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🌌 PARA Workspace is an open-source workspace framework that defines how humans and AI agents organize knowledge and collaborate on projects. It ships as a repo containing a kernel (constitution), CLI tools, and templates β€” which generates workspaces where you actually work.

Last updated Jul 9, 2026
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README

PARA Workspace Logo

PARA Workspace

The Workspace Framework for Humans & AI Agents

License Version Type Antigravity

πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ English β€’ πŸ‡»πŸ‡³ TiαΊΏng Việt β€’ πŸ‡¨πŸ‡³ δΈ­ζ–‡ β€’ πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡Έ EspaΓ±ol β€’ πŸ‡«πŸ‡· FranΓ§ais


| Section | Description | | :--- | :--- | | 🌌 Overview | What it is, three foundational principles | | πŸ“‚ Architecture | Repo structure + generated workspace structure | | πŸ“₯ Installation | Prerequisites, setup, profiles, troubleshooting | | 🧠 The Kernel | Invariants, heuristics, contracts | | πŸ› οΈ CLI Reference | All CLI commands | | πŸ“‘ Workflow Catalog | 32 governed workflows | | πŸ›‘οΈ Rule Catalog | 14 governance rules | | 🧩 Skill Catalog | 21 reusable skills | | πŸ”Œ Tool System | Install external agentic plugins | | 🧩 Task Management | Hybrid 3-File model | | πŸ”„ Upgrading | Auto update + clean slate | | πŸ—ΊοΈ Roadmap | Version history + planned features |

🌌 Overview

PARA Workspace is an open-source workspace framework that defines how humans and AI agents organize knowledge and collaborate on projects. It ships as a repo containing a kernel (constitution), CLI tools, and templates β€” which generates workspaces where you actually work. The kernel enforces invariants and heuristics so every workspace is predictable, auditable, and agent-friendly.

Three Foundational Principles

  • Repo β‰  Workspace β€” The repo contains governance (kernel, CLI, templates). It never contains user data.
  • Workspace = Runtime β€” Generated by para init, each workspace is a standalone instance where you and your agent work.
  • Kernel = Constitution β€” Immutable rules that all workspaces follow. Changes require an RFC + version bump.
flowchart TD
    R["πŸ›οΈ Repo\n(Constitution + Compiler)"]
    W["πŸ’» Workspace\n(OS Runtime)"]
    A["πŸ€– Agent\n(Execution Environment)"]
    R -->|para init| W
    W -->|agent attach| A

style R fill:#4a90d9,stroke:#2c5f8a,color:#fff style W fill:#50c878,stroke:#2e8b57,color:#fff style A fill:#ff8c42,stroke:#cc6633,color:#fff


πŸ“‚ Architecture

Repo Structure (This Repository)

para-workspace/
β”œβ”€β”€ .github/             # πŸ€– CI/CD β€” validate-pr.yml, CODEOWNERS
β”œβ”€β”€ rfcs/                # πŸ“ RFC Process β€” TEMPLATE.md, status in header
β”œβ”€β”€ kernel/              # 🧠 Constitution
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ KERNEL.md
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ invariants.md    # 10 hard rules (MAJOR bump)
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ heuristics.md    # 10 soft conventions
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ schema/          # workspace, project, backlog, catalog schemas
β”‚   └── examples/        # valid/ + invalid/ compliance vectors
β”œβ”€β”€ cli/                 # πŸ”§ Compiler
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ para             # Entry point (Bash 3.2+ compatible)
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ lib/             # logger.sh, validator.sh, rollback.sh, fs.sh
β”‚   └── commands/        # init, scaffold, status, migrate, archive, install, update
β”œβ”€β”€ templates/           # πŸ“¦ Scaffolding & Governed Libraries
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ common/agents/    # Centralized workflows/, rules/, skills/ + catalog.yml
β”‚   β”‚   └── projects/    # .project.yml template
β”‚   └── profiles/        # dev, general presets
β”œβ”€β”€ tests/               # πŸ§ͺ kernel/ + cli/ integration tests
β”œβ”€β”€ docs/                # πŸ“– Documentation
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ architecture/    # Architecture: overview, kernel, ecosystem
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ guides/          # How-to: development, planning, meta-project
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ reference/       # Lookup: CLI, workflows, project-rules
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ rules/           # Individual rule documentation (11 files)
β”‚   └── workflows/       # Individual workflow docs (22 files)
β”œβ”€β”€ CONTRIBUTING.md
β”œβ”€β”€ VERSIONING.md
β”œβ”€β”€ CHANGELOG.md
└── VERSION

Workspace Structure (Generated by para init)

<your-workspace>/
β”œβ”€β”€ Projects/                          # Goal-oriented tasks
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ my-app/                        # Standard project (type: standard)
β”‚   β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ repo/                      #   Source code (git repo)
β”‚   β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ artifacts/                 #   Plans, tasks, decisions
β”‚   β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ sessions/                  #   Session logs
β”‚   β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ docs/                      #   Project documentation
β”‚   β”‚   └── project.md                 #   Project contract
β”‚   └── my-ecosystem/                  # Ecosystem project (type: ecosystem) β€” v1.6.0+
β”‚       β”œβ”€β”€ artifacts/                 #   Cross-project plans & backlog
β”‚       β”œβ”€β”€ sessions/                  #   Session logs
β”‚       β”œβ”€β”€ docs/                      #   Strategy & shared docs
β”‚       └── project.md                 #   satellites: [app, api, ...], NO repo/
β”œβ”€β”€ Areas/                             # Ongoing responsibilities (e.g., health, finance)
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ Workspace/                     # Master session log, audits, SYNC queue
β”‚   └── Learning/                      # Shared knowledge (from /learn)
β”œβ”€β”€ Resources/                         # Reference material & tools
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ ai-agents/                     # Kernel snapshot + governed library snapshots
β”‚   └── references/                    # The original PARA repository (read-only)
β”œβ”€β”€ Archive/                           # Cold storage for completed items
β”œβ”€β”€ _inbox/                            # Temporary landing zone for external downloads
β”œβ”€β”€ .agents/                            # Governed library copies (Auto-synced)
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ rules.md                       # Workspace Rules Trigger Index (always loaded)
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ skills.md                      # Workspace Skills Trigger Index (v1.6.2+)
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ rules/                         # Active agent rules (.md)
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ skills/                        # Active agent skills (.md, /scripts)
β”‚   └── workflows/                     # Active agent workflows (.md)
β”œβ”€β”€ .para/                             # System state (DO NOT EDIT)
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ archive/                       # Smart Archive vault for deprecated files
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ migrations/                    # Migration execution logs
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ backups/                       # Date-stamped workflow & project backups
β”‚   └── audit.log                      # Action history
β”œβ”€β”€ para                               # Bootstrapper CLI
└── .para-workspace.yml                # Workspace root metadata config

πŸ“₯ Installation

Prerequisites

  • An AI Agent platform (see compatibility table below)
  • Git (required β€” to clone and update)
  • Bash 3.2+ (Linux/macOS native, Windows via Git Bash or WSL)

Platform Compatibility

| Platform | Integration Point | Status | Notes | | :----------------- | :----------------------------- | :---------- | :--------------------------------------------------- | | Google Antigravity | .agents/ (skills, workflows) | βœ… Verified | Designed and tested for this platform | | Claude Code | CLAUDE.md + .agents/ | βšͺ Untested | May read .agents/rules/ directly β€” needs validation | | Cursor | .cursor/rules/ | βšͺ Untested | Theory: copy rules to .cursor/rules/ | | VS Code + Copilot | .github/copilot-instructions | βšͺ Untested | Theory: instructions only, no auto-trigger |

Step 1: Clone & Install

Bash (Linux / macOS / Windows Git Bash / WSL):

# Clone repo into the correct location
mkdir -p Resources/references
git clone https://github.com/pageel/para-workspace.git Resources/references/para-workspace

Set executable permissions

chmod +x Resources/references/para-workspace/cli/para chmod +x Resources/references/para-workspace/cli/commands/*.sh

Initialize your workspace with a profile

./Resources/references/para-workspace/cli/para init --profile=dev --lang=en

PowerShell (alternative for Windows):

mkdir -Force Resources\references
git clone https://github.com/pageel/para-workspace.git Resources\references\para-workspace

Then open Git Bash or WSL at workspace root:

./Resources/references/para-workspace/cli/para init --profile=dev --lang=en

Step 2: Verify

./para status

βœ… If you see a health report β†’ installation successful

What just happened?
>
1. The repo lives at Resources/references/para-workspace/ β€” it's a read-only reference source, not a user project.
2. chmod +x ensures all CLI scripts are executable (required on Linux/macOS).
3. para init creates the full PARA directory structure, runs install.sh automatically to sync kernel, workflows, governance rules, and generates a ./para wrapper.
4. You can now use ./para from your workspace root for all commands.

Updating

# Pull latest from GitHub and re-sync workspace
./para update

Preview changes before applying

./para update --dry-run

This will git pull the repo, run version-gated migrations, and re-sync all governed libraries. Existing user-customized files are backed up to .bak before overwriting (Smart Sync). If the install fails mid-operation, all changes are automatically rolled back.

What happens during update:

  • git pull fetches latest code (self-restarts if scripts changed)
  • migrate.sh runs version-gated migration steps (only what's needed)
  • install.sh syncs kernel, workflows, rules, skills to workspace (with atomic rollback)
  • Audit log is updated in .para/audit.log

Troubleshooting

| Problem | Solution | | :------------------------------- | :-------------------------------------------------------- | | macOS: permission denied | Run chmod +x on CLI scripts (Step 3 above) | | Windows: file lock on update | See Windows Recovery below | | Stale workspace (v1.3.x) | Use Manual Clean Slate |

Windows Recovery

If para update fails on Windows due to NTFS file locking:

cd Resources\references\para-workspace
git checkout -- .
git pull origin main
cd ..\..\..
.\para install

Available Profiles

| Profile | Description | Best For | | :---------------------------------------------------- | :---------------------------------- | :---------------------- | | general | Minimal PARA structure | Personal PKM | | dev | Technical Areas + AI tooling | Software developers |

What para init Does

  • βœ… Creates Projects/, Areas/, Resources/, Archive/, and _inbox/
  • βœ… Sets executable permissions on all CLI scripts
  • βœ… Runs install.sh automatically, which:
- Syncs governed workflows from catalog.yml into .agents/workflows/ - Syncs governed rules from catalog.yml into .agents/rules/ - Syncs workspace rules index into .agents/rules.md (trigger index) - Syncs skills into .agents/skills/ (if profile includes them) - Creates ./para wrapper at workspace root - Backs up conflicting files to .bak
  • βœ… Generates .para-workspace.yml with kernel version tracking
  • βœ… Initializes .para/ state (audit.log, migrations/, backups/) for full auditability

🧠 The Kernel

The Kernel is the constitution of PARA Workspace β€” the rules that all workspaces must follow.

Invariants (Hard Rules β€” change = MAJOR bump)

| # | Rule | | --- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | I1 | PARA directory structure is mandatory | | I2 | Hybrid 3-file task model (backlog = canonical, hot lane, /end sync) | | I3 | kebab-case project naming | | I4 | No active tasks = inactive project | | I5 | Areas contain no runtime tasks | | I6 | Archive is immutable cold storage | | I7 | Seeds are raw ideas, not tasks | | I8 | No loose files at workspace root | | I9 | Resources are read-only references | | I10 | Repo ↔ Workspace separation | | I11 | Workflow language compliance |

Heuristics (Soft Rules β€” change = MINOR/PATCH)

| # | Guideline | | --- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | H1 | Naming conventions (kebab-case, PascalCase) | | H2 | Context loading priority | | H3 | Semantic versioning with approval levels | | H4 | Standard project directory structure | | H5 | Beads lifecycle | | H6 | VCS & Git boundaries | | H7 | Cross-project references + Ecosystem + Meta-Project (v1.7.6) | | H8 | Workflow kernel compatibility | | H9 | Governed libraries require catalog.yml with kernel_min | | H10 | Knowledge Items β€” schema, scope, slug validation (v1.7.0) |

Kernel ↔ Workspace Contracts

| File | Schema | Enforced By | | ---------------------------- | ----------------------- | ------------------------------ | | .para-workspace.yml | workspace.schema.json | para init, para status | | Projects/*/.project.yml | project.schema.json | para scaffold, para review | | artifacts/tasks/backlog.md | backlog.schema.json | para verify | | */catalog.yml | catalog.schema.json | para install, para update |


πŸ› οΈ CLI Reference

# Core Commands
para init [--profile] [--lang]  # Create workspace
para status [--json]            # System health
para update                     # Auto-update & migrate
para scaffold <type> <name>     # Create structured paths
para install [--force]          # Sync governed libraries
para archive <type> <name>      # Graduation review
para migrate [--from] [--to]    # Workspace migration

Configuration

para config [key] [value] # Manage workspace settings

Tool Management (v1.8.0)

para install-tool <name> # Install a plugin from registry para remove-tool <name> # Remove installed plugin para list-tools # List installed plugins

MCP Server Management (v1.8.2)

para mcp-setup <tool> # Auto-configure MCP in IDE para mcp-list # List MCP-capable tools para mcp-remove <tool> # Remove MCP config from IDE

Agent Capabilities

@[/para-workflow] list # Manage workflows @[/para-rule] list # Manage rules

Platform Support: Linux, macOS (Bash 3.2+), Windows (Git Bash / WSL).


πŸ“‘ Workflow Catalog

| Command | Description | | :-------------------------------------------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------- | | /backlog | Manage project tasks via canonical backlog.md | | /backup | Backup workflows, rules, config, and project data | | /brainstorm | Collaborative ideation with structured output | | /para-config | Manage workspace configuration | | /end | Close session with PARA classification + automated cleanup | | /inbox | Categorize files from inbox/ into PARA | | /install | Intelligent installer (handles updates/merges) | | /learn | Capture lessons into Areas/Learning | | /merge | Semantic merge for workflow conflicts | | /new-project | Initialize new project with scaffolding | | /open | Start session with context + plan phase loading | | /para | Master controller for workspace management | | /docs | Generate, review, and publish technical documentation | | /para-audit | Macro Assessor for tracking workspace structural drift | | /para-rule | Manage, install, and standardize agent rules | | /para-workflow | Manage, install, and standardize agent workflows | | /plan | Create, review, and update implementation plans | | /push | Fast commit and push to GitHub | | /qa | Systematic Red Team Q&A review loop for plans and specs | | /release | Pre-release quality gate | | /retro | Project retrospective before archiving | | /spec | Write structured specifications before coding | | /update | Agent-guided safe workspace update with error recovery | | /verify | Verify task completion with walkthroughs | | /para-knowledge | Manage Knowledge Items β€” dashboard, create, audit, archive | | /para-skill | Co-Author engine for creating, validating, and testing AI Agent skills | | /write | Write deep-dive content with structured sidecar templates | | /logs | Session telemetry diagnostics and context budget analytics | | /staging | Stage workspace assets into a project's repo (v1.8.11) | | /vibecode | Manage interactive/loop execution modes for coding tasks (v1.8.11) | | /scan-sec | Scan codebase for security vulnerabilities (v1.8.11) | | /resource | Orchestrate resource import, graph generation, and pattern learning (v1.8.11) |


πŸ›‘οΈ Rule Catalog

Rules govern agent behavior, security, and compliance. Loaded on-demand via a Two-Tier trigger index (~200 tokens). Skills are loaded via a parallel skills trigger index (v1.6.2). See Rules & Context Loading for the loading mechanism.

| Rule | Description | Priority | | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------ | :----------- | | governance | Kernel invariants, scope containment, safety guardrails | πŸ”΄ Critical | | vcs | Git safety: commit, branch, merge, PR, secrets | πŸ”΄ Critical | | knowledge | KI operations β€” write gate, approval, namespace (v1.7.0)| πŸ”΄ Critical | | graph-first-policy | Proactive code analysis using para-graph MCP tools | πŸ”΄ Critical | | hybrid-3-file-integrity | 6 constraints (C1–C6) for task management | 🟑 Important | | agent-behavior | Proactive Trigger Check, Context Recovery (v1.6.2) | 🟑 Important | | context-rules | Agent Index Loading (rules + skills), Two-Tier trigger | 🟑 Important | | para-discipline | PARA architecture compliance, 7 rules | 🟑 Important | | agent-persona | Custom conversational style and agent personality | 🟑 Important | | artifact-standard | Plans, walkthroughs, persistent mirroring | 🟒 Standard | | naming | kebab-case, PascalCase, camelCase conventions | 🟒 Standard | | versioning | SemVer, autonomy levels, multi-location sync | 🟒 Standard | | exports-data | Data export: inbox/, UTF-8 BOM, naming | 🟒 Standard | | tool-routing | Heuristic guide for selecting Native API, Bash, and MCP | 🟒 Standard |


🧩 Skill Catalog

Skills are reusable knowledge modules loaded on-demand via the skills trigger index. Unlike rules (which enforce constraints), skills provide templates, patterns, and reference material.

| Skill | Description | | :--- | :--- | | PARA Kit | PARA workspace structure reference β€” schema, layout, kernel governance, intelligence routing | | Formatting | Tables, diagrams, tree listings, ASCII box art | | Page Map | Website visual structure management using PAGEMAP.md and BLUEPRINT.md | | PARA Skill | Governance skill for creating and validating PARA skills via Co-Author engine | | Plan Templates | Detail Plan & Roadmap templates (Sidecar, v1.7.8) | | Docs Templates | Architecture, CLI, Strategy templates (Sidecar, v1.7.8) | | Brainstorm Templates | Decision & Research templates (Sidecar, v1.7.12) | | Write Templates | Content type templates and writing rules (Sidecar, v1.7.14) | | Harness Guards | Guard catalog and auto-scan protocol for context-aware safety guards (Sidecar, v1.7.15) | | Spec Templates | Spec templates, assumption surfacing, boundary definitions (Sidecar, v1.7.16) | | QA Review Templates | Red Team personas, dimension checklists, and QA report templates (Sidecar, v1.8.6) | | TDD Guidelines | Strict Test-Driven Development workflow rules and anti-patterns (v1.8.7) | | Logs Audit Extensions | Audit templates for TDD/Spec compliance verification (Sidecar, v1.8.7) | | HTML Renderer | Modular HTML rendering engine for themed static docs & graph views (v1.8.9) | | New Project | Sidecar skill for the /new-project workflow (Sidecar, v1.8.10) | | para-graph | Centralized Graph Intelligence Router and semantic memory curation (Sidecar, v1.8.10) | | Staging Templates | Sidecar data for the /staging template release (Sidecar, v1.8.11) | | Vibecode Execution Templates | Sidecar data for the /vibecode execution (Sidecar, v1.8.11) | | Vulnerability Scanner Templates | Sidecar data for the /scan-sec scanner (Sidecar, v1.8.11) | | Resource Study Templates | Sidecar data for the /resource learning (Sidecar, v1.8.11) | | Sidecar Skill Governance | Architectural rules and standards for sidecar skills (v1.8.11) |


πŸ—οΈ Rule Architecture β€” Two-Tier Loading & Defense-in-Depth

Rules and skills aren't dumped into context all at once. PARA Workspace uses a progressive disclosure architecture that loads indices on-demand, saving ~90% of token budget while maintaining full compliance.

How It Works: Two-Tier Trigger Index (v1.6.2)

flowchart TD
    START["πŸš€ /open starts session"] --> R

subgraph T1["Tier 1 β€” ALWAYS"] R["πŸ“œ .agents/rules.md\n~20 lines Β· ~200 tokens"] S["🧩 .agents/skills.md\n~10 lines Β· ~100 tokens"] end

R --> MEMO1["Agent memorizes triggers\n→ loads rules ON DEMAND"] S --> MEMO2["Agent memorizes triggers\n→ loads skills ON DEMAND"]

START --> S MEMO1 --> CHECK MEMO2 --> CHECK

subgraph T2["Tier 2 β€” CONDITIONAL"] CHECK{"Check project.md\nagent map"} CHECK -->|agent.rules: true| PR["πŸ“œ Project rules.md"] CHECK -->|agent.skills: true| PS["🧩 Project skills.md"] CHECK -->|neither| SKIP["Skip β€” no project indices"] end

style T1 fill:#1a1a2e,stroke:#4a90d9,color:#e0e0e0 style T2 fill:#1a1a2e,stroke:#50c878,color:#e0e0e0 style START fill:#ff8c42,stroke:#cc6633,color:#fff style CHECK fill:#4a90d9,stroke:#2c5f8a,color:#fff

πŸ’‘ Total cost: ~350 tokens (vs ~2,000 if all loaded upfront)

Defense-in-Depth: 4-Layer Protection

After a long conversation, AI agents lose context (truncation). PARA Workspace has 4 independent layers to ensure rules and skills survive:

block-beta
    columns 4
    block:header:4
        columns 4
        h1["Layer"] h2["What"] h3["Where"] h4["Survives"]
    end
    l1["1"] w1["Index instructions"] p1["agent-behavior.md §4"] s1["⚠️ Lost"]
    l2["2"] w2["Safety block"] p2["/open Step 8 report"] s2["βœ… Checkpoint"]
    l3["3"] w3["Pre-flight"] p3["Step 0: re-read"] s3["βœ… Disk"]
    l4["4"] w4["File guards"] p4["<!-- ⚠️ --> inline"] s4["βœ… In-file"]

style s1 fill:#d32f2f,color:#fff style s2 fill:#388e3c,color:#fff style s3 fill:#388e3c,color:#fff style s4 fill:#388e3c,color:#fff

Layer 3 uses Proactive Trigger Check (v1.6.2): BEFORE any side-effect, agent scans all trigger tables and loads matching rules/skills FIRST.

Layer 4 supports 6 guard types: STATUS GATE, MANDATORY, HARNESS GUARD, FILE GUARD (C1-C3, I9, GOVERNED), WORKFLOW GATE, CONTEXT RECOVERY.

Scenario: Agent forgets rules after truncation

sequenceDiagram
    participant C as πŸ’¬ Long Conversation
    participant T as βœ‚οΈ Truncation
    participant P as πŸš€ Agent runs /push
    participant D as πŸ“ Agent edits done.md

C->>T: Context window full T--xP: ⚠️ Rules lost! T--xD: ⚠️ Rules lost!

Note over P: Layer 3 catches P->>P: Step 0 re-reads .agents/rules.md P->>P: VCS rules loaded β†’ safe commit βœ…

Note over D: Layer 4 catches D->>D: Reads <!-- ⚠️ APPEND-ONLY --> D->>D: Obeys C2 β†’ append only βœ…

πŸ“– Full architecture: Context Recovery Β· Defense-in-Depth Β· Rule Layers

🧩 Task Management (Hybrid 3-File Model)

PARA Workspace uses a proprietary Hybrid 3-File Architecture (v1.5.3: Hot Lane) to solve the AI Agent "Context Window vs. Amnesia" problem.

Instead of forcing the agent to read one massive backlog file every time it opens a project (which wastes tokens and causes hallucination), tasks are distributed across three highly specialized files:

artifacts/tasks/
β”œβ”€β”€ backlog.md          # πŸ“Œ CANONICAL β€” Operational Authority. All strategic tasks live here.
β”œβ”€β”€ sprint-current.md   # πŸ”₯ HOT LANE β€” Agent-writable buffer for ad-hoc quick tasks.
└── done.md             # βœ… ARCHIVE β€” Append-only log with origin tags (#backlog / #session).

How It Works

  • Backlog Summary β€” /open reads only the Summary table (~10 lines) + top active items via grep. Never the full file.
  • Hot Lane β€” Agent writes ad-hoc quick tasks (- [ ] Fix CSS) to sprint-current.md and ticks [x] when done. Strategic tasks from backlog are read directly, not copied.
  • /end is the Sole Sync Point β€” At session close, /end runs Hot Lane Sync:
- Quick [x] tasks β†’ done.md (tagged #session) - Quick [ ] tasks β†’ ask user: keep or promote to backlog? - Smart Suggest β†’ reads session log, finds mentioned task IDs, suggests marking strategic tasks as Done (tagged #backlog)
  • Zero Ceremony During Coding β€” No /backlog update needed mid-session. Just code.
  • /backlog clean = Compress, Not Delete β€” Done items are compressed into 1 line per plan in backlog's βœ… Completed section. Details live in done.md (grouped by plan, linking to plans/done/). Lookup chain: backlog β†’ done.md β†’ plans/done/.

πŸ“š Knowledge System (v1.7.0)

AI agents lose context between sessions. Knowledge Items (KIs) are a core feature of Google Antigravity β€” the AI coding agent platform β€” that provides persistent memory across sessions, projects, and conversations.

KIs live outside the workspace, in Antigravity's platform-managed KI Store (~/.gemini/antigravity/knowledge/). This mirrors PARA Workspace's foundational principle: just as the repo governs but does not contain user data, PARA Workspace governs KI operations (schema, rules, lifecycle workflows) without owning the storage layer.

flowchart LR
    subgraph Platform["Antigravity Platform"]
        KI["πŸ“¦ KI Store\n~/.gemini/antigravity/\nknowledge/"]
    end
    subgraph WS["PARA Workspace"]
        GOV["πŸ›‘οΈ Governance\nschema Β· rules\n/para-knowledge"]
    end
    GOV -->|governs| KI

style Platform fill:#1a1a2e,stroke:#ff8c42,color:#e0e0e0 style WS fill:#1a1a2e,stroke:#4a90d9,color:#e0e0e0 style KI fill:#ff8c42,stroke:#cc6633,color:#fff style GOV fill:#4a90d9,stroke:#2c5f8a,color:#fff

How It Works

flowchart LR
    S1["πŸ” Session 1\nAgent discovers insight"]
    S2["♻️ Session 2\nAuto-loaded"]
    SN["⚑ Session N\nApplies instantly"]
    KI[("πŸ’Ύ KI Store\nPlatform-managed")]

S1 -->|save as KI| KI KI -->|auto-inject| S2 S2 -->|refine| KI KI -->|auto-inject| SN

style S1 fill:#4a90d9,stroke:#2c5f8a,color:#fff style S2 fill:#50c878,stroke:#2e8b57,color:#fff style SN fill:#ff8c42,stroke:#cc6633,color:#fff style KI fill:#9b59b6,stroke:#7d3c98,color:#fff

Unlike session logs (lost after truncation) or learning files (project-scoped), KIs are:

  • Auto-injected at session start by the platform
  • Cross-project β€” workspace-scoped KIs apply to all projects
  • Graph-ready β€” domain Γ— purpose taxonomy with relates_to and concepts fields

KI Taxonomy

Each KI is classified along two axes β€” domain (what) Γ— purpose (how):

β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”
                  β”‚                      PURPOSE                           β”‚
                  β”œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€
                  β”‚   context    β”‚  reference   β”‚   pitfall   β”‚  playbook  β”‚
                  β”‚  (priming)   β”‚  (lookup)    β”‚  (gotchas)  β”‚ (how-to)   β”‚
     β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”Όβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”Όβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”Όβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”Όβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€
     β”‚ workspace  β”‚ PARA arch    β”‚ kernel specs β”‚ update bugs β”‚ audit proc β”‚
     β”‚ engineeringβ”‚ tech stack   β”‚ API docs     β”‚ dep gotchas β”‚ deploy SOP β”‚
  D  β”‚ operations β”‚ infra setup  β”‚ CI/CD ref    β”‚ env traps   β”‚ rollback   β”‚
  O  β”‚ content    β”‚ writing std  β”‚ style guide  β”‚ SEO traps   β”‚ publish    β”‚
  M  β”‚ strategy   β”‚ org context  β”‚ roadmap      β”‚ scope creep β”‚ planning   β”‚
  A  β”‚ ...        β”‚              β”‚              β”‚             β”‚            β”‚
  I  β”œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜              β”‚              β”‚             β”‚            β”‚
  N  β”‚  (open β€” define your own) β”‚              β”‚             β”‚            β”‚
     β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜
Domain is an open string β€” define custom domains as needed.
Purpose is a fixed enum: context, reference, pitfall, playbook.

Lifecycle & Integration

| Workflow | KI Integration | |:---------|:---------------| | /open | Platform-injected KI context, scope matching for report | | /plan | Pitfall KIs β†’ Risks, Playbook KIs β†’ Phase references | | /end | Suggests creating/updating KIs from session insights | | /brainstorm | Option F: Extract insight as KI | | /retro | Graduates cross-project patterns to KIs | | /para-knowledge | Full lifecycle: create, update, audit, archive |

Governance

KI operations are governed by 7 rules (KR1–KR7) and validated against H10 (11 clauses):

  • KR1 Write Gate: Only /para-knowledge workflow can create/modify KIs
  • KR2 User Approval: Every KI creation requires explicit user consent
  • KR3 Namespace: para_ prefix reserved for system KIs
  • KR5 Recoverability: All KI operations are reversible
  • KR7 Ephemeral Ban: No ephemeral file paths in KI references (v1.7.5)
πŸ“– Full schema: ki.schema.json Β· Governance: heuristics.md H10

πŸ”Œ Tool System (v1.8.0)

PARA Workspace supports an extensible Dynamic Tool System that allows you to install external, language-agnostic plugins (like para-graph) directly into your workspace.

Tools are managed via a central registry (registry/tools.yml) and are installed as standalone tarballs.

How it works

  • Zero Global Dependencies: Tools are installed locally into .para/tools/ for isolation.
  • Multi-Runtime Support: The CLI auto-generates wrapper scripts (e.g. repo/cli/commands/graph.sh) that know how to invoke Node, Python, or binary executables.
  • Dev/Prod Fallback: If a tool's source code exists inside the workspace (Dev mode), the wrapper routes execution there. Otherwise, it falls back to the extracted tarball (Prod mode).

Available Tools

| Tool | Description | | :--- | :--- | | para-graph | Hybrid Code-Knowledge Graph for PARA Workspace |

πŸ’‘ Version is resolved dynamically from registry/tools.yml β€” always installs the latest registered release.

Usage

# Install the para-graph plugin (structural code analysis & MCP server)
./para install-tool para-graph

List installed tools

./para list-tools

Run the installed tool

./para graph --help

Remove tool

./para remove-tool para-graph

Tool Intelligence Installer (v1.8.1)

Tools can bundle AI intelligence (workflows, skills, rules) directly in their tool.manifest.yml:

agents:
  workflows:
    - source: templates/agents/workflows/para-graph.md
      target: para-graph.md
      version: "1.8.0"
  skills:
    - source: templates/agents/skills/graph-enrichment/
      target: graph-enrichment/
      version: "1.0.0"

When you run ./para install-tool <name>, the CLI will automatically parse this manifest and prompt you to install the bundled intelligence. You can use --agents to install only the agents, or --no-agents to skip the prompt. remove-tool will also offer to clean up any bundled agents it installed.

MCP Auto-Setup (v1.8.2)

Tools can declare an MCP server in their manifest via the mcp: block. PARA Workspace provides three CLI commands to manage MCP configurations across IDEs:

# Auto-configure MCP server for a tool in your IDE
./para mcp-setup <tool-name>

Print the JSON snippet without modifying IDE config

./para mcp-setup <tool-name> --print-only

List all tools with MCP servers available

./para mcp-list

Remove an MCP server entry from IDE config

./para mcp-remove <tool-name>

Supported IDEs:

| IDE | Config Path | | :--- | :--- | | Google Antigravity | ~/.gemini/antigravity/mcp_config.json | | Claude Desktop | ~/.config/claude/claudedesktopconfig.json (Linux) | | Cursor | ~/.cursor/mcp.json |

The setup uses 2-Tier path resolution (Dev path β†’ Prod path) to point to the correct entry, and jq-based atomic JSON merge with automatic backup.

πŸ”„ Upgrading Versions

πŸ“– Note: For a detailed breakdown of all features, fixes, and updates in each version, please read our CHANGELOG.

PARA Workspace offers two official mechanisms to upgrade to a newer version:

Mechanism 1: Auto Update (Recommended)

For most healthy workspaces, the built-in update mechanism handles everything safely.

./para update

This will automatically pull the newest core code, run version-gated migrations (only steps relevant to your current version), sync the libraries, and securely move obsolete structural files to the .para/archive/ vault without deleting your custom data (Smart Archive). User-customized rules are protected with .bak backups.

Mechanism 2: Manual Clean Slate (For heavily modified workspaces)

If your workspace is very old (v1.3.x) or has been heavily customized, start fresh:

  • Run para init --profile=dev --lang=en in a completely new directory.
  • Copy your old Projects/ directories into the _inbox/ of the new workspace.
  • Use the /inbox workflow or let your AI agent sort them into the new correct structure.

πŸ—ΊοΈ Roadmap

  • [x] Cross-Project Sync Queue (shipped in v1.3.6)
  • [x] Kernel Extraction & Repo Restructure (shipped in v1.4.0)
  • [x] Governed Libraries, RFC Process, Workspace Runtime Safety (shipped in v1.4.1)
  • [x] Landing Page paraworkspace.dev (shipped in v1.4.1)
  • [x] Plan-Aware Workflows & Token Optimization (shipped in v1.4.2)
  • [x] Automated Plan Cleanup via /end [done] (shipped in v1.4.3)
  • [x] Safety Guardrails & Terminal Allowlist (shipped in v1.4.5)
  • [x] Smart Archive & Version Migration (shipped in v1.4.6)
  • [x] macOS Compatibility & Safe Migration Pipeline (shipped in v1.4.7)
  • [x] Atomic Rollback, Dry-run Pipeline & README Rewrite (shipped in v1.4.8)
  • [x] Centralized Backup & Workspace Cleanup (shipped in v1.4.9)
  • [x] Project Rules Loading & Safe Update Workflow (shipped in v1.5.0)
  • [x] Hybrid 3-File Synchronization & Fast Mode (shipped in v1.5.1)
  • [x] Hybrid 3-File Integrity, Working Checkmarks & Docs Overhaul (shipped in v1.5.2)
  • [x] Hot Lane Refactor, /end Sync Point & Token Optimization (shipped in v1.5.3)
  • [x] Context Recovery, Workflow Pre-flight & Defense-in-Depth (shipped in v1.5.4)
  • [x] Meta-Project & Ecosystem Support (shipped in v1.6.0)
  • [x] Unified Strategy β†’ Plan Flow (shipped in v1.6.1)
  • [x] Unified Agent Index β€” Skills Loading & Proactive Trigger Check (shipped in v1.6.2)
  • [x] Central Gate β€” project.md as single source for context loading (shipped in v1.6.3)
  • [x] Para-Kit Skill v1.1.0, Recursive Sync & Git Hash Detection (shipped in v1.6.4)
  • [x] Update Flow Fix β€” Version Direction Detection & Migration History (shipped in v1.6.5)
  • [x] Knowledge System β€” KI schema, /knowledge workflow, graph-ready taxonomy (shipped in v1.7.0)
  • [x] System KI Governed Lifecycle β€” namespace guard, template sync, CLI hooks (shipped in v1.7.1)
  • [x] KI Index Schema Upgrade, Workflow Simplification & Knowledge Graph Seed (shipped in v1.7.2)
  • [x] Agent Path Convention Fix (BUG-28) & Rule Frontmatter (shipped in v1.7.3)
  • [x] Repo Path Standardization, Pending TODO Fix & Project Profile Skill (shipped in v1.7.4)
  • [x] KR7 Ephemeral Ban & /knowledge β†’ /para-knowledge Rename (shipped in v1.7.5)
  • [x] Skill Catalog Architecture & Meta-Project Type (shipped in v1.7.6)
  • [x] Brainstorm Consolidation, Sidecar Skill & /docs (shipped in v1.7.7-1.7.8)
  • [x] Proactive Trigger Check & Cognitive Bypass Fix (shipped in v1.7.9-1.7.10)
  • [x] Backlog Governance & Extract Paradigm (shipped in v1.7.11-1.7.12)
  • [x] VERSIONS.yml Migration & Anti-Token Decay (shipped in v1.7.13)
  • [x] Content Authoring Ecosystem & Session Telemetry (shipped in v1.7.14)
  • [x] Harness Skill, Plan Status Gate & Roadmap Prefix Convention (shipped in v1.7.15)
  • [x] Spec Workflow, Dual-Format Guards & CLI Fixes (shipped in v1.7.16)
  • [x] Dynamic Tool System & para-graph integration (shipped in v1.8.0)
  • [x] Tool Intelligence Installer & manifest-declared AI intelligence (shipped in v1.8.1)
  • [x] MCP Auto-Setup β€” mcp-setup, mcp-list, mcp-remove CLI commands (shipped in v1.8.2)
  • [x] QA Governance Workflow & Sidecar Skill Integration (shipped in v1.8.6)
  • [x] TDD Governance Workflow (shipped in v1.8.7)
  • [x] Ecosystem-wide Para-Graph MCP Integration β€” Memory Ops lifecycle, Project Sidecar Skill, 43% workflow coverage (shipped in v1.8.9)
  • [x] Release Hardening, HTML Renderer Integration, Spec Rules & TDD Gate (shipped in v1.8.10)
  • [x] Release Hardening: dirty-check template override prompts in install-tool CLI, conflict diff detection, and staging/scan-sec/vibecode/resource workflows catalog integration (shipped in v1.8.11)
  • [x] Antigravity IDE 2.x and v1.x Config Migration & TDD hardening (shipped in v1.8.12)
  • [x] Node Path Resolution (NVM/fnm/Volta) & Rule/KI Artifact Authority improvements (shipped in v1.8.13)
  • [x] MCP Windows Path Conversion (BUG-37) & Plan Auto-Activation (shipped in v1.8.14)
  • [x] Vibecode DSP & Template Consolidation (shipped in v1.8.15)
  • [x] Platform Tracker Exemption & Decoupled Project Plans (shipped in v1.9.0)
  • [x] Plan/Session-Plan Templates & Dual-Format Guards (shipped in v1.9.1)
  • [x] Standards & Roadmaps Optimization (shipped in v1.9.2)
  • [x] Unified CSA HTML-Renderer Upgrade (shipped in v1.9.3)
  • [x] Local Development Sync & AI Index Auto-Sync (shipped in v1.9.4)
  • [x] Template Consolidation & Release (Diagnostics Debug, Self-Improvement, Remote, Report, Research) (shipped in v1.9.5)
  • [ ] Plugin Hooks & vibecodesession extensions (v1.10.0 β€” planned)_
  • [ ] Department System (v1.x.x β€” planned)

🀝 Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines. Key points:

  • Kernel invariant changes require an RFC + MAJOR bump β†’ See rfcs/TEMPLATE.md
  • Heuristic changes require a PR + MINOR/PATCH bump
  • All changes must pass test vectors in kernel/examples/

πŸ“„ License & References

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

The /scan-sec security audit module (governed under scan-sec SKILL.md) is built upon and references:

Third-Party Dependencies

Core CLI Utilities

  • jq (JSON CLI parser, required for configuration updates).
  • Git (Required for version control and workspace updates).
  • Node.js (Runtime for graph analysis and HTML document renderers).

Frontend CDN Libraries (used in HTML rendering)

  • marked (Markdown parser).
  • mermaid (Flowchart/diagram engine).
  • force-graph (2D force-directed graph engine for code graph visualization).
  • lucide (UI icons).
  • Google Fonts (Inter, Outfit, Roboto, Fira Code typography).

Built with ❀️ by Pageel. Standardizing the future of Agentic PKM.

Version: 1.9.5

πŸ”— More in this category

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