UAI-1 is the current public message standard for structured AI-to-AI communication.
UAIX shield mark Public interoperability charter UAIX.org Universal Artificial Intelligence Exchange Public standards publication
Current UAI-1
  • Current version UAI-1
  • Plain-English definition Open message format for auditable AI-to-AI exchange
  • Current attribution Michael Joseph Kappel, MCP
  • Start here Get Started, Project Handoff, UAI-1, validator, roadmap, and changelog

AI Memory

context.uai

Holds accepted project context, definitions, domain facts, constraints already reviewed, and current operating assumptions. Required for Project Handoff packages and project/developer packages.

  • Record UAIX-MEMR-2968
  • Path /en-us/ai-memory/uai-files/context-uai/
  • Use Canonical public record

Document status

Public standards page Published on UAIX as part of the current public standards record
Code
UAIX-MEMR-2968
Surface
AI Memory
Access
Public and linkable

How to use this page

Use this file detail page to confirm the exact required scope, review requirement, no-op trigger, and related .uai records before relying on the file in a package.

Package memory path

AI Memory Package WizardProject HandoffAgent File HandoffAGENTS.md Specification

Required File Sets

Every .uai file belongs to a declared package scope

Use this guide to keep package files in one of the closed UAIX states: universal required, profile-required, content-triggered required, configuration-specific required, or out of scope.

Universal

Five launch-baseline anchors travel first

identity.uai, world-context.uai, totem.uai, taboo.uai, and short-term-memory.uai are required for every launch-baseline UAIX memory or handoff package.

Profile

Declared package type controls the rest

Project Handoff, Agent File Handoff, Long-Term Memory, LLM Wiki, and release-bound packages each carry their own required file set.

No-code assistants

Coding standards stay out of scope until code-like work exists

.uai/coding-standards.uai is required for project/developer and code-bearing packages; it is out of scope for no-code assistant packages until code, automation, executable workflow, or code-like artifacts are declared or detected.

Package memory path

AI Memory Package WizardGenerate supported file sets from the canonical source rules.Project HandoffProject-startup package profile and read order.Agent File HandoffLocal file intake, disposition, archive, and proof-of-use path.AGENTS.md SpecificationFront-door project guidance and local memory discovery.
Core ruleClosed file states
universal required | profile-required | content-triggered required | configuration-specific required | out of scope

Validators and agents should rely only on files required for the declared package scope and ignore out-of-scope files as absent.

Holds accepted project context, definitions, domain facts, constraints already reviewed, and current operating assumptions.

File .uai/context.uai
Category Active project memory files
Required status Required for Project Handoff packages and project/developer packages
Main reader Receiving AI and project reviewer
Update frequency After reviewed facts change or new accepted context becomes necessary for future work.
Human review requirement Required for facts that affect public claims, ownership, architecture, security, legal posture, or user commitments.
No-op trigger type Unreviewed context, stale domain fact, source conflict, or contradiction with world-context.uai.

What this file is

context.uai is a bounded UAIX memory record. It is meant to be read before action, compared against related package files, and updated only through a reviewed package-memory change.

Why necessary

The file keeps this class of knowledge explicit instead of burying it in chat history, private assumptions, or stale generated summaries.

When required

Required for Project Handoff packages and project/developer packages.

What belongs

  • Accepted current facts for the declared package scope.
  • Source, owner, reviewer, or evidence pointers needed to verify the record.
  • No-op or escalation triggers that protect the package boundary.
  • Compact instructions the next reader can act on without guessing.

What does not belong

  • Raw chat dumps, unresolved brainstorming, or unreviewed generated summaries.
  • Secrets, private credentials, personal data beyond the declared minimum, or unsupported public claims.
  • Rules that belong in a more specific file such as taboo.uai, constraints.uai, test-plan.uai, or deployment-memory-and-test-report.uai.
  • Historical notes that should live in archives until reviewed and promoted.

How receiving AI should use it

  • Read it before acting in the scope it controls.
  • Compare it with identity.uai, world-context.uai, totem.uai, taboo.uai, and short-term-memory.uai before trusting it as current.
  • Use the no-op trigger as a stop point when the file is missing, stale, contradictory, or outside the declared package profile.
  • Record any update in short-term-memory.uai and the package changelog when the change affects future agents.

How human reviewer should use it

  • Confirm the file states a concrete required scope rather than a softer invitation to read it.
  • Check that current facts have an owner, evidence path, or review source.
  • Confirm outdated material was moved to archives or replaced with a dated current record.
  • Reject vague language that lets agents ignore package-critical material.

Scenario examples

  • A receiving agent opens a Project Handoff package and uses this record to decide whether work may proceed.
  • A reviewer sees a contradiction between files and uses the no-op trigger to require clarification before release.
  • A maintenance pass promotes a reviewed fact into this file and retires the stale note from active memory.

No-op and human-review triggers

  • Missing file for its declared required scope.
  • Conflict with universal launch-baseline files.
  • Current package work depends on an unreviewed fact.
  • The file claims authority beyond its declared profile, mode, package type, or capability.

Update and maintenance rules

  • Keep entries short enough to be read at startup.
  • Date meaningful updates and record why the change happened.
  • Move stale detail to archives after accepted current facts are captured.
  • Align generated exports and human-facing memory after changes.

Relationship to other .uai files

  • identity.uai names the package and owner.
  • world-context.uai locates the operating environment.
  • totem.uai and taboo.uai anchor mission and boundaries.
  • short-term-memory.uai points to the newest active state.

Minimal example

Code example
# context.uai
file: .uai/context.uai
required_status: Required for Project Handoff packages and project/developer packages
owner: human-reviewed owner or steward
current_state: accepted current record for this package scope
no_op_trigger: Unreviewed context, stale domain fact, source conflict, or contradiction with world-context.uai.
evidence: link or local pointer to reviewed source
last_reviewed: YYYY-MM-DD

Completeness checklist

  • Required status names the exact scope.
  • Owner or reviewer is clear.
  • Current facts match related .uai files.
  • No-op triggers are concrete.
  • Stale material has an archive or replacement path.

Common mistakes

  • Using softer language that agents treat as skippable.
  • Mixing current truth with raw source intake.
  • Letting the file contradict another required record.
  • Leaving no review path for high-impact changes.

Machine-readable digest

Agents should treat this digest as page-orientation evidence, not runtime authority.