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arXiv · 2603.16021

Interpretable Context Methodology: Folder Structure as Agentic Architecture

Jake Van Clief·David McDermott
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Abstract

Current approaches to AI agent orchestration typically involve building multi-agent frameworks that manage context passing, memory, error handling, and step coordination through code. These frameworks work well for complex, concurrent systems. But for sequential workflows where a human reviews output at each step, they introduce engineering overhead that the problem does not require. This paper presents Model Workspace Protocol (MWP), a method that replaces framework-level orchestration with filesystem structure. Numbered folders represent stages. Plain markdown files carry the prompts and context that tell a single AI agent what role to play at each step. Local scripts handle the mechanical work that does not need AI at all. The result is a system where one agent, reading the right files at the right moment, does the work that would otherwise require a multi-agent framework. This approach applies ideas from Unix pipeline design, modular decomposition, multi-pass compilation, and literate programming to the specific problem of structuring context for AI agents. The protocol is open source under the MIT license.

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Jake Van Clief, David McDermott. 2026-03-17. Interpretable Context Methodology: Folder Structure as Agentic Architecture. https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.16021

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