---
id: "0031"
date: 2026-07-13
status: Accepted
supersedes: "0019"
superseded-by:
affected-paths: [plugins/os-context/, plugins/os-status/hooks/checks.py]
affected-components: [os-context, os-orchestration, os-status]
---

# 0031 — os-context prompt-composer plugin supersedes single-file os-orchestration

## Context

ADR-0019 shipped os-orchestration, a global plugin whose SessionStart hook injected one hardcoded file (ORCHESTRATION.md). The 2026-07-09 AI-workflow audit surfaced further always-true context worth injecting (kickoff conventions, standing safety rules, decision-memo format), and a one-file plugin cannot host multiple independently maintained rule sets or enforce an injection budget across them.

## Decision

Rename/generalize os-orchestration into os-context (plugins/os-context/): the SessionStart hook is a composer that globs prompts/session-start/*.md, concatenates in filename order (numeric prefixes), and emits one additionalContext block. ORCHESTRATION.md became prompts/session-start/10-orchestration.md with byte-identical injected output. Deterministic line budgets are enforced in the composer (warn at 120 injected lines, refuse at 240). Future event directories (e.g. prompts/user-prompt-submit/) are anticipated by directory naming but only session-start is implemented; no prompts/session-end/ directory will exist because SessionEnd hooks cannot inject model-visible context (ADR-0028 context). The audit-sessions skill moved to /os-context:audit-sessions and its state dir to ~/.local/state/os-context (old path symlinked); os-status references updated in the same change.

## Consequences

Easier: new standing rules ship as small numbered prompt files instead of edits to one monolith; injection cost is bounded by an enforced budget; the plugin name matches its actual domain (session context, not just orchestration). Harder: one-time identity cutover across marketplace/settings/installed-plugin surfaces; historical docs and frozen eval results still say os-orchestration and must be read with the rename note in mind; the OS_ORCH_AUDIT_LEDGER env var name is retained for compatibility despite the rename.

## Alternatives rejected

1) Keep os-orchestration and append new rules to ORCHESTRATION.md - rejected: one monolithic file with no per-ruleset ownership or ordering, and no budget enforcement. 2) Separate plugin per rule set - rejected: each global plugin adds cache-refresh and sync overhead; these rule sets share one event and one budget. 3) Put the new rules in ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md - rejected: CLAUDE.md is not compaction-safe the way the SessionStart matcher (startup|resume|clear|compact) is, and the single-source rule keeps injected rules in exactly one place.
