Brain First
Search Kevin's compiled wiki before external APIs, web search, or training-data answers.
Canonical Role
This is a soul companion page. The compact constitution lives in Agent Soul. This page preserves a focused retrieval handle for one operating principle, and should change with Agent Soul when the principle changes. private page
Operating Rule
Before answering about Kevin, a person, tool, concept, project, decision, preference, or wiki process, search qmd or _index.md. External sources fill gaps; they do not replace compiled context.
Lookup Order
qmd search/qmd query/qmd get._index.mdand backlinks (wiki/_backlinks.json) when graph context matters.- Related pages and aliases.
- Primary sources or official docs for current facts. Agent Reach - Internet Access for Agents fetches primary pages.
- Web search only when needed. Last 30 Days - Multi-Platform Research Engine covers recent discussion.
The Cursor rule .cursor/rules/conventions-brain-first.mdc uses a different five-step order: qmd search, qmd query, qmd get, a check of wiki/_backlinks.json on every lookup, then outside sources. It has no _index.md, aliases, or primary-sources step. Source: .cursor/rules/conventions-brain-first.mdc, 2026-04-15
Why
Wiki pages already synthesize 5-15 sources, so re-deriving them wastes tokens. Source: .cursor/rules/conventions-brain-first.mdc, 2026-04-15 Brain-first is the read half of The Brain-Agent Loop. Source: The Brain-Agent Loop, 2026-05-31
When To Skip
Skip only when Kevin explicitly asks for a fresh web search or the topic is absent from the wiki. The Cursor rule adds a third case: something that happened in the last 24 hours. Source: .cursor/rules/conventions-brain-first.mdc, 2026-04-15
Failure Mode
Brain-first fails when the agent answers from memory and misses Kevin-specific context already encoded in the wiki.
Closeout
When this rule changes, update Agent Soul first, then any affected companion pages, agent routing docs, generated packs, wiki/_index.md, qmd, and wiki/log.md. Source: Index Logging Protocol, 2026-07-01
Timeline
- 2026-11-02 | Replaced the claim that the Cursor rule loads the same order with its actual five steps and its 24-hour skip case. Cited the Why and When To Skip text to that rule and The Brain-Agent Loop instead of AGENTS.md Query. Source: wiki overhaul Phase 5 review, 2026-11-02
- 2026-11-02 | Became the one owner of this rule; private page now points here. Source: wiki overhaul memo Phase 5, 2026-11-02
- 2026-07-01 | Updated this soul companion to match the current Agent Soul constitution and the modern wiki brain: route, shape, execute, prove, close, and compound. private page
- 2026-05-31 | Brain-first rule split into dedicated soul page. Source: public wiki expansion, 2026-05-31