ContextOS CLI

ContextOS CLI is a lightweight local continuity layer for AI-assisted work.

Its current validated core is small:

contextos init
contextos objective set
contextos boundary add

The central thesis is:

continuity is operational
authority remains bounded

What It Is

ContextOS CLI records a small local continuity surface for a project.

It helps preserve:

• active direction;
• explicit limits;
• append-only provenance;
• local recoverability;
• explicit approval state;
• bounded authority.

The local core is:

.contextos/
  objective.md
  boundaries.md
  timeline.jsonl

The current invariant is:

approval_required: true
authority_granted: false

What It Is Not

ContextOS CLI is not:

• an AI agent;
• an orchestration runtime;
• autonomous execution;
• policy enforcement;
• automatic approval;
• a deploy tool;
• a build tool;
• a stack detector.

Recording an objective is not approval.

Recording a boundary is not enforcement.

Timeline events preserve continuity. They do not replay, execute, approve, or authorize actions.

Install

From the repository root:

python -m pip install -e contextos/

Then verify the CLI is available:

contextos --help

If you do not install the package, you can run the CLI directly from the repository root:

python contextos/contextos_cli.py --help

Usage

Initialize the local continuity surface:

contextos init

Record active direction:

contextos objective set "stabilize auth workflow"

Record an explicit limit:

contextos boundary add "no deploy authorized"

Equivalent direct Python form from the repository root:

python contextos/contextos_cli.py init
python contextos/contextos_cli.py objective set "stabilize auth workflow"
python contextos/contextos_cli.py boundary add "no deploy authorized"

Local Files

contextos init creates:

.contextos/
  objective.md
  boundaries.md
  timeline.jsonl

Current validated local files:

• .contextos/objective.md stores the active direction.
• .contextos/boundaries.md stores explicit limits.
• .contextos/timeline.jsonl stores append-only continuity events.

Timeline

timeline.jsonl is append-only.

Current validated event types:

objective.set
boundary.added

Each event keeps:

{
  "approval_required": true,
  "authority_granted": false
}

The timeline records provenance. It does not execute actions, enforce policy, or grant approval.

Explicit Boundaries

The current local core preserves these boundaries:

• active context is not approval;
• explicit limits are not enforcement;
• append-only continuity is not execution;
• readiness is not authority;
• approval remains explicit;
• authority remains false unless a human grants it outside this CLI.

Current State

The current project state is:

minimal governed continuity core

Validated core:

objective -> active direction
boundary -> explicit limit
timeline -> append-only provenance

Final assessment of the current core:

Governed continuity improved.
Operational authority did not expand.

No autonomous execution, orchestration, policy enforcement, deployment, or automatic approval is claimed by this README.