Within-source dependency resolution

Items in a source can reference siblings via {{ns:name}} tokens (see Namespacing). Those tokens are dependency edges. When you install a partial selection, mind follows those edges to the full transitive closure so you get a working set, not a dangling one.

What counts as a dependency

A dependency is an intra-source reference. There are two ways to declare one, and the closure that learn installs is their union.

{{ns:name}} tokens – a token appearing in the item’s text files (the whole skill directory, or the agent/rule file) names a sibling as a dependency. This is the inline form: the reference lives in the prose and is also rewritten to the effective name on install. See Namespacing for token expansion rules.

requires: frontmatter key – a top-level scalar in the item’s frontmatter (SKILL.md for a skill, the .md for an agent or rule), listing whitespace-separated intra-source refs:

---
description: My skill
requires: skill:plan agent:test
---

This is the pure-metadata form: it adds a dependency edge without any prose reference. Use it when an item needs a sibling at runtime but does not mention it in its text.

Each entry is either a qualified ref (kind:name, e.g. skill:plan) or a bare name. A bare name matches across kinds; if more than one sibling shares that bare name across different kinds, the ref is ambiguous and must be qualified. A source-qualified ref (owner/repo#name) is rejected – requires is intra-source only. An entry that resolves to no sibling (typo, unknown item, ambiguous bare name, or source-qualified ref) is a hard error at install.

Dependencies never cross sources; both {{ns:}} tokens and requires: entries are always resolved within the one source.

Partial learn pulls in the closure

When learn selects every item in a source (e.g. learn owner/repo#*), resolution is a no-op: every referent installs anyway (DEP-10). The work is for a partial selection.

Example: a source ships skill:review, agent:dev, and agent:test. review references dev via {{ns:dev}}, and dev references test via {{ns:test}}.

mind learn skill:review

mind resolves the closure – review -> dev -> test – and installs all three, dependencies first (DEP-11, DEP-21, DEP-30).

What you see before install

When the closure adds items beyond your explicit selection, mind prints the dependency tree and prompts before changing anything (DEP-31):

skill:review  [selected]
  agent:dev   [dependency]
    agent:test  [dependency]

Install these 3 items? [y/N]

Nodes already in the manifest are marked [installed] and are not re-installed (DEP-23). Cycles are shown as marked back-edges rather than expanded again (DEP-22).

--yes (or answering y) confirms without prompting. See Commands - learn for the full flag reference.

--dry-run preview

--dry-run renders the same dependency tree and lists the full closure that would be installed, then exits without installing anything (DEP-32):

mind learn --dry-run skill:review

Interactive TUI (probe)

Choosing to install an available item in mind probe shows the same dependency tree in the confirm step before applying, with the same selected / dependency / already-installed distinction. Confirming installs the whole closure in dependency-first order; declining installs nothing (DEP-40, DEP-41).

forget does not cascade

forget removes exactly the one named item. It does not automatically remove its dependencies, because a dependency may be shared by another installed item. Uninstall is always a per-item operation (DEP-50).