---
name: kdna-loader
description: Discover and load KDNA judgment frameworks from installed .kdna assets when the task requires domain-specific judgment (review, diagnosis, critique, classification, strategy) where the same input could legitimately be interpreted multiple ways. Skip for pure formatting, factual lookup, code execution, or mechanical transformations. This skill is the entire interface to KDNA — domains themselves are not separate skills.
---

# KDNA Loader

KDNA (Knowledge DNA) is a portable format for encoding domain judgment.
Each KDNA domain is a small JSON bundle (~5–30 KB) that describes how
an expert thinks inside one domain: the principles they reason from,
the misunderstandings they avoid, the questions they ask themselves
before deciding.

**KDNA does not act. KDNA shapes how an agent judges before acting.**
Together with this skill, KDNA + kdna-loader form a complete loop:
this skill provides the **routing and protocol**, KDNA provides the
**judgment material**.

This skill is the **only** KDNA-related skill. Domains themselves are
not registered as skills — they live as `.kdna` assets under `~/.kdna/packages/` and
are discovered on demand. Whether the user has 1 domain installed or
100, this skill is the single entry point.

---

## Part 1 — Decide whether KDNA applies at all

Most tasks do **not** need KDNA. Run this check first.

### Use KDNA when

- The same input could mean different things, and the wrong reading
  produces a wrong response. Examples:
  - "Your price is too high" → could be value uncertainty, budget,
    or risk aversion. Wrong diagnosis → wrong response.
  - "Review this article opening" → could need polish, or structural
    rewrite. Wrong frame → wasted edit cycle.
  - "Did our meeting reach a decision?" → could be a real commitment
    or just discussion. Wrong call → fake progress.
- The task is **review / diagnosis / critique / classification /
  strategy / evaluation** in a specific domain.
- The user expects expert judgment, not a procedure.

### Skip KDNA when

- The task is mechanical: format conversion, syntax fixes, lookups,
  arithmetic, code execution.
- The task is purely creative without a judgment dimension.
- The user explicitly asked for one-shot output without analysis.
- No installed domain plausibly covers the task.

If you decide to skip, **answer normally** and do not mention KDNA.
The user should never see "I considered loading KDNA but didn't."

---

## Part 2 — Discover what's installed

Do **not** assume any specific domains exist. Ask the CLI every time.

```bash
kdna available --json
```

Returns a compact JSON array — one entry per installed domain — with:
`name`, `version`, `judgment_version`, `status`, `description`,
`core_insight`, `keywords`, `applies_when` (flattened across all
axioms), `does_not_apply_when` (flattened), `failure_risks`. Yanked
domains are excluded automatically.

This is your **only** discovery interface. Do not inspect `~/.kdna/packages/` manually, unzip `.kdna` files,
or `cat` internal JSON entries directly — the CLI is the supported contract
between this skill and the KDNA file format. The on-disk layout may
change; `kdna available` will not.

If the command returns `[]` or fails (CLI not installed) → no KDNA
available → answer normally, mention installation only if the user is
asking about KDNA itself.

---

## Part 3 — Evaluate fit (per candidate domain)

`kdna available --json` already gave you each domain's `applies_when`
and `does_not_apply_when` (flattened across all axioms). For each
domain in the list, decide whether it fits the current task by
**reading the language**, not by token matching.

For a hint signal (optional, low-trust), you can also call:

```bash
kdna match "<task in user's own words>" --json
```

This returns two things:

- `dropped`: domains whose `does_not_apply_when` matched the task
  with high enough confidence to mechanically disqualify them.
  **Respect this.** Even if your own reading thinks the domain
  could fit, the author explicitly excluded the case.
- `hints`: domains with weak surface keyword overlap. Many false
  positives are normal — treat as one input among many, not as a
  decision.

The decision is yours, not the CLI's. The CLI only mechanically
disqualifies (via `dropped`); it cannot pick the winner.

### How to decide

For each domain still in play after `dropped` exclusion:

1. Does the domain's **description** match what the user is asking?
2. Does **any** `applies_when` entry describe a situation that
   matches this specific task?
3. Does **any** `does_not_apply_when` entry describe what the user
   actually wants (e.g. they explicitly asked for copy edit)?

If 1 and 2 are yes and 3 is no → strong fit.
If 2 is unclear → weak fit. Prefer skipping over forcing.

A domain's `failure_risks` (also in `available --json`) tells you
what bad output the author warns about. Pre-check: is this exactly
what you'd produce if you loaded the domain? If yes, skip it.

---

## Part 4 — Selection

After evaluating, you should usually have:

- **0 fits** → do not load KDNA. Answer normally.
- **1 fit** → load it.
- **2+ fits** → prefer the narrowest match. If two domains take
  genuinely different stances on the task, surface the choice:
  > "Two installed domains could apply here: @aikdna/writing
  > (structural diagnosis) and @yourorg/copy_polish (line-level
  > polish). Which judgment frame should I use?"
  Do **not** silently blend.

Never load more than one domain as primary. A secondary domain can
constrain (e.g. `@aikdna/agent_safety` always advises on irreversible
actions), but the primary judgment frame is always one.

---

## Part 5 — Load

Once selected, load the domain via the CLI:

```bash
kdna load @scope/name
```

The default output (`--as=prompt`) is a compact text rendering
optimized for system-prompt injection: axioms with their
`applies_when` / `does_not_apply_when` / `failure_risk`, stances,
banned terms, misunderstandings, and self-checks. Typically
~30–50% smaller than the raw JSON.

Other output modes:

```bash
kdna load @scope/name --as=json   # raw Core + Patterns JSON
kdna load @scope/name --as=raw    # concatenated raw file contents
```

Use `--as=prompt` for normal loading. Use `--as=json` only when you
genuinely need to inspect the structure (e.g. user is debugging the
domain itself).

**Token discipline**: the prompt output already includes everything
the agent needs to apply judgment. Do not also `cat` the optional
files (`KDNA_Scenarios.json`, `KDNA_Cases.json`, etc.) unless the
user explicitly asks for examples, reasoning chains, or capability
stages.

---

## Part 6 — Apply silently

You have now internalized the domain's judgment surface. From this
point on:

1. **Adopt the axioms as your reasoning frame** — reason *from*
   them, not *around* them.
2. **Honour the boundaries** — for each axiom you'd apply, confirm
   the task is in `applies_when` AND not in `does_not_apply_when`.
3. **Pre-check failure_risk** — before producing output, ask:
   "Am I about to commit the failure this domain explicitly warns
   about?" If yes, step back.
4. **Use preferred terminology** — even if the user uses banned
   terms, gently substitute the domain's terms.
5. **Detect named misunderstandings** in the user's framing.
6. **Apply frameworks** when their `when_to_use` matches.
7. **Run self-checks** before final output. If a self-check fails,
   revise.
8. **Output a domain-shaped answer** — never quote KDNA, never list
   axioms, never say "according to the loaded KDNA." The user sees
   sharper judgment, not the source.

---

## Part 7 — Boundary respect

KDNA does not override:

- **User intent**: if the user asks for grammar fixes, give grammar
  fixes — do not lecture about structural void.
- **Evidence**: if the user provides facts contradicting an axiom,
  evidence wins.
- **Safety**: if `@aikdna/agent_safety` (or equivalent) says halt,
  halt.
- **Skills' execution layer**: KDNA shapes judgment; other skills /
  tools do the action.

---

## Failure handling

| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| `kdna` CLI not installed | Skip KDNA. Answer normally. Mention installation only if user asks about KDNA itself. |
| `kdna available --json` returns `[]` | No domains installed. Skip KDNA. |
| `kdna load <name>` exits non-zero | That domain is broken (yanked, missing files, parse error). Try next candidate or skip KDNA. The error message tells you why. |
| User explicitly asks for a domain that isn't installed | Tell them, suggest `kdna install <name>`. Do not fabricate the domain. |
| Two domains' stances directly conflict on the task | Surface to user. Do not blend. |

---

## Debug mode

If the user asks "did you use KDNA?" or "which domain did you load?",
you may reveal:

```
Loaded: @aikdna/writing@0.7.2 (judgment_version 2026.05)
Reason: matched axiom_problem_not_prose.applies_when
        on "user asked for content review"
Applied modules: KDNA_Core, KDNA_Patterns
Skipped: @aikdna/code_review (task is not code-related)
```

Otherwise, stay silent about the loading mechanics.

---

## What this skill is NOT

- Not a list of available KDNA domains (those are installed `.kdna` assets, discovered on demand)
- Not a registry browser (use `kdna list --available` CLI)
- Not a domain creator. Agents may draft judgment proposals or candidate cards, but trusted `.kdna` assets require Human Lock and Studio-compatible compile/export.
- Not an auto-loader that runs on every request — you decide per
  request whether the task needs KDNA at all

The skill teaches the protocol. The KDNA files supply the judgment.
Both are required; neither is sufficient alone.
