Interpretable Context Methodology

Method from Jake Van Clief, David McDermott, and Eduba (University of Edinburgh). This skill packages operational guidance for agents; it does not claim authorship of ICM itself. See Attribution.

Core Idea

Use folder structure as agent architecture. A project should tell agents where they are, where to go, what to do at one step, which stable references constrain behavior, and which working artifacts to transform. This is an ongoing discipline — build the structure once, then keep it compliant as the project grows.

Keep the system plain-text and harness-agnostic. Use scripts for deterministic mechanical work; use Markdown contracts for judgment, synthesis, routing, and review.

Read icm-patterns.md for layer definitions, the two valid Layer-2/3 shapes, folder templates, fit criteria, token budgets, contract examples, and the validation checklist.

Two valid shapes (read this before auditing)

ICM as published describes a sequential stage pipeline. But the same five layers support a second, equally valid shape, and confusing them is the most common audit error:

• Stage pipeline — a stages/ directory of numbered, sequential contracts (01_research/ → 02_draft/). Layer 2 = stage contracts. Use for sequential, reviewable, repeatable workflows.
• Reference library (roster) — a directory of numbered NN-name/ members each with a CONTEXT.md (e.g. advisors/01-financial-planner/). A library is Layer 3 reference material, not a broken pipeline. A controlling stage selects from it per run; the members are not executed in sequence.