Context Init

---
name: context-init
description: Create a new context file for a research Phase. Called once at Phase start to initialize the file that subsequent context-checkpoint calls will append to. Use this skill whenever a new research Phase begins and a fresh context file is needed.
---

# Context Init

Create a new context file for a research Phase. One file per Phase — subsequent checkpoints append to this file.

## When Called

Once at the beginning of each research Phase, imported by the plan file:
```
step: "import context-management:context-init"
```

## Execution Protocol

### Step 1: Get Timestamp

Run the timestamp script to get the current time:

```bash
python <context-management-repo-path>/scripts/timestamp.py
```

Output format: `yyyy-mm-dd-hh-mm` (e.g., `2026-05-16-14-30`)

### Step 2: Determine Topic Slug

Based on the current Phase context, decide a topic slug:
- Lowercase, hyphen-separated
- Reflects the Phase name or research topic
- Examples: `lit-survey`, `gap-analysis`, `protein-folding-ideation`

### Step 3: Create Context File

Create the file at: `context/<timestamp>-<topic-slug>.md`

Write the initial content:

```markdown
# <Phase Topic>

> Created: <yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm>
> Topic: <Research Topic>
> Phase: <Phase Name>

## Plan Context

<Plan excerpt for this Phase: objectives, expected outputs, constraints,
relationship to other Phases in the pipeline>
```

The Plan Context section should contain the relevant plan excerpt describing this Phase's goals, expected deliverables, and how it connects to the broader research pipeline.

### Step 4: Initialize or Update INDEX.md

If `context/INDEX.md` does not exist, create it:

```markdown
# Context Index

| File | Phase | Topic | Checkpoints | Last Updated |
|------|-------|-------|-------------|--------------|
```

Add a new row for this file:

```markdown
| <filename> | <Phase Name> | <Research Topic> | 0 | <yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm> |
```

## Idempotency

If a context file for the current Phase already exists (check INDEX.md for a matching Phase name created in the current session), skip creation and return the existing file path.

## Output

The file path of the created (or existing) context file. This path is used by subsequent `context-checkpoint` calls within the same Phase.