/cdlc
// the context development lifecycle: the mechanism behind the loop
// the idea
DevOps gave us the SDLC. CDLC is the same discipline applied to the context that drives coding agents: every delivery phase has a context counterpart: write the instruction, compile the packet, validate the outcome, and preserve the learning.
// context is a compiler
Raw signal becomes typed, versioned, validated context; chat history stays out.
raw signal (sessions, decisions, failures)
// ↓ curate
curated learnings (what the session actually taught)
// ↓ compile
compiled findings (deduped, ranked, decay-weighted)
// ↓ enforce
planning rules + pre-mortem checks → ENFORCEMENT GATES
THE SHIFT — Vendor memory follows the chat; the corpus follows the team. Context becomes an engineering artifact: typed, versioned, validated, and decay-ranked.
// delivery ↔ context
Every familiar SDLC phase has a CDLC counterpart.
| SDLC (code) | CDLC (context) |
|---|---|
| Write code | Write the instruction |
| Compile | Compile the context packet |
| Test | Validate the outcome |
| Deploy | Deliver to the agent |
| Observe | Observe what happened |
| Adapt | Preserve the learning |
The loop is the product. CDLC is how it runs.
AgentOps loop, CDLC mechanism, fungible agents, sovereign councils on demand.