Claude Code First, specification version 0.1.0. The plain-language guide
Version 0.1.0. Level 1. Best evidence grade R3/S3.
IS-2 The every-turn file is an index
Where a project has an every-turn file, it SHOULD hold only what a turn touching no specific area needs, and point to trigger-loaded skill bodies or files read on demand for the rest.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Keyword | SHOULD |
| Level | 1 |
| Checked | by judgement |
| Findings | F2 |
| Harness facts | H1, H2, H3 |
| Threat | construct: the every-turn file was measured, not what a task reads in total |
| Status | active |
Rationale: a skill's body costs context only on the turns that use it (H3), while the every-turn file costs it on all of them. Shio's split took its every-turn file from 185,734 to 14,433 bytes, and roadkeep moved 26 lines needed only on build or commit turns into a skill, taking its file from 125 to 104 of 125 lines (F2, R3/S3). The evidence would admit MUST, but decision D2 in ../evidence/divergences.md sets this rule at SHOULD, and no finding shows that the move reduced what a task read in total: in Shio the moved content exceeded what it replaced (F2).