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Rule ID: AE-CTX-002 · Severity: Medium · Category: Context · Auto-fixable: No

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Why this rule

An agent that reads a context file describing the wrong stack makes confident mistakes — wrong build commands, wrong test paths, wrong edit scope. Drift is uniquely corrosive: the file still reads as authoritative, so the agent trusts a stack, command, or boundary that no longer matches the repo and acts on it without hesitation.

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What triggers it

Charter compares the context file’s stated tech stack and commands against manifest files it can observe in the repo. The finding fires when:
  • The stated stack names a language or framework but no corresponding manifest exists (package.json, go.mod, Gemfile, pyproject.toml, Cargo.toml, etc.)
  • The stated verification command does not appear in any task runner config Charter can find (moon.yml, Makefile, package.json scripts, Justfile)
  • Declared off-limits paths reference directories that do not exist in the repo

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Examples

AGENTS.md
AGENTS.md

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How to fix

Review each mismatch listed in the finding evidence and update the context file to reflect repo reality.
1

Fix a stack mismatch

Update the stack declaration to match what manifests are actually present. If you removed a language, remove it from the context file; if you added one, add it. Charter looks for go.mod, package.json, pyproject.toml, Gemfile, Cargo.toml, and similar.
2

Fix a verification command mismatch

Confirm the stated command runs successfully from the repo root. Update it to match the actual task runner entry — or add the task to your runner config if it is genuinely missing.
3

Fix an off-limits path mismatch

Remove references to paths that no longer exist, or create the directory if the boundary is still intended. Phantom off-limits declarations confuse agents rather than protecting anything.
4

Confirm the finding clears

Run charter explain with AE-CTX-002 (or charter doctor) after any update to verify the mismatch no longer appears.
Treat AGENTS.md like a living document — update it whenever you add or remove a language, change your test runner, rename directories, or modify edit-scope boundaries. Drift happens silently; Charter surfaces it before the agent reaches it.

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Score impact

Medium (−4 per finding). No hard cap — caps are reserved for raw-secret and Blocker findings. See Scoring and caps.

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Edge cases

An old date alone never fires this rule. AE-CTX-002 fires on factual mismatches — stack claims with no manifest evidence, commands absent from any task runner config, off-limits paths that map to no real directory — not on timestamp staleness.

AE-CTX-001

Context file must exist and be within budget.

AE-AUTO-001

Verification command must be discoverable.

AE-CTX-006

Emphatic directive density degrades adherence.

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CLI