PromptOwl + ContextNest Docs
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Query Context

Updated Open in ChatGPTOpen in Claude

Context Nest gives you two ways to pull from your vault: ctx resolve for a metadata list of matches, and ctx query for full, graph-aware context retrieval.

Selectors

Both commands take a selector. The selector grammar:

Form Matches
#tag (or tag:#tag) Documents carrying a tag
type:X Documents of a node type
[[Title]] A document by title
scope:X Documents in a visibility scope

Combine selectors with these operators:

Operator Meaning
+ AND (intersection)
| OR (union)
- NOT (exclude) 
ctx resolve "#engineering"                 # documents with a tag
ctx resolve "type:document +status:published"  # intersection
ctx resolve "#api |#v2"                    # union
ctx resolve "#api -#deprecated"            # exclude

Note: the operators are +, |, -. The & operator used in older docs is no longer valid — ctx rejects it with INVALID_SELECTOR.

Resolve (metadata)

ctx resolve "#engineering"

Returns a list of matching documents with their ids, types, and status — no bodies.

Query (full context)

ctx query "#engineering"                   # all docs with a tag
ctx query "type:document"                  # all docs of a type
ctx query "pack:engineering-essentials"    # all docs in a pack
ctx query "#api +status:published"         # intersection
ctx query "#api |#v2"                      # union

Returns the full document content in hydration order plus trace entries.

Published-only by default

ctx query returns published documents only by default. To include drafts (for example while authoring), add --include-drafts:

ctx query "#engineering"                    # published only
ctx query "#engineering" --include-drafts   # published + drafts

Graph traversal (--hops)

ctx query is graph-aware: from the matched nodes it follows links outward to pull in the surrounding neighborhood. Control the depth with --hops (default: 2). Use --hops 0 for just the matches, 1 for matches + direct links, higher to reach further:

ctx query "[[API Design Guide]]" --hops 1   # the doc + its direct links
ctx query "#engineering" --hops 0           # just the matches, no traversal

Add --full to force full-load mode (load all documents rather than graph-walking), and --json for machine-readable output.

Cloud packs (coming soon)

Cloud packs will allow querying context from hosted packs without downloading source files:

ctx query @promptowl/executive-ai-strategy

See Cloud Packs for the planned design.

JSON output

All query commands support --json for programmatic consumption:

ctx query "pack:engineering-essentials" --json

Full-text search across all vault documents (separate from selector queries):

ctx search "rate limiting"
ctx search "rate limiting" --limit 5 --json

Related pages

  • Quick StartGet a Context Nest vault running in under 2 minutes. By the end, you'll have a versioned, queryable knowledge vault that any AI agent can read.
  • Create a VaultStarter recipes scaffold a vault with documents, packs, and agent instructions tailored to a role:
  • Install the ctx CLIThe package installs with a flattened dependency tree — its runtime dependencies are bundled/flattened so a global install pulls a self-contained CLI…
  • Cloud PacksCloud packs will be hosted on the PromptOwl platform and queryable without downloading source files.
  • Add DocumentsThis creates nodes/api-design.md from a frontmatter template as version 1, and regenerates the index. Tags accept a comma- or space-separated list; you…

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