01
Active Rules
Current instructions and preferences. Read first. Edit in place when a rule changes so the file always states what governs now.
Grant Resource Studio™
Working Context System
Carry agreed context across AI sessions using current rules, a dated log and durable reference, with human-approved updates.
A small, human-governed record of what is true now, why it changed and what your AI assistant should load next.
Keep agreed context in plain files you own, so it can travel between suitable tools. The method and introductory template pack are free to use, adapt and share.
Get the free Working Context System packKeep an explicit working record
Native memory can help an assistant continue a conversation, retain useful details and reduce repeated briefing. A separate record is useful when you need to inspect the current position, understand why it changed or carry it between people and tools.
Product features vary by plan, settings and surface. The method does not depend on a claim that an assistant has no memory. It concerns the record you choose to govern and maintain.
It is most useful for recurring work across projects, clients or organisations. For occasional one-off questions, native memory or a single context document may be enough.
Three records, each with a job
02
The Log
Dated decisions, corrections and learnings. Append entries without rewriting history, so you can see why the current position changed.
03
Durable Reference
Stable facts and pointers to the source material that owns the detail. Update the current fact in its proper section.
Point, do not copy
Substantial work stays in its own document, spreadsheet, deck or thread. A pointer records its exact name, location, purpose and when a later session should open it. Avoid keeping competing copies of the same fact.
When a topic gets rich, give it a file
A recurring subject may need its own document. Durable Reference keeps a short pointer. From the second update, its own Change Log records changes at the foot, leaving a breadcrumb in the main Log.
Leave routine activity out
Ask whether a future session would behave differently because of an item, or whether someone will need to find and reread it. Most drafts, searches and conversations belong nowhere in these records.
Start, work, wrap up, approve
- Start. Ask for the session to begin. The assistant reads Active Rules, Durable Reference and relevant pointed-to sources. It confirms what it loaded.
- Work. Use the assistant for the task, opening the relevant sources as the work changes direction.
- Wrap up. Ask what deserves to carry forward. The assistant proposes the correct home for a rule, decision, lasting fact, pointer, task or relationship update.
- Approve. Check and correct the proposal. Only then may the assistant apply the agreed changes where it has write access.
If a file is missing, the assistant should report the failed load. If it can only read, it should provide proposed changes for you to apply. It must not claim an update was saved when the source could not be written.
Four acts that stay with you
Refusing
Most of a session is recorded nowhere. You also refuse instructions that break a standing rule. This keeps the record small and the governing rules meaningful.
Retiring
Changing a current rule or fact in place deliberately supersedes the old version. The Log preserves the reason and history.
Filing
Choose the record that owns an item. A standing instruction, a historical decision and a reference fact carry different authority.
Ruling
When a rule, current fact and old session note disagree, a person decides which governs. The assistant proposes and drafts. You keep authority over that choice.
A nervous system for work with AI
As an analogy, the assistant supplies the reasoning while these records supply continuity. Active Rules act like reflexes, the Log preserves learning, Durable Reference holds the body of knowledge, and pointers connect it to the work. This is an aid to understanding, not a technical claim.
Carry relationships and actions forward
For a solo practice or small pipeline, the included relationship tracker records who the relationship is with, how it began, current status, last contact and the next agreed action. Larger teams or more complex pipelines may still need a CRM.
For example, a later session can reopen a client thread from the current decision, its history and pointers to the right documents. At wrap-up, the assistant proposes the changed status and next action. After approval, it updates the tracker as part of the work. This reduces a separate administrative task when the routine is maintained.
Outstanding actions belong in a task manager or separate task list. A connected assistant can check it at session start and propose new or completed tasks at wrap-up. The context files retain knowledge. The task tool records what is still owed.
Using the record with other people
Keep the shared master in a workspace the group can reach, such as a team wiki or shared document space. Each person can keep their own assistant and account. What is shared is the agreed organisational record, not private chat history.
Use ordinary workspace permissions, version history and an agreed editing routine. Decide who can change Active Rules, record who approved changes, and coordinate simultaneous edits. An append-only log preserves provenance but cannot prevent concurrent writing conflicts.
For solo use, a folder of plain files can be sufficient. A synced folder can carry it between machines. Shared work needs a deliberately shared master and access arrangements.
Set it up in the tools you already use
The pack contains 01 Active rules.md, 02 Log.md, 03 Durable reference.md, 04 Relationship tracker.csv, the working-context-skill folder, a START HERE guide and a setup note.
- Fill Durable Reference with an honest first account of the work and useful pointers.
- Follow the setup note to install the session skill, or a suitable wrapper. Test what the assistant can actually read and write.
- Run ordinary sessions with the start and wrap ritual. Refine the right record when an agreed change deserves to carry forward.
Markdown is portable plain text that people and assistants can read. An ordinary text editor is enough. A Markdown reader can display headings and links. Try the tools you already use before changing a subscription.
Get the free Working Context System packWhat it takes to keep working
The benefit depends on repetition and editorial judgement. If current rules are never loaded or changes are never reviewed, the record goes stale. Organising unclear notes cannot supply missing evidence or settle a decision nobody has made.
Direct approved updates require write access. A read-only or attachment-based setup needs someone to apply proposed replacements and make the updated master available next time. Test access rather than assuming a connector can write.
Periodic housekeeping becomes useful as a system accumulates history: check stale facts, duplication and detail that belongs elsewhere. The full housekeeping method is beyond the introductory resource’s scope; the pack provides the records and session routine needed to begin.
The pack carries working context. A link to a Starter Kit knowledge document can point to organisational information used for the work; this page does not claim the released pack automatically maintains that document.
Origins and related work
The first version was inspired by MJ Jaindl’s four-file Claude setup. Grant Resource Studio adapted it through daily use, separating current rules, dated history, durable facts and operational records.
Related precedents include Claude Code’s persistent instructions, MemGPT’s external-memory research and Basic Memory’s Markdown-based knowledge system. These are adjacent approaches, not identical implementations. This is a practitioner method, not a research finding.
Use it independently or discuss support
Networks and support bodies can discuss an introduction or a separately scoped hands-on workshop. For help with a published resource in your tools, enquire about setup.
For funding knowledge, explore the Starter Kit, the Application Review Kit or a commissioned build.