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/skill-context-detection

Auto-detect work context (Dev vs Knowledge) — use to tailor workflows based on current task type

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octo
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Install
$ npx -y skills add nyldn/claude-octopus --skill skill-context-detection --agent claude-code

How it fires

How this skill gets triggered: by you, by Claude, or both.

  • Fires itselfAuto-invocation. Claude auto-loads it when your prompt matches the work.Auto-invocation is when the right skill fires by itself at the right moment, driven by a FLOW.md router and a hook, instead of you invoking it by name. It is the difference between a skill being installed and a skill actually getting used.Read the full definition →
  • You can call itInvoke it directly when you want it.
  • Slash command/skill-context-detection

Context preview

The summary Claude sees to decide when to auto-load this skill.

Auto-detect work context (Dev vs Knowledge) — use to tailor workflows based on current task type

SKILL.md

skill-context-detection.SKILL.md
name: skill-context-detection
description: "Auto-detect work context (Dev vs Knowledge) — use to tailor workflows based on current task type"
disable-model-invocation: true

> **Host: Codex CLI** — This skill was designed for Claude Code and adapted for Codex. > Cross-reference commands use installed skill names in Codex rather than `/octo:*` slash commands. > Use the active Codex shell and subagent tools. Do not claim a provider, model, or host subagent is available until the current session exposes it. > For host tool equivalents, see `skills/blocks/codex-host-adapter.md`.

Context Detection - Internal Skill

Purpose

This skill provides **automatic context detection** to determine whether the user is working in a **Development context** (code-focused) or **Knowledge context** (research/strategy-focused). This replaces the manual `/octo:km` toggle with intelligent auto-detection.

Detection Algorithm

When a workflow skill activates, detect context using these signals:

Step 1: Check for Explicit Override

If user has explicitly set mode via `/octo:km on` or `/octo:km off`, respect that setting.

# Check if knowledge mode is explicitly set
if [[ -f ~/.claude-octopus/config/knowledge-mode ]]; then
  EXPLICIT_MODE=$(cat ~/.claude-octopus/config/knowledge-mode)
  if [[ "$EXPLICIT_MODE" == "on" ]]; then
    echo "knowledge"
    exit 0
  elif [[ "$EXPLICIT_MODE" == "off" ]]; then
    echo "dev"
    exit 0
  fi
fi
# If "auto" or not set, proceed with auto-detection

Step 2: Analyze Prompt Content (Strongest Signal)

**Knowledge Context Indicators** (check prompt for these terms):

  • Business/strategy: "market", "ROI", "stakeholders", "strategy", "business case", "competitive"
  • Research: "literature", "synthesis", "academic", "papers", "research question"
  • UX: "personas", "user research", "journey map", "pain points", "interviews"
  • Deliverables: "presentation", "report", "PRD", "proposal", "executive summary"

**Dev Context Indicators** (check prompt for these terms):

  • Technical: "API", "endpoint", "database", "function", "class", "module"
  • Actions: "implement", "debug", "refactor", "test", "deploy", "build"
  • Artifacts: "code", "tests", "migration", "schema", "controller"

**Scoring:**

  • Count knowledge indicators in prompt
  • Count dev indicators in prompt
  • Higher count wins
  • If tied, check project context (Step 3)

Step 3: Analyze Project Context (Secondary Signal)

**Dev Project Indicators:**

  • Has `package.json`, `Cargo.toml`, `go.mod`, `pyproject.toml`, `pom.xml`
  • Has `src/`, `lib/`, `app/` directories with code files
  • Recent files are `.ts`, `.js`, `.py`, `.go`, `.rs`, `.java`

**Knowledge Project Indicators:**

  • Has `docs/`, `research/`, `strategy/`, `reports/` directories
  • Majority of files are `.md`, `.docx`, `.pdf`, `.pptx`
  • No code package managers detected

Step 4: Default Fallback

If signals are ambiguous or equal:

  • In a git repo with code files → Default to **Dev Context**
  • No code files detected → Default to **Knowledge Context**

Context Output Format

Return detected context as a structured object for use by workflow skills:

{
  "context": "dev" | "knowledge",
  "confidence": "high" | "medium" | "low",
  "signals": {
    "prompt_indicators": ["API", "endpoint", "database"],
    "project_type": "node_typescript",
    "explicit_override": false
  }
}

How Workflow Skills Use Context

flow-discover (Research)

| Aspect | Dev Context | Knowledge Context | |--------|-------------|-------------------| | **Research Focus** | Technical implementation, library comparison, code patterns | Market analysis, academic synthesis, competitive research | | **Primary Agents** | Codex (implementation), Antigravity (ecosystem) | Antigravity (analysis), research-synthesizer | | **Output Format** | Code examples, API comparisons, tech recommendations | Reports, frameworks, strategic recommendations | | **Visual Banner** | `🔍 [Dev] Discover Phase: Technical research` | `🔍 [Knowledge] Discover Phase: Strategic research` |

flow-develop (Build)

| Aspect | Dev Context | Knowledge Context | |--------|-------------|-------------------| | **Build Focus** | Code generation, implementation, architecture | PRDs, strategy docs, presentations | | **Primary Agents** | Codex (code), backend-architect, tdd-orchestrator | product-writer, strategy-analyst, exec-communicator | | **Output Format** | Source files, tests, migrations | Documents, frameworks, action plans | | **Visual Banner** | `🛠️ [Dev] Develop Phase: Building code` | `🛠️ [Knowledge] Develop Phase: Building deliverables` |

flow-deliver (Review)

| Aspect | Dev Context | Knowledge Context | |--------|-------------|-------------------| | **Review Focus** | Code quality, security, performance | Document quality, argument strength, completeness | | **Primary Agents** | code-reviewer, security-auditor | exec-communicator, strategy-analyst | | **Quality Gates** | OWASP, test coverage, maintainability | Evidence quality, clarity, actionability | | **Visual Banner** | `✅ [Dev] Deliver Phase: Code review` | `✅ [Knowledge] Deliver Phase: Document review` |

Visual Indicator Update

When context is detected, update the visual banner to show context:

**Dev Context:**

🐙 **CLAUDE OCTOPUS ACTIVATED** - Multi-provider research mode
🔍 [Dev] Discover Phase: Researching OAuth implementation patterns

Providers:
🔴 Codex CLI - Technical implementation analysis
🟡 Antigravity CLI - Ecosystem and library comparison
🔵 Claude - Strategic synthesis

**Knowledge Context:**

🐙 **CLAUDE OCTOPUS ACTIVATED** - Multi-provider research mode
🔍 [Knowledge] Discover Phase: Researching market entry strategies

Providers:
🔴 Codex CLI - Data analysis and modeling
🟡 Antigravity CLI - Market and competitive research
🔵 Claude - Strategic synthesis

Implementation in Workflow Skills

Each flow skill should:

1. **Before executing workflow**, run context detection 2.

Read more
Ships withocto

Every AI model has blind spots. Claude Octopus supports twelve external provider integrations — Codex, Antigravity CLI, Copilot, Qwen, Ollama, Perplexity, OpenRouter, OrcaRouter, OpenCode, Cursor CLI, Grok, and Kimi Code — alongside the built-in Claude Code

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