Idea
Now that we have neutral acq kits (unlike the older sbx-specific kits), the referenced files no longer have to live in the same directory as the kit spec. That unlocks a useful pattern.
Proposal
Provide a "personal" kit in the patterns repo that refers to files in a specific, user-owned directory — e.g. an XDG directory for acq. This gives the user a well-known target for landing their own skills, etc.
Because the kit spec can also carry a prompt with it, the provided kit can pull that prompt content from the user's XDG config directory. So if someone has instructions they're constantly giving agents, there's a durable place to keep them outside of any particular sandbox — and it stays out of acq's concern (it's not acq's job to handle the user's personal stuff).
Why this works
- The referenced files can live anywhere (XDG dir), not co-located with the kit spec.
- The kit spec's prompt-carrying capability lets it source personal instructions from XDG config.
- Personal skills/prompts/instructions become durable and sandbox-independent.
- This still works with the sbx backend, since acq renders the neutral kit definition into the sbx-specific definition.
Rough sketch
- A provided "personal" kit spec that points at an XDG directory (e.g.
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/acq/ or $XDG_DATA_HOME/acq/) for user skills.
- The kit's prompt sourced from the user's XDG config directory.
- Users drop their own skills / prompts / standing instructions in that directory once, and they follow them across sandboxes.
Idea
Now that we have neutral acq kits (unlike the older sbx-specific kits), the referenced files no longer have to live in the same directory as the kit spec. That unlocks a useful pattern.
Proposal
Provide a "personal" kit in the patterns repo that refers to files in a specific, user-owned directory — e.g. an XDG directory for acq. This gives the user a well-known target for landing their own skills, etc.
Because the kit spec can also carry a prompt with it, the provided kit can pull that prompt content from the user's XDG config directory. So if someone has instructions they're constantly giving agents, there's a durable place to keep them outside of any particular sandbox — and it stays out of acq's concern (it's not acq's job to handle the user's personal stuff).
Why this works
Rough sketch
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/acq/or$XDG_DATA_HOME/acq/) for user skills.