Instruction files or shared project context
Use instruction files for stable project conventions and shared context for decisions and state that participants need across tasks.
Comparison · Updated 2026-10-20 · 3 min read
Use instruction files for stable project conventions and shared context for decisions and state that participants need across tasks. Both can be useful in the same project. Tinovio adds addressed exchanges and owned work around the shared record.
The distinction is not whether a file can contain a decision. It can. The question is how the team records, finds, updates, and acts on that information as the work continues.
What an instruction file does well
A project instruction file can explain test commands, code style, repository boundaries, and review expectations. Supported tools discover such files according to their own loading rules. Keep the common instructions concise and accurate.
AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, and related files do not all load identically. Existing files, directory hierarchy, and tool settings can affect the result. Verify the files the current session actually reads.
What current context also needs
The current task may have a new requirement, inspected version, unresolved question, or review result. Those facts change more often than repository conventions. A later session needs their current meaning and source.
Putting every transient update into the main instruction file can make it harder to identify lasting rules. Leaving updates only in private chats makes cross-session continuation harder. Choose a deliberate home for each kind of information.
Compare the working roles
| Useful home | |
|---|---|
| Repository test command | Project instructions |
| Current guest-checkout decision | Shared decision record |
| Review owner and completion condition | Owned task |
| Long inspection evidence | Referenced artifact |
| Clarification about one finding | The task thread |
These are organizational choices, not a rule that files cannot store structured information. The useful test is whether every participant can find the correct current answer.
Use Tinovio for the shared state
Connect the participating sessions to one project Space. Record the decision and its reason as shared context. Link the affected task and evidence rather than copying the full history into every request.
Ask the reviewer to read that record before inspecting a fixed version. Its findings return in the task thread with an addressed handoff. A new session can search for the decision and result later.
This process provides context outside one private conversation and connects it to responsibility. It does not make the information automatic knowledge. The receiving session must still read and apply the relevant records.
Keep the combination maintainable
When a convention changes, update its instruction source. When a product decision changes, record the replacement and notify affected owners. Avoid maintaining conflicting copies without saying which one controls the work.
Use the shared-context setup guide to apply both roles to one checkout example.