Modes

Overview

Drevon supports two workspace modes, each designed for a different workflow:

	Hub Mode	Project Mode
Best for	Multi-project workspaces	Single codebases
Users	Founders, researchers, generalists	Developers, teams
Memory	Cross-project context	Project-scoped context
Workspace dir	`workspace/` for projects	Not created

Hub Mode

Hub mode creates a centralized workspace where you manage multiple projects from a single directory. It’s designed for people who context-switch between different projects and need their AI agents to maintain awareness across all of them.

npx drevon init --hub

Directory Structure

my-workspace/
├── drevon.config.json
├── .drevon/
│   ├── memory/
│   │   ├── INDEX.md          # Tier 0 — read eagerly at session start (budget-capped)
│   │   ├── topics/           # Tier 1 — read on demand
│   │   │   ├── user.md           # Your preferences & decisions
│   │   │   ├── projects.md       # Registry of all projects
│   │   │   └── systems.md        # Infrastructure & systems
│   │   ├── log/              # Tier 2 — episodic monthly segments, never read eagerly
│   │   └── archive/          # Non-destructive storage for compacted/migrated originals
│   ├── skills/
│   └── prompts/
├── workspace/
│   ├── project-alpha/
│   ├── project-beta/
│   └── landing-page/
├── .github/copilot-instructions.md
├── CLAUDE.md
└── AGENTS.md

Memory Files

File	Purpose	Update via
`INDEX.md`	Workspace one-liner, active focus, topic pointers, recent log headlines — the only file read eagerly	Maintained automatically by `drevon memory`
`topics/user.md`	Your preferences, communication style, confirmed decisions	`drevon memory learn --topic user`
`topics/projects.md`	Registry of all workspace projects with status	`drevon memory learn --topic projects`
`topics/systems.md`	Systems, infrastructure, and conventions	`drevon memory learn --topic systems`
`log/<YYYY-MM>.md`	Episodic action journal, split into monthly segments	`drevon memory log`

Workspace Rules

Hub mode includes a workspace section in the config that instructs agents to:

Keep projects organized in workspace/ subdirectories
Name folders after the task
Never create files outside workspace/ unless explicitly told
Register new projects in topics/projects.md

Project Mode

Project mode embeds AI capabilities into an existing codebase. It’s designed for repositories where a team collaborates and needs consistent AI behavior without affecting the project structure.

cd my-app
npx drevon init --project

Directory Structure

my-app/
├── src/                      # Existing code (untouched)
├── package.json              # Existing config (untouched)
├── drevon.config.json
├── .drevon/
│   ├── memory/
│   │   ├── INDEX.md          # Tier 0 — read eagerly at session start (budget-capped)
│   │   ├── topics/           # Tier 1 — read on demand
│   │   │   ├── architecture.md   # Project context, structure, key files
│   │   │   ├── patterns.md       # Code patterns & conventions
│   │   │   └── decisions/        # One file per decision: YYYY-MM-DD-slug.md
│   │   ├── log/              # Tier 2 — episodic monthly segments, never read eagerly
│   │   └── archive/          # Non-destructive storage for compacted/migrated originals
│   ├── skills/
│   └── prompts/
├── .github/copilot-instructions.md
├── CLAUDE.md
└── AGENTS.md

Memory Files

File	Purpose	Update via
`INDEX.md`	Project one-liner, active focus, topic pointers, recent log headlines — the only file read eagerly	Maintained automatically by `drevon memory`
`topics/architecture.md`	Project overview, architecture, key files, dependencies	`drevon memory learn --topic architecture`
`topics/patterns.md`	Code patterns, conventions, anti-patterns, testing patterns	`drevon memory learn --topic patterns`
`topics/decisions/<date>-<slug>.md`	One ADR-style decision record per file	`drevon memory decide`
`log/<YYYY-MM>.md`	Episodic action journal, split into monthly segments	`drevon memory log`

Project mode’s decision files under topics/decisions/ follow the ADR (Architecture Decision Records) format — a proven practice for documenting technical decisions with context, options considered, and rationale. One file per decision keeps PR review and merges clean.

Auto-Detection

When you run drevon init without --hub or --project, Drevon automatically suggests a mode:

Signal	Suggested Mode	Reason
Git repository detected	Project	Existing codebase
`package.json` exists	Project	Node.js project
`src/` directory exists	Project	Source code present
`workspace/` exists	Hub	Hub structure detected
Empty directory	Hub	Fresh workspace

You can always override the suggestion during the interactive wizard.

Switching Modes

Switching modes after initialization requires re-running drevon init and will regenerate memory files. Back up any important memory content first.

To switch from hub to project mode (or vice versa):

Back up .drevon/memory/ if it contains important context
Edit mode in drevon.config.json
Update memory.files to match the new mode’s file set
Run drevon sync
Manually create any missing memory files

Get Started

Core Concepts

Reference

Overview

Hub Mode

Directory Structure

Memory Files

Workspace Rules

Project Mode

Directory Structure

Memory Files

Auto-Detection

Switching Modes

​Overview

​Hub Mode

​Directory Structure

​Memory Files

​Workspace Rules

​Project Mode

​Directory Structure

​Memory Files

​Auto-Detection

​Switching Modes

Overview

Hub Mode

Directory Structure

Memory Files

Workspace Rules

Project Mode

Directory Structure

Memory Files

Auto-Detection

Switching Modes