rule-loader

Rule Loader

Selects and loads the correct set of rule files for any user request, ensuring consistent rule discovery across agents and sessions.

Purpose

Given a user request, determine which rules to load, in what order, respecting dependencies and token budgets. This skill formalizes the rule-loading algorithm defined in AGENTS.md Steps 1-3 into a reusable, progressively-disclosed workflow.

Use this skill when

• Loading rules for a new user request (first response or task switch)
• Resolving which domain rules match a file extension
• Determining activity rules from request keywords
• Managing token budgets when multiple rules are candidates
• Debugging why a rule was or was not loaded
• Building rule-loading logic into new agent configurations

Inputs

Required

• user_request: string - The user's message text to analyze for keywords, extensions, and technologies

Optional

• rules_path: string (default: rules/) - Path to the rules directory
• token_budget_limit: number (default: 20000) - Hard maximum token budget for loaded rules. A soft warning triggers at 75% of this value (default: 15,000) to begin evaluating Low-tier deferrals.
• context_tier_filter: string (default: all) - Filter by ContextTier: all, critical, critical+high, critical+high+medium

Input Validation

Before executing Phase 1:

1. user_request must be a non-empty string. If empty or whitespace-only: STOP with "No user request provided."
2. token_budget_limit must be a positive integer >= 5000. If below 5000: WARN "Token budget too low for foundation + any domain rule. Minimum recommended: 5000."
3. context_tier_filter must be one of: all, critical, critical+high, critical+high+medium. If invalid: WARN and default to all.

Output (required)

A ## Rules Loaded section listing all selected rules with loading reasons, formatted per AGENTS.md Step 4.

Example output:

## Rules Loaded
- rules/000-global-core.md (foundation)
- rules/200-python-core.md (file extension: .py)
- rules/100-snowflake-core.md (dependency of 101)
- rules/101-snowflake-streamlit-core.md (keyword: Streamlit)
- rules/206-python-pytest.md (keyword: test)
- [Deferred: 204-python-docs.md - Low tier, not required for task]