Overview
More rules are not automatically better forever. A large rule file consumes context before the current task begins. If it grows to hundreds or thousands of instructions, several problems can appear:
- Rules may duplicate one another.
- Old and new rules may conflict.
- Project-specific rules may incorrectly influence unrelated work.
- The agent may have less context available for the active task.
- Performance may decline because the prompt has become crowded.
A clear practical limit may not appear quickly, but the theoretical risk is real. A self-modifying system should therefore learn continuously while remaining organized.
Useful maintenance practices derived from the architecture include keeping rules concise, separating global and local instructions, and moving procedural detail into skills rather than allowing the main rule file to become a complete operating manual.