Querying & Tracing
Agents request context by address (URI) or by selector query. The resolver returns only published content, with full tracing of what was accessed.
Query flow
- Agent sends a selector or URI
- Resolver evaluates the query against the vault
- If results include source nodes, they are returned in topological order
- A trace entry is recorded for each resolved document
Source hydration
The resolver returns source documents (frontmatter + body). The agent decides whether and how to hydrate them by executing the described tool calls.
The resolver does not execute tool calls — it returns documents; the agent acts on them.
Local vs cloud
| Local queries | Cloud queries (coming soon) | |
|---|---|---|
| Command | ctx query "tag:#api" |
ctx query @org/pack |
| Data source | Local vault files | PromptOwl API |
| Cost | Free | TBD |
| Tracing | Local trace log | Server-side trace |
Related pages
- Query TracingEvery context query produces trace entries that record what was accessed, when, and by what version. Traces provide a provenance chain from knowledge…
- Status LifecycleEvery document in a nest carries a status that governs where it is in its life and whether retrieval can see it. ContextNest uses a five-state lifecycle —…
- FrontmatterEvery Context Nest document begins with a YAML frontmatter block delimited by ---. The frontmatter contains structured metadata that the resolver…
- Remote & Governed NestsA nest does not have to live on your local disk. ContextNest can register remote nests and route reads and writes to them over MCP — the same ctx commands…
- PromptOwl DocumentationWelcome to the documentation for PromptOwl and Context Nest — the open protocol and hosted platform for giving AI agents structured, versioned, governed…