PromptOwl + ContextNest Docs
Contents

Node Types

Updated Open in ChatGPTOpen in Claude

Every document in a Context Nest vault has a type field in its frontmatter. The type tells agents how to interpret the content.

Types

Type Purpose Example
document General knowledge Architecture overview, meeting notes, guides
snippet Reusable text fragments Boilerplate, templates, standard responses
glossary Term definitions Domain-specific vocabulary
persona Agent role definitions "You are a senior architect who..."
prompt Reusable prompt templates Code review checklist, analysis framework
source Instructions for fetching live data Jira sprint tickets, GitHub PRs, Slack threads
tool Tool documentation API endpoint docs, CLI reference
reference Reference material Standards, regulations, external specs
agent Agent definitions A named agent with a role, tools, and operating instructions
artifact Saved outputs / generated deliverables A saved response, rendered doc, or produced file kept in the vault
table Structured tabular data Row/column datasets queryable via context_table_query
skill Executable, triggered procedures A named skill with a trigger, inputs, required tools, and guard-rails

The node-type values document, snippet, glossary, persona, prompt, source, tool, reference, agent, artifact, table, and skill are all handled as first-class types by the engine's canonical context_create path.

Default type

If type is omitted, the document is treated as document.

Source nodes

Source nodes are special — their body contains instructions for agents to follow, not knowledge to absorb. See Source Nodes for details.

Source nodes are writable: source is a first-class node type, so the engine creates, updates, and versions source nodes through the standard governed write path (a source node's fetch instructions, dependencies, and cache settings are edited, versioned, and reviewed like any other node). The init flow even scaffolds a sources/ directory for them.

Skill nodes

skill nodes describe an executable, triggered procedure. They carry additional frontmatter — a mandatory trigger, plus optional inputs, tools_required, and guard_rails. See Frontmatter for the skill-node field reference.

Tags and namespaced tags

Tags are prefixed with # (for example #engineering). A namespaced convention groups related tags under a hierarchy using a / separator — for example #team/eng or #area/security — so you can organize tags while keeping each one a single token.

Example

---
title: "Brand Voice Guide"
type: persona
tags: ["#brand", "#writing"]
status: published
version: 3
---

# Brand Voice

When writing on behalf of the company, use these guidelines:

- Tone: Professional but approachable
- Avoid: Jargon, buzzwords, passive voice
- Always: Lead with the user benefit

Related pages

  • FrontmatterEvery Context Nest document begins with a YAML frontmatter block delimited by ---. The frontmatter contains structured metadata that the resolver…
  • Source Nodes OverviewSource nodes are documents whose body contains instructions for fetching live data from external services. They are first-class nodes in the context graph…
  • Context Nest SpecificationThe Context Nest Specification is the canonical reference for the protocol. It defines the complete format, rules, and behavior that implementations must…
  • Core ConceptsContext Nest is built on a small set of composable concepts. Understanding these gives you the full picture of how vaults work.
  • Vault-Hosted SkillsContextNest lets a vault host reusable skills — governed procedures an agent runs when a matching situation comes up. A skill is not a separate kind of…

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