Files
claudetools/.claude/specs/wiki-layer/shape.md
Mike Swanson cd80f5e447 feat: add wiki knowledge layer (Phase 0 + Phase 1 seed)
Implements LLM-compiled wiki layer between raw session logs and live
CONTEXT.md, inspired by Karpathy's knowledge base workflow. Adds wiki/
directory structure, article templates, spec docs, and seeds first two
articles (Cascades of Tucson, GuruRMM) from 60+ session logs.

Updates CLAUDE.md to check wiki first on all context-loading triggers.
Captures verified ACG IP/hostname map and Neptune physical-location
clarification (Dataforth D2, subnet overlap TODO) in memory.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-05-24 15:42:38 -07:00

3.3 KiB

Wiki Layer — Shape Spec

Project: ClaudeTools Internal Tooling Author: Mike Swanson Date: 2026-05-24 Status: Specced, awaiting implementation


Problem

Session logs accumulate as raw chronological records but are never synthesized. Every session start requires re-reading 5-15 logs to reconstruct institutional knowledge about a client, project, or system. This is:

  1. Slow — GrepAI helps but synthesis still happens in-session
  2. Lossy — patterns and connections that span multiple logs don't surface naturally
  3. Non-durable — synthesized understanding lives only in the current context window
  4. Howard-unfriendly — he can't benefit from what Mike's sessions discovered without reading raw logs

The coord API handles live state (locks, messages). CONTEXT.md handles live project state. Memory handles isolated facts. Nothing handles synthesized knowledge — the compiled, connected, queryable layer between raw logs and live state.

Solution: A Wiki Layer

A wiki/ directory of LLM-compiled Markdown articles organized by topic (clients, projects, systems, patterns). The LLM writes and maintains these articles from session logs. Humans rarely touch them directly.

Key properties:

  • Plain .md files — no new tooling, syncs via Git, indexed by GrepAI automatically
  • LLM-maintained — compiled from session logs, not written by hand
  • Cross-linked — backlinks between clients, projects, systems
  • Queryable — /context checks wiki first; much faster signal than raw logs
  • Auditable — compilation metadata tracks what was read and when

Analogy to Current System

Layer What It Is Purpose
session-logs/ Raw chronological records Audit trail, raw source of truth
wiki/ [NEW] LLM-compiled knowledge articles Synthesized, queryable knowledge
.claude/memory/ Isolated discrete facts Fast-access facts (links into wiki)
CONTEXT.md Live project state Current state, not knowledge
Coord API Real-time inter-session comms Locks, messages, component state

Scope

In Scope (Phase 1)

  • wiki/ directory structure and templates
  • /wiki-compile command — compiles session logs into wiki articles for a given scope
  • /context update — checks wiki before raw logs
  • Seed pass: GuruRMM + Cascades as pilot (most logs, highest value)

In Scope (Phase 2)

  • /wiki-lint command — health-checks wiki for stale IPs, broken backlinks, orphaned articles
  • /save integration — prompt after save: "Update wiki for [detected topics]?"
  • Additional seeds: all active clients, all known systems

Out of Scope

  • Obsidian or any special viewer — editors + GrepAI are sufficient
  • RAG pipelines — flat files at our scale, GrepAI handles search
  • Automated compilation without review — human spot-check required
  • Finetuning on wiki content — not worth the complexity
  • Replacing session logs, CONTEXT.md, memory, or coord API — additive only

Success Criteria

  • Starting work on GuruRMM or Cascades takes one wiki read instead of 10 log reads
  • Howard can get full context on any active client by reading one file
  • A stale IP or rate change gets caught by lint before causing a session failure
  • /context returns synthesized answers in seconds, not minutes of log spelunking