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Project context (anton.md)

Every workspace can have a .anton/anton.md file: plain-markdown instructions that Anton reads at the start of each conversation there.

Unlike the memory files, anton.md is yours alone — Anton never writes to it. Memory is what Anton learns; anton.md is what you declare. It will never be edited, compacted, or appended to by the memory system.

What to put in it​

  • What this project is — one or two sentences of context so Anton doesn't have to infer it.
  • Conventions — naming, formatting, style choices specific to this workspace.
  • Where the data lives — file paths, database names, which connection is the source of truth.
  • Preferred outputs — report format, chart style, where results should be written.
  • Always/never instructions for this workspace — though if a rule should survive and evolve with Anton's own learning, it often fits better as a proper rule via /memory or a "remember:" request; see Lessons and rules. Use anton.md for instructions you want to control word-for-word.

Your instructions win​

anton.md is loaded after Anton's memory, so if anything in it conflicts with a remembered rule or lesson, your written instructions take priority.

Example​

A realistic anton.md for a data-analysis workspace:

# Project: Q3 Retail Analytics

This workspace analyzes quarterly sales for the retail division.
Source data arrives as CSV exports in ./data/raw/ (one file per region,
UTF-8 with BOM). The warehouse connection "postgres-retail" is the
source of truth for historical numbers — prefer it over the CSVs when
both have the data.

## Conventions
- All money values are EUR. Never display USD.
- Fiscal quarters: Q3 = July 1 to September 30.
- Round percentages to one decimal place.

## Outputs
- Reports go to ./reports/ as a single self-contained HTML file.
- Charts: bar charts for regional comparisons, line charts for trends.
- Every report starts with a 3-bullet executive summary.

## Always / Never
- Always exclude the "internal-test" region from aggregates.
- Never modify anything under ./data/raw/ — treat it as read-only.

Tips​

  • Keep it short and current. It's loaded into every conversation in the workspace, so a focused page beats an encyclopedia.
  • If you find yourself repeating an instruction in chat, that's the signal to move it into anton.md.
  • For knowledge Anton should discover and refine on its own, leave room for memory to do its job — anton.md is for the ground rules.