steering-matcher

Steering File Matcher Skill

Triggers

Trigger Phrase	Operation
match steering for these files	get_applicable_steering.py
which steering applies to this task	Pattern match against changed files
inject steering context	Return applicable steering sorted by priority

Purpose

This skill helps orchestrator determine which steering files to inject into agent context based on the files being modified.

• Match file paths against glob patterns in steering file front matter
• Return applicable steering files sorted by priority
• Enable token-efficient context injection (30%+ savings)

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Orchestrator needs to inject context-aware steering based on files being modified
• You want to scope agent guidance to only relevant files (token optimization)
• Matching file paths against applyTo glob patterns in steering front matter

Use manual file reading instead when:

• You already know which steering file applies
• The task affects a single known steering domain

Quick Usage

Using get_applicable_steering.py Script

The script in .claude/skills/steering-matcher/scripts/get_applicable_steering.py handles pattern matching.

# Match files against steering patterns
python3 .claude/skills/steering-matcher/scripts/get_applicable_steering.py \
    --files "src/claude/analyst.md" ".agents/security/TM-001-auth-flow.md" \
    --steering-path ".agents/steering"

# Output: JSON array of objects with name, path, apply_to, priority

Process

This skill integrates with the orchestrator workflow:

1. Task Analysis: Orchestrator identifies files affected by task
2. Pattern Matching: Use this skill to find applicable steering
3. Context Injection: Include matched steering in agent prompt
4. Token Optimization: Only inject relevant guidance

Standard Orchestrator Workflow

# 1. Identify files from task
# 2. Get applicable steering
python3 .claude/skills/steering-matcher/scripts/get_applicable_steering.py \
    --files "src/claude/security.md" ".agents/security/SR-001-oauth-review.md"

# 3. Inject into agent context
# Output: JSON with name, path, apply_to, priority sorted by priority descending

Implementation

See scripts/get_applicable_steering.py for the Python implementation.

Testing

Run pytest to verify pattern matching:

pytest .claude/skills/steering-matcher/tests/

Anti-Patterns

Avoid	Why	Instead
Hardcoding steering file paths	Bypasses pattern matching, breaks on restructuring	Use get_applicable_steering.py
Injecting all steering files	Token bloat, irrelevant context	Match against changed files only
Ignoring priority ordering	Lower-priority guidance may contradict higher	Process results in priority order

Verification

After execution:

• Returned steering files match the applyTo patterns for the given files
• Results are sorted by priority (highest first)
• No duplicate steering entries in output

Scripts

get_applicable_steering.py

Matches file paths against steering glob patterns and returns applicable guidance.

python3 .claude/skills/steering-matcher/scripts/get_applicable_steering.py --files <file1> [<file2> ...]

Related

• Steering System README
• Enhancement Project Plan
• Orchestrator Agent