Name the situation before comparing methods.
A question page does not assume that the answer is a product. When the existing method is enough, keeping it is a valid outcome.
Where should an AI agent run?
Duration, permission, network dependence, and maintenance cost belong in the same decision. Always-on is not automatically better than running only when needed.
Choose the lowest-permission, reversible environment whose maintenance cost fits this task.
What does tool sprawl cost?
New capability often brings setup, permission, breakage, and switching cost. The issue is not the count; it is whether each extension changes an outcome.
Classify current models, plugins, and skills as keep, prove, or remove—and stop maintaining “might be useful.”
How do I resume the right project?
Recovery is not simply opening an old chat. It means finding the right branch, unfinished decision, constraints, and next move without pulling in another project.
Record three natural returns before deciding whether a README, scripts, and session search are already enough.
Status note: first edition means the decision structure is usable. Personal material, original sources, and outcome evidence will continue to be added and revised.
Three questions, one workflow decision.
Return to the full Workflow to see how they emerged from the lived path.
Return to Workflow 001