Strategy Engine Spec: Configuration Format

1. File Type

Strategy files use Markdown with YAML frontmatter.

Recommended extension:

text

.strategy.md

The body after the second --- is the Strategy user prompt body.

markdown

---
schema: everywhere.strategy/v1
id: user.example
name: "Example"
---

Prompt body here.

One file defines one Strategy. Multiple Strategies in one file are not supported.

YAML implementation choice:

Use SharpYaml for frontmatter serialization/deserialization.
Prefer source-generated metadata where practical.
Do not support comment-preserving roundtrip in v1.
Strategy Editor may rewrite frontmatter into canonical formatting.
User-authored comments in frontmatter are not part of the supported file contract.

2. Top-level Field Reference

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
`schema`	string	No	`everywhere.strategy/v1`	Strategy schema version.
`id`	string	No	provider-derived	Stable Strategy ID.
`from`	string or object	No	null	Single source to derive from.
`enabled`	bool	No	true	Whether this Strategy participates in matching.
`name`	string	Yes after normalization	source/provider-derived	Display name.
`description`	string	No	null	Tooltip/subtitle.
`icon`	string	No	null	Icon identifier, preferably Lucide icon name.
`priority`	int	No	0	Higher appears earlier.
`when`	condition object	No	true	Recommendation condition.
`tools`	map string -> bool	No	null	ToolRulesets override for this Strategy.
`preprocessors`	string[]	No	[]	Predefined preprocessors to run at execution.
`systemPrompt`	string	No	null	System prompt override for this request.
`options`	object	No	defaults	Matching/runtime options.
body	markdown	No	null/source body	User prompt body.

name is required after from resolution. A raw file may omit name if its from source provides one.

3. `from`

from derives the current Strategy from one source.

Short form:

yaml

from: ./SKILL.md

Expanded form:

yaml

from:
  source: ./SKILL.md
  kind: auto

Allowed kind values:

text

auto
skill
strategy
markdown
url

Rules:

Only one from is allowed.
from is include-like: final output may look merged, but the source reference is preserved.
Current frontmatter fields replace source fields.
Current body replaces source body if a body section is present.
If current body section is absent, source body is inherited.
Multiple inheritance is not supported.
Nested from should be rejected in v1.
Diagnostics should retain both current source and included source when possible.

Examples:

yaml

from: skill://my-writing-style

yaml

from:
  source: E:\Everywhere\Strategies\BaseReview.strategy.md
  kind: strategy

yaml

from:
  source: https://example.com/strategies/research.strategy.md
  kind: url

URL support is interface-ready. A v1 implementation may reject URL loading unless a network resolver is explicitly enabled.

4. IDs

Examples:

yaml

id: user.file-manager.summarize-selection

yaml

id: workspace.review-current-file

Rules:

IDs are stable and case-insensitive.
builtin is a namespace assigned by the builtin provider, not by user-authored files.
User files cannot allocate themselves into builtin.*.
If a user file writes id: builtin.foo, prefer rejecting it with a validation diagnostic.
If omitted, user provider may derive ID from relative path.
Duplicate IDs within one provider namespace are invalid.
User Strategies do not override builtin Strategies.

5. Enabled

yaml

enabled: true

Disabled Strategies are loaded for editing/diagnostics but skipped during matching.

6. Display Fields

yaml

name: "Summarize selected files"
description: "Summarize files selected in the file manager"
icon: FileText
priority: 80

icon should initially use names that map to existing app icon support, preferably Lucide icon names. Invalid icons should fall back to a default icon and produce a validation warning.

7. `when`

when controls whether a Strategy is recommended.

If absent:

yaml

when: true

Explicit true/false:

yaml

when: true

yaml

when: false

Composite conditions:

yaml

when:
  all:
    - attachments.selection.text:
        length:
          min: 1
    - none:
        - clipboard.text:
            contains: "secret"

Supported composite operators:

text

all
any
none

All conditions evaluate to bool?, and only root true recommends the Strategy.

8. Path Conditions

A path condition maps a context path to an operator object.

yaml

when:
  all:
    - extra.file_manager.selection.items:
        count:
          min: 1

Supported root paths:

text

attachments
visual
clipboard
assistant
environment
extra

9. String Operators

Examples:

yaml

environment.os:
  equals: "windows"

yaml

extra.browser.active_tab.url:
  startsWith: "https://arxiv.org/"

yaml

attachments.selection.text:
  regex: "\\bTODO\\b"

Full set:

yaml

equals: "value"
in: ["a", "b"]
contains: "value"
startsWith: "prefix"
endsWith: "suffix"
regex: "pattern"
glob: "*.pdf"
caseSensitive: true

Rules:

Default string comparison is case-insensitive.
caseSensitive: true makes supported string operations case-sensitive.
Regex uses options.regexTimeout.
Regex timeout evaluates to null.

10. Length, Count, Numeric Operators

String length:

yaml

attachments.selection.text:
  length:
    min: 1
    max: 5000

Array count:

yaml

extra.file_manager.selection.items:
  count:
    min: 1
    max: 20

Numeric:

yaml

extra.file_manager.selection.items:
  any:
    size:
      max: 10485760

Supported numeric shape:

yaml

min: 0
max: 100
equals: 5

11. Array Operators

Array any:

yaml

extra.file_manager.selection.items:
  any:
    extension:
      in: [".pdf", ".docx", ".txt"]

Array all:

yaml

extra.file_manager.selection.items:
  all:
    kind:
      equals: "file"

Array none:

yaml

extra.file_manager.selection.items:
  none:
    extension:
      in: [".exe", ".bat", ".cmd", ".ps1"]

Inside array operators, paths are relative to each item.

12. Attachments Paths

Recommended v1 paths:

text

attachments.files
attachments.files[].path
attachments.files[].mimeType
attachments.files[].extension
attachments.selection.text
attachments.text
attachments.visual.primary
attachments.visual.items

Examples:

yaml

attachments.files:
  count:
    min: 1

yaml

attachments.files:
  any:
    extension:
      equals: ".png"

13. Clipboard Paths

Recommended v1 paths:

text

clipboard.text
clipboard.hasText
clipboard.hasImage
clipboard.files

Example:

yaml

clipboard.text:
  length:
    min: 1

Clipboard paths can be read before matching. The Strategy details UI should disclose clipboard access.

14. Assistant Paths

Recommended v1 paths:

text

assistant.id
assistant.name
assistant.model.id
assistant.model.modalities
assistant.model.supportsToolCall

Example:

yaml

assistant.model.modalities:
  contains: "image"

15. Environment Paths

Recommended v1 paths:

text

environment.os
environment.architecture
environment.locale
environment.timeZone
environment.currentDate

Example:

yaml

environment.os:
  in: ["windows", "macos"]

16. Extra Paths

extra is the user-facing namespace for context collected by extra providers.

16.1 File Manager

Public schema:

text

extra.file_manager.current_folder.path
extra.file_manager.current_folder.displayName
extra.file_manager.selection.items
extra.file_manager.selection.items[].path
extra.file_manager.selection.items[].displayName
extra.file_manager.selection.items[].kind
extra.file_manager.selection.items[].extension
extra.file_manager.selection.items[].size

Example:

yaml

extra.file_manager.selection.items:
  any:
    extension:
      in: [".pdf", ".docx"]

16.2 Browser

Recommended future schema:

text

extra.browser.active_tab.url
extra.browser.active_tab.title
extra.browser.active_tab.domain

Example:

yaml

extra.browser.active_tab.url:
  startsWith: "https://arxiv.org/"

16.3 Workspace

Recommended future schema:

text

extra.workspace.root
extra.workspace.name
extra.workspace.git.branch
extra.workspace.git.hasChanges

17. Visual Conditions

v1 visual condition types:

text

visual.exists
visual.count
visual.match

17.1 `visual.exists`

yaml

visual.exists:
  query: "//TopLevel//Button[@name='Save']"

Returns true if at least one element matches.

17.2 `visual.count`

yaml

visual.count:
  query: "//ListViewItem[@selected=true]"
  min: 1
  max: 5

Returns true if the count is within range.

17.3 `visual.match`

yaml

visual.match:
  query: "//TopLevel/@name"
  contains: "Visual Studio"

The query must select attribute values. The rest of the object uses normal string/numeric/bool operators.

18. Visual Query Syntax

Supported examples:

text

//Button
/TopLevel/Panel/Button
.//TextEdit[@focused=true]
//TopLevel/@name
//ListViewItem[@selected=true]
//Button[contains(@name,'Save')]
//Document[matches(@text,'error|warning')]

Supported concepts:

Syntax	Meaning
`//Type`	Descendant search by visual element type.
`/`	Strict parent-child step.
`.`	Current primary visual element.
`*`	Any element type.
`@name`	Name attribute.
`@text`	Text content, read only when explicitly requested.
`@process`	Owning process name.
`@selected`	Selected state.
`@focused`	Focused state.
`@disabled`	Disabled state.
`@readonly`	Read-only state.
`@offscreen`	Offscreen state.
`@password`	Password state.
`@bounds.x`	Bounds X.
`@bounds.y`	Bounds Y.
`@bounds.width`	Bounds width.
`@bounds.height`	Bounds height.
`contains(@name,'x')`	String contains.
`matches(@text,'regex')`	Regex match.

Not supported in v1:

XPath axes.
Namespaces.
Arbitrary functions.
Arithmetic expressions.
Index selectors such as //Button[3].
Platform-specific fields such as AutomationId/ClassName.

19. Tools

tools uses the existing ToolRulesets format.

yaml

tools:
  builtin.web.*: true
  builtin.web.web_search: false
  builtin.filesystem.read_file: true

Keys are plugin or plugin-function glob patterns. Values are booleans.

20. Preprocessors

yaml

preprocessors:
  - selected-text
  - file-manager-selection

Rules:

IDs must refer to registered preprocessors.
Preprocessors run in the declared order.
Unknown IDs are validation errors.
v1 preprocessors return variables only.
Prompt variables use path-style names.

21. System Prompt

Short form:

yaml

systemPrompt: "You are an expert translator."

Block form:

yaml

systemPrompt: |
  You are an expert translator.
  Preserve formatting when possible.

It supports the same variable interpolation as body.

22. Options

All runtime options live under options.

yaml

options:
  matchingTimeout: 300ms
  conditionTimeout: 80ms
  regexTimeout: 50ms
  visualQueryTimeout: 120ms
  extraTimeout: 200ms

Recommended defaults:

Field	Default	Meaning
`matchingTimeout`	`300ms`	Total budget for evaluating one Strategy.
`conditionTimeout`	`80ms`	Budget for one condition node.
`regexTimeout`	`50ms`	Budget for one regex operation.
`visualQueryTimeout`	`120ms`	Budget for one visual query.
`extraTimeout`	`200ms`	Budget for one extra provider call.

Durations support:

text

ms
s

Invalid durations are validation errors.

23. Prompt Body

The markdown body is the user prompt template.

markdown

Please explain the selected text:

{attachments.selection.text}

Variable rules:

Syntax is {path.to.value}.
{Argument} remains supported for compatibility.
New variables should use path style.
Missing values render as empty string in user-facing execution.
Diagnostics should report missing values by path.

24. Complete Examples

24.1 File Manager Selection

markdown

---
schema: everywhere.strategy/v1
id: user.file-manager.summarize-selection
name: "Summarize selected files"
description: "Summarize files selected in the file manager"
icon: FileText
priority: 80

when:
  all:
    - extra.file_manager.selection.items:
        count:
          min: 1
    - extra.file_manager.selection.items:
        any:
          extension:
            in: [".pdf", ".docx", ".txt", ".md"]

tools:
  builtin.filesystem.read_file: true
  builtin.web.*: false

preprocessors:
  - file-manager-selection

options:
  matchingTimeout: 300ms
  conditionTimeout: 80ms
  regexTimeout: 50ms
  visualQueryTimeout: 120ms
  extraTimeout: 200ms
---

Please summarize the selected files:

{extra.file_manager.selection.items}

24.2 Browser URL Strategy

markdown

---
schema: everywhere.strategy/v1
id: user.browser.arxiv-summary
name: "Summarize arXiv paper"
description: "Summarize the currently open arXiv paper"
icon: FileText
priority: 90

when:
  all:
    - extra.browser.active_tab.url:
        startsWith: "https://arxiv.org/"

preprocessors:
  - browser-active-page

tools:
  builtin.web.*: true
---

Summarize this arXiv paper:

URL: {extra.browser.active_tab.url}

Readable text:
{preprocess.browser.readable_text}

24.3 Skill-derived Strategy

markdown

---
schema: everywhere.strategy/v1
id: user.writing.polite-rewrite
from: ./SKILL.md

name: "Polite rewrite"
description: "Rewrite selected text using my writing rules"
icon: PenLine
priority: 60

when:
  all:
    - attachments.selection.text:
        length:
          min: 1
---

Please rewrite this text politely and concisely:

{attachments.selection.text}

Because the body is present, it replaces the body loaded from SKILL.md. Other fields from the source are replaced by current fields when present.

24.4 Visual Query Strategy

markdown

---
schema: everywhere.strategy/v1
id: user.ide.explain-focused-editor
name: "Explain focused editor"
description: "Explain text in the focused editor"
icon: MessageSquareCode
priority: 70

when:
  all:
    - visual.exists:
        query: ".//TextEdit[@focused=true]"
    - visual.match:
        query: "//TopLevel/@name"
        contains: "Visual Studio"
---

Explain the current focused editor content:

{attachments.selection.text}

25. Validation Checklist

An implementation must validate:

Frontmatter exists or file is a valid imported markdown source.
YAML parses.
schema is supported.
id is valid or derivable.
User ID does not use builtin..
from has one source and no unsupported nested inheritance.
enabled is bool.
priority is int.
when uses supported structure.
Visual query syntax is valid.
tools is map string -> bool.
preprocessors is string array and IDs exist when registry is known.
options durations are valid.
Body is valid UTF-8/UTF-16 text depending on file encoding support.

Strategy Engine Spec: Configuration Format

Strategy Engine Spec: Configuration Format

1. File Type

2. Top-level Field Reference

3. from

4. IDs

5. Enabled

6. Display Fields

7. when

8. Path Conditions

9. String Operators

10. Length, Count, Numeric Operators

11. Array Operators

12. Attachments Paths

13. Clipboard Paths

14. Assistant Paths

15. Environment Paths

16. Extra Paths

16.1 File Manager

16.2 Browser

16.3 Workspace

17. Visual Conditions

17.1 visual.exists

17.2 visual.count

17.3 visual.match

18. Visual Query Syntax

19. Tools

20. Preprocessors

21. System Prompt

22. Options

23. Prompt Body

24. Complete Examples

24.1 File Manager Selection

24.2 Browser URL Strategy

24.3 Skill-derived Strategy

24.4 Visual Query Strategy

25. Validation Checklist

3. `from`

7. `when`

17.1 `visual.exists`

17.2 `visual.count`

17.3 `visual.match`