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+# INTENT
+
+## Purpose
+
+This repository exists to provide a **markdown-native toolkit and CLI for transforming semi-structured markdown into structured, queryable, and reusable knowledge artifacts**.
+
+It defines the **contract layer between human-/agent-authored markdown and structured knowledge operations**.
+
+---
+
+## Primary Utility
+
+The repository provides a **set of composable primitives** that:
+
+* Parse and interpret markdown as structured data
+* Validate content against schemas and conventions
+* Transform, compose, and generate markdown artifacts
+* Enable querying, extraction, and analysis of document structure
+* Support templating and automation workflows (deterministic and LLM-assisted)
+
+It turns markdown from plain text into a **programmable knowledge substrate**.
+
+---
+
+## Intended Users
+
+* Developers building tools or systems on top of markdown-based knowledge
+* Advanced users operating CLI-based knowledge workflows
+* Automation systems (`atm`) executing structured document transformations
+* LLM agents (`agt`) interacting with structured markdown as a stable interface
+
+---
+
+## Strategic Role in the System
+
+This repository acts as the **foundation layer for markdown-based knowledge systems**:
+
+* It provides **provider-neutral primitives** for working with structured markdown
+* It enables higher-level systems to treat markdown as **reliable, structured input/output**
+* It supports CLI-first workflows while remaining usable as a library
+
+It is intentionally **infrastructure, not platform**.
+
+---
+
+## Strategic Boundaries
+
+This repository is **not** intended to:
+
+* Provide a full knowledge management platform, CMS, or ECM
+* Persist or manage long-lived knowledge systems or projects
+* Handle multi-format content beyond markdown-native representations
+* Define domain-specific knowledge models or workflows
+* Own orchestration, permissions, or service-level concerns
+
+Such responsibilities belong to higher-layer systems (e.g. `kontextual-engine`, `infospace-bench`).
+
+---
+
+## Design Principles
+
+* **Markdown as a protocol**
+  Markdown is treated as a structured, machine-interpretable interface
+
+* **Primitives over products**
+  Provide building blocks, not end-user platforms
+
+* **Composability**
+  All capabilities should be chainable and reusable
+
+* **Deterministic core, extensible intelligence**
+  Structure and validation are deterministic; LLM usage is optional and pluggable
+
+* **CLI-first, library-always**
+  Every capability should be usable interactively and programmatically
+
+---
+
+## Maturity Target
+
+A mature version of this repository should:
+
+* Provide a **stable, minimal core contract** for structured markdown operations
+* Offer a **comprehensive CLI toolkit (`mkt`)** for knowledge workflows
+* Support extensibility via plugins and adapters without core modification
+* Enable efficient large-scale document processing with caching and incremental updates
+* Serve as the **default foundation for markdown-centric knowledge tooling**
+
+---
+
+## Stability Note
+
+Changes to this file represent a **deliberate shift in the role of this repository as a foundational toolkit**.
+
+Such changes should be rare, as they define the contract relied upon by all higher-level systems.
+