Give AI agents the context that belongs to the work.

Build a useful starting point

Start with a brief that explains the outcome and the constraints. Add the working project, relevant documents and decisions the next session needs. Avoid attaching an entire backlog when a short explanation and a few references would answer the question.

TM8 connects tasks, documents, memories and sessions around the work. Its context model is useful when a team wants the reasoning behind a change to travel with the change, rather than be repeated in every conversation.

• Intent: what should change and how will it be judged?
• Project: which repository or working files are relevant?
• Knowledge: which documents, memories or skills apply?
• Decisions: what has already been agreed, and what remains open?

Keep shared context relevant

Shared does not mean identical in every session. A testing session may need acceptance criteria and the current behavior; a design session may need experience goals and constraints. Give each one a focused view of the same project.

Use source material for facts and distinguish it from suggestions. A dated decision may no longer apply. When instructions change, make the current decision and its scope explicit rather than leaving contradictory notes for the next agent to interpret.

Make the next handoff easy to understand

A useful handoff explains what was requested, what changed, what was checked and what remains unresolved. Link the result to the task and the supporting conversation so the next person can assess it without reconstructing the whole history.

For an illustrative sign-in improvement, the handoff might link the brief, design notes, test results and the final review decision. It should not include real account credentials, private customer records or unrelated production data.

• Record the current outcome and decision.
• Point to the result and the evidence used to check it.
• Name any unresolved dependency before starting the next step.

Treat context and permissions as separate choices

Context explains what an agent needs to know. Permissions determine what its session may access or do. Supplying a document should not be treated as a reason to grant unrelated access.

Check the configuration of your installation and providers before sharing sensitive information. Self-hosting does not mean model providers or configured integrations receive no data. The setup page describes current access availability; discuss your requirements before planning an installation.

Common questions