# Codex Instructions (Prompt_Squirrel_RAG)

## Environment (Windows / PowerShell)
- Always run from the repo root.
- Never run `python` or `pip` directly.
- Always use the venv interpreter:
  - `.venv\Scripts\python.exe`
- Install deps with:
  - `.venv\Scripts\python.exe -m pip install -r requirements.txt`

## Change discipline
- Keep diffs small: fix one issue or implement one focused step per patch.
- Do not rewrite large files.
- Do not move logic across modules unless the contract requires it.
- Preserve stage boundaries: rewriting (LLM) vs retrieval (candidate generation) vs selection (index-only).

## Project contracts
- Follow the retrieval grounding / candidate generation contract:
  - `docs/retrieval_contract.md`
- If behavior conflicts with existing code, update code to match the contract (not the other way around).