# Project instructions

## ctx — use before reading files

This project has `ctx` available in PATH. Use it to understand the codebase **before** reading files directly. It produces compact markdown summaries that cost far fewer tokens than raw file content.

### When to use

**Always use `ctx` first** when you need to:
- Understand project structure → `ctx csharp project`
- Understand a file's structure → `ctx csharp outline <file>`
- Check build errors → `ctx csharp errors`
- Understand git state → `ctx git`
- Detect what stack this project uses → `ctx auto detect`

### Workflow

1. **Start of session:** run `ctx auto detect` to see what's here, then `ctx csharp project` for an overview.
2. **Before reading a file:** run `ctx csharp outline <file>` first. Only read the full file if the outline isn't enough (e.g., you need to see method body logic).
3. **After making changes:** run `ctx csharp errors` instead of `dotnet build` — the output is pre-filtered to only relevant diagnostics.
4. **Before committing:** run `ctx git` for a compact diff summary.

### Available commands

```
ctx auto detect              # detect stack(s) in current directory
ctx auto project             # run project summary for all detected stacks

ctx csharp project           # .NET solution overview (projects, refs, packages)
ctx csharp outline <file.cs> # file structure without method bodies
ctx csharp errors            # filtered dotnet build output (errors + top warnings)

ctx git                      # branch, status, recent commits, diff summary
```

### Important

- `ctx` output is a **summary**, not the full picture. If you need implementation details (method bodies, exact logic, specific lines), read the file directly.
- Do not run `ctx` commands that don't match the project stack. Use `ctx auto detect` if unsure.
- `ctx csharp errors` assumes `dotnet restore` was already run. If you get restore errors, run `dotnet restore` first, then `ctx csharp errors`.