graph: ~500 tokens
• Knowledge: ~500 tokens
• Journal: ~300 tokens
• Research: ~100 tokens (file paths only)
• Suggested Queries: ~100 tokens

Adaptive rules:

• If both Graph and Knowledge are empty, say so explicitly: "No results found for '[topic]'. Try a different keyword or check available entity types."
• Always include at least one populated section or a clear "nothing found" message
• If Graph was skipped due to MCP not being connected, note that in the Graph section position
• Suggested Queries section: include 1-3 queries. Use /orient [topic] for follow-on topic searches. Use open_nodes only when suggesting specific entities the user might want full details on. Never suggest read_graph.

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Step 6: Offer Follow-Up

End with a contextual follow-up offer:

• For topic queries: "Want me to read any of the research files, load more graph entities, or orient on a related topic?"
• For entity-type queries: "Want me to open specific entities for full details?"
• For time queries: "Want me to read more journal entries or search for a specific topic within this timeframe?"
• For compound queries: "Want me to dig deeper into any of these threads, or orient on a sub-topic?"

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Scope Controls Summary

Guard	Limit
read_graph	NEVER called
search_nodes calls	Max 3
open_nodes calls	Max 2
Graph entities shown	Max 10
Observations per entity	Max 3
Knowledge files read	Aim 3-5
Journal entries read	Max 3
Research entries listed	Max 5 (listed, not read)
Total output	~800-2000 tokens
Broad result threshold	>15 results → show top 10 with note

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Calling read_graph	NEVER. Use search_nodes with targeted queries only.
Reading entire knowledge files	Extract only the enclosing H2/H3 section around the match.
Reading research synthesis files	List them. Offer to read specific ones. Don't read proactively.
Exceeding search caps	Stop at 3 search_nodes calls, 2 open_nodes calls. If you need more, offer follow-up queries.
Dumping >15 graph results	Show top 10 most relevant, note the total count.
Including empty sections	Omit sections that have no content. Don't show "### Research" with nothing under it.
Ignoring MCP availability	Check if search_nodes/open_nodes tools exist before calling them. If not, skip Graph and note it.
Wall of text	Keep output between ~800-2000 tokens. This is a briefing, not a report. Condense excerpts.
Suggesting read_graph in follow-ups	Only suggest /orient calls or open_nodes as follow-up queries.
Using grep bash command	Use the Grep tool instead for all file content searches.
Applying time qualifiers to graph	Time qualifiers scope journal entries only. Graph searches are always full-graph.