[recipes] Add Bring Your Own Context composition recipe (#181)

* [recipes] Add Bring Your Own Context recipe

* [recipes] Fix markdownlint regression in activation README

Author: justfinethanku

README.md

@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@ Standalone capabilities that make your Open Brain smarter.
 | [Life Engine](recipes/life-engine/) | Self-improving personal assistant — calendar, habits, health, proactive briefings via Telegram or Discord | [@justfinethanku](https://github.com/justfinethanku) |
 | [Life Engine Video](recipes/life-engine-video/) | Add-on that renders Life Engine briefings as short animated videos with voiceover | [@justfinethanku](https://github.com/justfinethanku) |
 | [Daily Digest](recipes/daily-digest/) | Automated daily summary of recent thoughts delivered via email or Slack | OB1 Team |
+| [Bring Your Own Context](recipes/bring-your-own-context/) | Portable context workflow that packages extraction prompts, profile generation, and remote MCP deployment into one entrypoint | [@jonathanedwards](https://github.com/jonathanedwards) |
 | [Work Operating Model Activation](recipes/work-operating-model-activation/) | Conversation-first workflow that turns tacit work patterns into structured Open Brain records and agent-ready operating files | [@jonathanedwards](https://github.com/jonathanedwards) |
 | [Research-to-Decision Workflow](recipes/research-to-decision-workflow/) | Composition recipe that chains canonical skills into operator and investor research, synthesis, meeting, and memo workflows | [@NateBJones](https://github.com/NateBJones) |
 

recipes/README.md

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ Step-by-step builds that add a new capability to your Open Brain. Follow the ins
 
 | Recipe | What It Does |
 | ------ | ------------ |
+| [Bring Your Own Context](bring-your-own-context/) | Portable context workflow that packages extraction prompts, profile generation, and remote MCP deployment into one entrypoint |
 | [Email History Import](email-history-import/) | Pull your Gmail archive into searchable thoughts |
 | [ChatGPT Conversation Import](chatgpt-conversation-import/) | Ingest your ChatGPT data export |
 | [Daily Digest](daily-digest/) | Automated summary of recent thoughts via email or Slack |

recipes/bring-your-own-context/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,253 @@
+# Bring Your Own Context
+
+<!-- markdownlint-disable MD013 -->
+
+Portable context workflow for extracting what your AI already knows,
+turning it into a structured operating profile, and carrying that profile
+across AI clients.
+
+> [!IMPORTANT]
+> This is a composition recipe. It does not introduce a new MCP server or a
+> new tool surface in v1.
+
+It packages existing Open Brain pieces into one entrypoint:
+
+- focused extraction prompts in [extraction-prompts.md](./extraction-prompts.md)
+- the canonical [Work Operating Model skill](../../skills/work-operating-model/)
+- the paired [Work Operating Model Activation recipe](../work-operating-model-activation/)
+- the existing [Remote MCP Connection](../../primitives/remote-mcp/) pattern
+
+## What It Does
+
+Bring Your Own Context gives you one publishable workflow for portable AI context inside OB1.
+
+You first seed Open Brain with reviewed context using the extraction prompts in this folder. Then you run the existing Work Operating Model workflow to turn that raw context into a reusable bundle with a documented contract:
+
+- `operating-model.json`
+- `USER.md`
+- `SOUL.md`
+- `HEARTBEAT.md`
+- `schedule-recommendations.json`
+
+The machine-readable schema for that bundle lives in [context-profile.schema.json](./context-profile.schema.json).
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- Working Open Brain setup ([guide](../../docs/01-getting-started.md))
+- Existing core Open Brain connector with `search_thoughts` and `capture_thought`
+- AI client that supports reusable skills or prompt packs
+- Supabase CLI installed and linked to your project
+- Canonical [Work Operating Model skill](../../skills/work-operating-model/)
+- Optional source material to import: existing AI memory, exported notes, Obsidian vault content, Notion exports, text files, or similar context sources
+
+## Credential Tracker
+
+Copy this block into a text editor and fill it in as you go.
+
+```text
+BRING YOUR OWN CONTEXT -- CREDENTIAL TRACKER
+--------------------------------------------
+
+FROM YOUR OPEN BRAIN SETUP
+  Project URL:                ____________
+  Project ref:                ____________
+  MCP Access Key:             ____________
+  Core connector available:   yes / no
+  Core search tool visible:   yes / no
+  Core capture tool visible:  yes / no
+
+GENERATED DURING SETUP
+  Prompt source used:         memory / import / both
+  DEFAULT_USER_ID:            ____________
+  Function URL:               ____________
+  MCP Connection URL:         ____________
+  Latest session ID:          ____________
+  Current profile version:    ____________
+
+--------------------------------------------
+```
+
+## Recipe Assets
+
+- [extraction-prompts.md](./extraction-prompts.md) — the two prompt assets promised in the article
+- [context-profile.schema.json](./context-profile.schema.json) — machine-readable contract for the portable bundle returned by `generate_operating_model_exports`
+- [Work Operating Model Activation](../work-operating-model-activation/) — the profiling engine this recipe reuses
+
+## Steps
+
+![Step 1](https://img.shields.io/badge/Step_1-Choose_Your_Extraction_Pass-0F766E?style=for-the-badge)
+
+Pick the right prompt from [extraction-prompts.md](./extraction-prompts.md):
+
+- Use **Memory Extraction** if the AI platform already knows a lot about you from past chats or built-in memory.
+- Use **Context Import** if you are bringing in notes, exports, or another second-brain system.
+- If both are true, run **Memory Extraction first** and **Context Import second**.
+
+These prompts are intentionally upstream of profile generation. They create durable, searchable Open Brain context. They do **not** generate the final portable bundle by themselves.
+
+✅ **Done when:** You know which extraction pass you are running and your core Open Brain connector is enabled in the client you will use.
+
+---
+
+![Step 2](https://img.shields.io/badge/Step_2-Seed_Open_Brain_With_Context-0F766E?style=for-the-badge)
+
+Run the chosen prompt in your AI client with the core Open Brain connector enabled.
+
+Rules to keep the BYOC corpus clean:
+
+- review the preview batches before saving
+- store self-contained statements, not shorthand fragments
+- preserve names, dates, and decision context
+- skip noise, templates, and obviously stale junk
+
+This stage should leave you with durable raw context that the later profiling pass can search against.
+
+✅ **Done when:** `search_thoughts` can find a few recent captures about your people, projects, decisions, or workflow.
+
+---
+
+![Step 3](https://img.shields.io/badge/Step_3-Install_The_Profiling_Workflow-0F766E?style=for-the-badge)
+
+Install the canonical [Work Operating Model skill](../../skills/work-operating-model/) before doing anything else. BYOC reuses that exact interview behavior instead of inventing a second profiling prompt.
+
+If you have not installed it yet, follow the installation steps in the skill README and confirm your client can load reusable prompt packs or skills.
+
+✅ **Done when:** The Work Operating Model skill is available in your client and ready to use once the paired MCP tools are connected.
+
+---
+
+![Step 4](https://img.shields.io/badge/Step_4-Deploy_And_Connect_The_Profile_Server-0F766E?style=for-the-badge)
+
+BYOC reuses the [Work Operating Model Activation](../work-operating-model-activation/) recipe as its structured profiling engine.
+
+### 4.1 Run the schema
+
+Run [`recipes/work-operating-model-activation/schema.sql`](../work-operating-model-activation/schema.sql) in the Supabase SQL Editor.
+
+### 4.2 Generate a Default User ID
+
+```bash
+uuidgen | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]'
+```
+
+Then set it as a secret:
+
+```bash
+supabase secrets set DEFAULT_USER_ID=your-generated-uuid
+```
+
+### 4.3 Deploy the Function
+
+Use the [Deploy an Edge Function](../../primitives/deploy-edge-function/) pattern with these values:
+
+| Setting | Value |
+| ------- | ----- |
+| Function name | `work-operating-model-mcp` |
+| Download path | `recipes/work-operating-model-activation` |
+
+### 4.4 Connect It to Your AI Client
+
+URL-based connector example:
+
+```text
+https://YOUR_PROJECT_REF.supabase.co/functions/v1/work-operating-model-mcp?key=your-access-key
+```
+
+Header-based connector example for Claude Code:
+
+```bash
+claude mcp add --transport http work-operating-model \
+  https://YOUR_PROJECT_REF.supabase.co/functions/v1/work-operating-model-mcp \
+  --header "x-access-key: your-access-key"
+```
+
+Use the full [Remote MCP Connection](../../primitives/remote-mcp/) guide if your client needs a different setup path.
+
+> [!IMPORTANT]
+> Keep your base Open Brain connector enabled too. BYOC uses the existing Work Operating Model tools for structure, but it still depends on your core `search_thoughts` and `capture_thought` tools for memory hints and summary captures.
+
+✅ **Done when:** Your client can see all six required tools:
+
+- `search_thoughts`
+- `capture_thought`
+- `start_operating_model_session`
+- `save_operating_model_layer`
+- `query_operating_model`
+- `generate_operating_model_exports`
+
+---
+
+![Step 5](https://img.shields.io/badge/Step_5-Build_The_Portable_Profile-0F766E?style=for-the-badge)
+
+With both connectors enabled and the skill installed, prompt your AI client:
+
+```text
+Use the Work Operating Model workflow to interview me and build my operating model.
+```
+
+The workflow should:
+
+1. call `start_operating_model_session`
+2. search for hints in your seeded Open Brain context
+3. interview you through the five fixed layers
+4. show a checkpoint summary before every save
+5. persist each approved layer with `save_operating_model_layer`
+6. review contradictions with `query_operating_model`
+7. return the final bundle with `generate_operating_model_exports`
+
+BYOC is strongest when you treat the earlier extraction pass as raw material and this interview as the normalization pass. Do not skip the confirmation gates.
+
+✅ **Done when:** The workflow reaches export generation without missing layers and returns a session ID plus a profile version.
+
+---
+
+![Step 6](https://img.shields.io/badge/Step_6-Use_The_Portable_Bundle-0F766E?style=for-the-badge)
+
+The current portable bundle contract is:
+
+- `operating-model.json` — structured JSON representation of the full profile
+- `USER.md` — operator-facing profile summary
+- `SOUL.md` — guardrails, heuristics, and knowledge to respect
+- `HEARTBEAT.md` — recurring and event-driven check recommendations
+- `schedule-recommendations.json` — machine-readable recommendation output
+
+The transport shape returned by `generate_operating_model_exports` is documented in [context-profile.schema.json](./context-profile.schema.json). The schema also defines the parsed JSON contracts for `operating-model.json` and `schedule-recommendations.json` inside `$defs`.
+
+This is the honest v1 BYOC story inside OB1:
+
+- the **portable context profile** is the export bundle above
+- the **context server pattern** is the existing remote MCP deployment flow you already use in Open Brain
+
+✅ **Done when:** You can point to one export bundle, one schema file, and one recipe URL as the canonical BYOC entrypoint for the article.
+
+## Expected Outcome
+
+When this recipe is working correctly:
+
+- your Open Brain contains reviewed context captured through the extraction prompts
+- the Work Operating Model workflow can pull that context in as hints during the interview
+- `query_operating_model` returns structured entries for rhythms, decisions, dependencies, institutional knowledge, and friction
+- `generate_operating_model_exports` returns all five portable artifacts
+- [context-profile.schema.json](./context-profile.schema.json) documents the response shape and the parsed JSON artifact contracts
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+**Issue: `capture_thought` is not visible when I run the extraction prompt**
+Solution: The BYOC prompt stage only works with your base Open Brain connector enabled. Re-enable the core connector first, then rerun the prompt.
+
+**Issue: The Work Operating Model skill is loaded, but the profile tools are missing**
+Solution: The skill and the recipe are paired. Install the skill from [skills/work-operating-model](../../skills/work-operating-model/) and deploy/connect the MCP server from [Work Operating Model Activation](../work-operating-model-activation/) before starting the interview.
+
+**Issue: Export generation says layers are missing**
+Solution: Every one of the five layers must be approved before `generate_operating_model_exports` can succeed. Resume the session, finish the missing layer, then export again.
+
+**Issue: The connector works in one client but not another**
+Solution: Use the connection style your client actually supports. Some clients want the URL with `?key=...`, while Claude Code prefers the header-based form. The [Remote MCP Connection](../../primitives/remote-mcp/) guide covers both.
+
+## Next Steps
+
+- Feed `USER.md`, `SOUL.md`, and `HEARTBEAT.md` into any agent workflow that accepts operating files or durable system context.
+- Re-run the workflow after a major role change or workflow shift so your portable context stays current.
+- Use the [MCP Tool Audit & Optimization Guide](../../docs/05-tool-audit.md) once you add the second connector so the tool surface stays manageable.
+
+<!-- markdownlint-enable MD013 -->