Datarim System

Overview

Datarim System is the foundational skill loaded by every agent at every stage. It defines where files live, how tasks are numbered, how backlog works, and how complexity determines the pipeline route. The skill is split into a short index entry and focused supporting fragments to reduce context waste while preserving the full system contract.

File Organization

All workflow state lives in datarim/ at the root of an explicitly installed project, kept out of git through the clone-local .git/info/exclude (the project’s shared .gitignore is not edited). Completed task archives go to documentation/archive/ (committed to git). This separation lets multiple developers work in parallel with their own local state while sharing project knowledge through archives.

Task Numbering

Every task gets a permanent ID in the format {PREFIX}-{NNNN} (e.g., <TASK-ID>, <TASK-ID>). The ID is assigned once and remains unchanged across its lifecycle: backlog, active task state, and the permanent archive document. Prefix is selected from a registry of project and area prefixes.

Complexity Routing

• Level 1 (Quick Fix) — single file, <50 lines. Route: init, do, archive.
• Level 2 (Enhancement) — 2-5 files, <200 lines. Route: init, plan, do, archive.
• Level 3 (Feature) — 5-15 files, 200-1000 lines. Route: init, PRD, plan, design, do, QA, compliance, archive.
• Level 4 (Major Feature) — 15+ files, >1000 lines. Route: init, PRD, plan, design, phased-do, QA, compliance, archive.

At every level, /dr-archive runs reflection internally as its mandatory Step 0.5.

Fragment Routing

Agents load only the fragment they need for the current sub-problem: path-and-storage for file locations and archive boundaries, task-identity-and-context for numbering and active task tracking, model-assignment for model/effort frontmatter, backlog-and-routing for complexity levels and mode transitions, command-and-archive-rules for /dr- namespace and critical invariants.

Key Rules

• Path resolution is mandatory before any write — find the closest ancestor with .datarim-runtime/installation.json whose recorded project matches; a bare datarim/ directory does not enable Datarim, and there is no fallback to the home directory
• All reports must include the task ID in the filename
• backlog.md contains only active work; permanent completed and cancelled records live under documentation/archive/
• All Datarim commands use the /dr- prefix to avoid conflicts with built-in Claude commands
• Use ${DATARIM_RUNTIME:?}/ or project-relative paths, not absolute machine-specific paths

Reporting connections in 4.2

The shared Human Outcome Reporting contract connects task requirements to the plan, outcome, verification, and evidence. /dr-explain is a read-only explanation path. Release templates and the graph make these links discoverable; project scaffolding now uses the AGENTS.md template.