Context Files

Dhara automatically loads context files to inject project-specific instructions into every conversation. This is how you tell the agent about your codebase conventions, coding standards, and operational constraints.

Supported Files

Dhara looks for these files (in order of preference):

AGENTS.md — Universal agent instruction file
CLAUDE.md — Anthropic Claude convention (also supported)

How It Works

When Dhara starts, it walks up from the current working directory looking for context files:

/home/user/projects/my-app/src/components/    ← cwd
  ↑ no context file
/home/user/projects/my-app/                   ← finds AGENTS.md here ✅
  ↑ loads this file
/home/user/projects/                          ← stops walking
/home/user/                                   └─ ~/.dhara/context.md (global fallback)

The file content is injected verbatim into the system prompt before every user message.

Example AGENTS.md

# Project Instructions

## Tech Stack
- TypeScript 5.4+, React 18, Next.js 14
- Tailwind CSS for styling
- Vitest for testing

## Conventions
- Run `npm run check` before committing
- Keep responses concise — under 3 paragraphs
- Use functional components with hooks
- Name test files `*.test.ts` matching source files

## Constraints
- Never modify production data
- Always add tests for new features
- Use `pnpm` as the package manager (not npm/yarn)
- Do not commit `.env` files

YAML Frontmatter (Optional)

Context files support optional YAML frontmatter:

---
priority: high
scope: frontend
---

# Frontend Guidelines
- Use React Server Components by default
- Client components only when interactivity is needed

Reloading Context

In REPL or TUI mode, reload context files without restarting:

/reload

This re-reads AGENTS.md/CLAUDE.md and updates the system prompt for subsequent messages.

Global Context

Set a global context file at ~/.dhara/context.md that applies to all projects:

# Personal Guidelines
- Always explain your reasoning before making changes
- Prefer simple solutions over clever ones
- Ask before running destructive commands

Disabling Context Files

Skip context loading entirely:

dhara --no-context "Your prompt here"

Tips

Keep it concise — The system prompt has limited space; prioritize critical instructions
Be specific — "Use pnpm" is better than "use a package manager"
Update regularly — Context files should evolve with your project
Test them — Run dhara --repl and check /status to verify context is loaded

Context Files

On this page