◆ PROJECT CACHE (in workbook mode the manifest nests under FTR-36's EXCEL TRACKER section)

Cache Directory: [project_root]\project_cache\  (flat — no subdirectories, unchanged)
Manifest: trackers\data\[ProjectCode]_Project_Cache.xlsx (via FTR-36) when FTR-36
  is installed; otherwise admin\Project_Cache_Manifest.md (markdown table,
  same columns)
Context index: project_cache\INDEX.md + INDEX.json (generated; see CACHE INDEX)

The Project Cache directory itself is unaffected by this feature's Excel
conversion — it remains a flat staging directory, registered files are
copied here on refresh, exactly as before. Open the folder, select all,
drag to Claude Project Files.
PURPOSE: Claude's Project Files hold the closest-in-context reference
material. The cache keeps them current without manual file hunting.

EXCLUDED FROM AUTO-REGISTRATION — HARD RULE (unchanged)
  admin\AGENT_INSTRUCTIONS.md and CLAUDE.md never go in the Project Cache,
  regardless of how important they are to the project or how they turn up
  in a scan. AGENT_INSTRUCTIONS.md's content already reaches every
  conversation automatically through the Claude Project Instructions
  field — caching a copy too would add nothing. CLAUDE.md is read
  directly off disk by Cowork and Claude Code, never through Project
  Knowledge, so caching it serves no purpose either. If either file is
  ever suggested as a cache candidate — by "scan for cache candidates,"
  by a person asking to add it, or by any other route — decline and
  explain why rather than registering it. This applies regardless of
  which other files are or aren't in the cache.

AUTO-REGISTERED FILES (unchanged)
  [ProjectCode]_Logo.png       <- brand\      (Critical)
  Brand_Standards.md           <- brand\      (High)
  [Entity]_Profile_Sanitized   <- admin\      (High)
  tracker_index.md             <- trackers\   (Medium)
If a file isn't found at setup, register it as "Not Yet Found" and pick it
up automatically at first refresh once it exists.

COMMANDS (apply to the manifest in either mode; index commands are under CACHE INDEX)
  "refresh project cache" / "update project cache"
      → copies all registered files to project_cache\
  "add [file] to project cache"
      → permanently registers (row added to the manifest);
         included in all future refreshes (except AGENT_INSTRUCTIONS.md
         and CLAUDE.md — see the hard rule above; if asked to add
         either, explain why instead)
  "show project cache"    → reads the manifest, lists registered files and
                            current status
  "scan for cache candidates" → recursive scan for unregistered cacheable
                                 files

REFRESH BEHAVIOR — HARD RULES (against the manifest in whichever mode is installed)
  1. Read the manifest (the workbook via FTR-36's access method, or the
     markdown table)
  2. For each registered file: locate at its source path; copy if not yet
     in cache; copy only if source is newer (skip if identical); if source
     not found, mark Not Found and CONTINUE (do not abort the run)
  3. Update the manifest with new statuses and timestamps (workbook mode:
     follow FTR-36's own commit protocol — backup, edit, save, verify)
  4. Rebuild the cache index incrementally (see CACHE INDEX): refresh
     bytes, sha256 and outline for every cached file; keep every current
     summary; mark changed files stale; add new files as missing; regenerate
     INDEX.md. If summaries cannot be written now, the refresh still
     completes and the index is left marked stale.
  5. Report: N copied · N skipped · N not found · index: N entries,
     N current, N stale, N missing
  6. No manual intervention once started — the run goes to completion

CACHE INDEX — GOVERNING FOR CONTEXT, HARD RULES (new in v2.0)
  Two generated files sit at the root of project_cache\ (the directory
  stays flat):
    INDEX.md    short view: what each cached file covers and when to read
                it. Drag it to Project Files with the rest.
    INDEX.json  full record: hashes, outlines, summaries, tiers. For agents
                and scripts. Do NOT drag it into Project Files.
  Files are indexed where they are. Nothing is moved, re-copied or
  duplicated for the index. Both files are generated: never edited by
  hand, never registered in the manifest, never scan candidates.
  Format, field rules and build procedure:
    admin\feature-prompts\project-cache-index.md
  Read that file before building, checking or changing an index.
  Format name: schema "project-cache-index/1".

  COMMANDS
    "build cache index"  (re)build INDEX.json and INDEX.md incrementally;
                         write summaries only for stale or missing entries
    "check cache index"  report only: every cached file indexed, every
                         sha256 current, no stale or missing summary, JSON
                         parses, excluded files absent
    "show cache index"   print INDEX.md, or one entry

  AGENT CONTRACT — applies to any agent in this project, in claude.ai or
  in Claude Code:
    1. Before opening any file in project_cache\, read
       project_cache\INDEX.md and choose the file by its "Read when".
    2. Tier 0: the index line is enough. Tier 1: read the whole file when
       the task matches. Tier 2: never read whole; use the outline line
       ranges in INDEX.json and read only those lines.
    3. Cache files are copies. Never edit one. The source of truth is the
       file's "source" in INDEX.json. Change the source, then "refresh
       project cache".
    4. If a file's sha256 no longer matches INDEX.json, or its summary is
       stale, still use the file, say the index is stale, and offer
       "build cache index".
    5. After adding or changing a cache file, rebuild the index.
    6. Say which cache files you relied on.
    7. admin\AGENT_INSTRUCTIONS.md and CLAUDE.md stay excluded and are
       never indexed. Never index anything from keys\ or any credential
       file.
    8. If project_cache\INDEX.md does not exist yet, say so, work from the
       manifest, and offer "build cache index".

  POINTER — Full detail: admin\feature-prompts\project-cache-index.md
  Invoke when: building, checking or changing INDEX.json or INDEX.md.

COPY RULE — HARD (unchanged)
  Copy only. Never move. Never modify source files. Newer source overwrites
  the cached version; identical version is skipped. Mechanism: Windows MCP
  Copy-Item (K:\ path) preferred, Filesystem MCP fallback. If neither can
  write to project_cache\: present the file list for manual copy and flag
  as a Bootstrap Reconciliation Item.

RECURSIVE SCAN ("scan for cache candidates", unchanged)
  Walk the project tree; flag files matching, not already in the manifest:
  *.png in brand\ · *Brand_Standards* · *_Profile*.md in admin\ ·
  tracker_index.md anywhere · any .md in docs\reference\ · any .html in
  trackers\templates\. Never flag AGENT_INSTRUCTIONS.md or CLAUDE.md as a
  candidate, no matter where they're found — the exclusion above is
  unconditional, not just a matter of them not being on this pattern
  list. Present candidates; user confirms → permanently registered.
  Skip INDEX.md and INDEX.json; they are generated and never candidates.

DIRECTORY CONSTRAINTS — HARD (unchanged)
  Flat — no subdirectories; all files at root level only. Staging only —
  never a source for edits, drafts, or production. Files here are copies;
  the source of truth is always the registered source path.
  User workflow: refresh → open project_cache\ → select all except
  INDEX.json → drag to Claude Project Files. The only generated files
  allowed at the root are INDEX.md and INDEX.json.

MANIFEST TRACKING (a single Excel workbook via FTR-36 when installed,
otherwise a markdown table at admin\Project_Cache_Manifest.md)
  Workbook mode: workbook at trackers\data\. Static filename; version tracked inside the
  workbook itself (a Meta sheet or header cell, per FTR-36's own
  versioning convention). Columns: File Name, Source Path, Type,
  Priority, Last Copied, Status. Status values: Current / Updated / Not
  Found / Not Yet Copied. Priority: dropdown, Critical / High / Medium /
  Low. Every write follows FTR-36's own commit protocol (pre-edit backup,
  COM edit, fresh-session round-trip verification).
  Markdown mode: the same columns as a markdown table, edited as an
  ordinary file (read it first, change only the rows concerned, re-read to
  verify).
  INDEX.md and INDEX.json never appear as manifest rows (generated, not
  copied). A sidecar for a cached non-text file (FTR-12) is registered like
  any other file, so it reaches project_cache\ by the normal refresh.

WHEN USER ASKS ABOUT PROJECT FILES
  "Claude's Project Files are the closest-in-context storage in every
  conversation. The Project Cache makes sure they stay current. Refresh
  when files change, open project_cache\, select all except INDEX.json,
  and drag to Project Files. INDEX.md tells Claude which cached file to
  open, so keep it current: say 'build cache index' after a refresh.
  AGENT_INSTRUCTIONS.md and CLAUDE.md are the two exceptions; they reach
  conversations through other mechanisms already, so they're never part of
  this cache. That's the full workflow."

Meta (header cell or dedicated sheet): Project Code, Cache Dir, Last
Refresh (datetime), Version

Data sheet columns: # | File Name | Source Path | Type | Priority |
Last Copied | Status

Example rows (values only, dropdowns per FTR-36's own conventions for
Priority and Status):
1 | [ProjectCode]_Logo.png        | brand\    | Logo    | Critical | [date] | Current
2 | Brand_Standards.md            | brand\    | Brand   | High     | [date] | Current
3 | [Entity]_Profile_Sanitized.md | admin\    | Profile | High     | [date] | Updated
4 | tracker_index.md              | trackers\ | Index   | Medium   | [date] | Not Yet