01
Observe
Pull the real signal
Events, files, metrics, and conversations enter the system.
01 The Agentic OS Field Guide
The dashboard is the surface.
The plumbing is the system.
An AI operating system is not a perfect mission control. It is a living stack of context, constraints, workflows, roles, and connections that keeps getting better at one domain.
Click the globe to reveal its layers
One architecture · Three scales · Any model harness
02 The operating loop
Context is static.
The loop makes it an OS.
A folder becomes an operating system when evidence can travel through a repeatable, verifiable cycle.
02
Decide
Apply identity + rules
Purpose and constraints narrow the valid course of action.
03
Execute
Compose skills
An agent chooses the smallest proven workflow that fits.
04
Verify
Run deterministic checks
Hooks test permissions, evidence, quality, and safety.
05
Learn
Write the outcome back
Decisions and results strengthen the substrate for next time.
↖ Outcome returns to the substrate
03 Six layers, one architecture
Build from the inside out.
The layer names stay stable. The application changes with the scale of the system.
Soul, purpose, point of view, pointers
Identity
The canonical definition of the system: who it serves, what it optimizes for, how it reasons, and where deeper context lives.
IN PRACTICE · BUSINESS
“You are a fractional CFO for a bootstrapped SaaS. Optimize for cash and clarity.”
identity.mdprinciples.mdcontext-map.mdFreshness half-life
≈ 240 days
04 The portability layer
Build once.
Run anywhere.
Your OS should not live inside one vendor file. Keep the identity and workflows neutral. Treat every harness file as an adapter.
CANONICAL SOURCE
identity.md + rules/ + skills/One truth, many interfaces01Adapter
Claude Code
CLAUDE.mdA provider adapter that points Claude at the canonical identity, skills, checks, and working context.
canonical OS→Claude Code
02Adapter
Codex
AGENTS.mdDurable repository guidance for Codex. Nested files can specialize instructions without forking the soul.
canonical OS→Codex
03Adapter
Gemini CLI
GEMINI.mdA harness-specific map to the same neutral source, tools, and verification contract.
canonical OS→Gemini CLI
Principle Provider files point inward. They do not become the soul.
05 Context rot simulator
Your OS goes stale.
Plan for the rot.
Drag time forward. Every layer changes at a different rate, so maintenance must be designed—not remembered.
Day14
Fresh1 year
Tools and active agents already need a pulse check.
06 Build your V0
One weekend.
No mission control.
Build the smallest complete loop. Earn complexity by using it.
Friday · 18:00
Empty the brain
Create a wiki folder. Add the evidence you already trust: docs, transcripts, exports, decisions.
Friday · 21:00
Define the soul
Write one neutral identity.md: purpose, audience, point of view, boundaries, and context pointers.
Saturday · 10:00
Add the adapters
Point CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, or your chosen harness file to the same canonical identity.
Saturday · 14:00
Encode two skills
Choose painful workflows you have repeated. Capture inputs, steps, judgment points, and definition of done.
Sunday · 10:00
Materialize one role
Only if the two skills form a real job. Give the agent ownership, limits, and a handoff contract.
Monday
Let reality grade it
Every generic answer becomes a rule. Every risky action becomes a hook. Every stale connector gets a review date.