Environment as instruction source of truth

These examples and illustrative results are independently authored teaching materials, not measured model results.

Use case

A check script changed but several agent docs copied the old string. Cheap inspectable environment facts should come from current configuration; prose retains unwritten reasons.

Mechanism

Identify authority at the real installation boundary: scripts/lockfiles/CI. Provide precise pointers/fields and retain fixture rationale, permissions and environment conventions. Read trusted configuration before execution; help runs code, so unknown binaries need trust checks first. Cache expensive lookups with time/owner/invalidation and resolve conflicts against authority.

Bad example

Copy scripts into three files and update one, or execute an unknown downloaded helper for discovery.

Good example

Point to current package.json check/CI contracts and explain the cross-module fixture. Inspect before authorized execution rather than duplicate strings. Cached expensive facts carry source/time/refresh conditions.

Why the change matters

Copies are caches that drift. Cheap authoritative lookup reduces synchronization while prose concentrates on reasons unavailable from configuration.

Observable expectation

Teaching renamed scripts need one authoritative edit and pointers find them. Docs retain rationale without stale commands. Check actual existence/trust/applicability, not a check label as permission.

Limits

Configuration can be wrong and authority is not safety/success. Expensive external queries may justify caches; synchronized generated docs need validation. No frozen skill commands were executed here.