Session-start context

When an agent starts a session, its kcap hook starts the watcher, posts the start to the server, fetches the memory index in parallel, adds locally built fragments, and hands the agent one block of additional context. Server-backed pieces fail open: a slow or unreachable server means they are absent and the session starts anyway

Piece	Source	Switch (kcap config set …)
Guidance from past sessions	Facts retained from evaluations in this repository, project and organisation, promoted for injection (or top-weighted uncurated, per repository setting), ranked by weight and capped	disable_session_guidelines true
Memory index	Slugs and one-line descriptions of memories relevant to this repository, filtered by audience and machine	disable_memory_index true
Coordination notices	Teammates’ live sessions overlapping the same files or work item	disable_coordination_notices true
Work-items reminder	The session id and instructions to file the session on its issue or PR; suppressed when the cached plan excludes work items	disable_workitems_nudge true
Plans reminder	Instructions to declare plan documents and task progress	disable_plans_nudge true
First-run notice	Once, in the first session after setup installed something, with the tour offer	disable_first_run_notice true
New-agent offer	A one-time offer to set up a newly detected agent, at most every 6 hours	disable_harness_nudge true
Update note	When the kcap binary is older than the server recommends	update_check false
Approval-policy diagnostic	Claude Code only, when the policy configuration is degraded	—

Limits

Limit	Default
One document approved for injection	4,000 characters
Documents at session start	3
Individual facts across repository, project and organisation	8
Combined documents and facts	16,000 characters

Server operators can change these. When the budget is exceeded, lower-weight documents go first, then lower-ranked facts, always whole entries

Per agent

Claude Code receives the block through its SessionStart hook; the other agents through their own hook or extension. Five agents also carry a marker-delimited steering block in an instructions file (Copilot CLI, Gemini CLI, Pi, OpenCode, Antigravity) telling the agent when to prefer kcap’s tools. Pi receives the memory index on every start through its extension