# 3 · File structure

A context library is a folder of short Markdown files, grouped into numbered folders. Numbers keep the folders in the same order everywhere, and they give agents a fixed shape to expect. Most organizations end up with 30 to 50 files. Start with 10.

## The tree

```text
<AI context site or shared drive>
│
├── context/                          ← staff read, the owner edits
│   ├── org-context/                  ← THE LIBRARY
│   │   ├── AGENTS.md                 ← rules for agents (02-AGENTS.md in this kit)
│   │   ├── README.md                 ← the same library explained for people
│   │   ├── index.md                  ← lists the folders, one line each
│   │   ├── _template.md              ← the file template with the front matter
│   │   │
│   │   ├── 00-meta/                  (every folder has its own index.md)
│   │   │   ├── glossary.md           ← acronyms, industry terms, program names
│   │   │   ├── style-guide.md        ← how files in this library are written
│   │   │   └── inbox.md              ← the one queue of proposed changes
│   │   │
│   │   ├── 01-organization/
│   │   │   ├── org-overview.md       ← what we are, in one page
│   │   │   ├── mission-history.md
│   │   │   ├── strategic-plan.md
│   │   │   ├── governance.md         ← board, committees, who decides what
│   │   │   └── org-structure.md      ← staff functions and who owns what
│   │   │
│   │   ├── 02-members/
│   │   │   ├── member-types.md       ← categories, eligibility, dues
│   │   │   └── member-journey.md     ← join → onboard → engage → renew
│   │   │
│   │   ├── 03-programs/
│   │   │   ├── membership.md         ← benefits
│   │   │   ├── annual-conference.md
│   │   │   ├── education.md
│   │   │   ├── publications.md
│   │   │   └── advocacy.md
│   │   │
│   │   ├── 04-systems/
│   │   │   ├── tech-stack.md         ← every system, what it does, who owns it
│   │   │   ├── data-model.md         ← what data lives where
│   │   │   └── vendor-list.md
│   │   │
│   │   ├── 05-policies/
│   │   │   ├── ai-usage.md
│   │   │   ├── data-classification.md
│   │   │   ├── voice-tone.md
│   │   │   └── visual-identity.md
│   │   │
│   │   ├── 06-operations/
│   │   │   ├── annual-rhythm.md      ← the year: conference, board, budget, renewals
│   │   │   ├── budget-cycle.md
│   │   │   └── decision-log.md       ← notable decisions and the reasons
│   │   │
│   │   └── 07-knowledge/
│   │       ├── content-sources.md    ← where published content lives, which copy is current
│   │       ├── faqs-internal.md      ← what staff ask each other
│   │       └── faqs-member.md        ← what members ask us
│   │
│   └── source-material/              ← the documents files cite in auto_update_sources
│
└── inbox/                            ← everyone can add files here
    ├── README.md                     ← how to file a note
    ├── YYYY-MM-DD-short-topic.md …   ← one file per note, written by assistants
    └── processed/                    ← notes already moved into 00-meta/inbox.md
```

## What goes where

| Folder | Holds | Test for whether something belongs |
|---|---|---|
| `00-meta` | Files about the library itself: glossary, style guide, the inbox queue | Would an agent need it to read the other files correctly? |
| `01-organization` | Who you are: overview, mission, plan, governance, structure | Would a new board member or new hire read it in week one? |
| `02-members` | Who you serve: categories, eligibility, dues, the member lifecycle | Is it about members as groups? (Never individual records.) |
| `03-programs` | What you offer: membership, events, education, publications, advocacy | Could a member buy it, attend it, or use it? |
| `04-systems` | Your technology and data: systems, data, vendors | Would someone choosing or fixing a system need it? |
| `05-policies` | Rules: AI use, data handling, voice, brand | Does it say how something must be done? |
| `06-operations` | How the year runs: calendar, budget cycle, decisions | Is it about timing, process, or why something was decided? |
| `07-knowledge` | FAQs and the map to your published content | Is it a question people ask again and again? |

Two things sit beside the library, not inside it:

- **`source-material/`** holds the documents your files cite: the strategic plan PDF, the dues schedule, the board-approved policy. Put them where every authorized person can open them. A source only one person can open isn't a source.
- **`inbox/`** is a separate folder or library where everyone has permission to add files. The library stays read-only for staff; the inbox is where their assistants write notes.

## Rules that keep it usable

- **One topic per file, and the path is its name.** `03-programs/annual-conference.md` is the conference, everywhere.
- **Short files.** If a file grows past about three pages, split it.
- **Every folder has an `index.md`** listing its files, one line each. Agents use it to find a file without opening all of them.
- **Plain Markdown with front matter.** Every tool can read it. See `04-front-matter.md`.
- **If a program has a lot of internal detail**, give it two files: what members see in `03-programs/`, how you run it in `06-operations/`.

## Example files

Three filled-in examples for a fictional "Example Association" are in `examples/`, in the folders they would sit in:

- `examples/01-organization/org-overview.md`: an organization reference (public)
- `examples/03-programs/annual-conference.md`: a program reference (public, with a live source that wins on dates)
- `examples/05-policies/voice-tone.md`: a policy (internal, written from conversation)