latent-space-engineering

Latent Space Engineering

Shape agent behavior by framing instructions for

optimal performance. Distinct from context engineering

(packing the right information), this skill addresses

HOW instructions are framed to put agents in productive

mental states.

When To Use

• Composing agent dispatch prompts
• Writing skill instructions that guide behavior
• Dispatching 3+ parallel review agents
• Generating code or documentation that must match

an existing style

When NOT To Use

• Packing factual context (use context-optimization)
• Simple single-shot tasks with no behavioral nuance
• Tasks where instruction tone is irrelevant

Core Techniques

1. Emotional Framing

Replace threat-based prompting with calm, confident

instructions. Fear-based prompts cause rushing and

corner-cutting.

Load module: modules/emotional-framing.md

2. Style Gene Transfer

Inject exemplar code or prose into context before

requesting output. Agents reproduce stylistic

attributes from pre-loaded samples.

Load module: modules/style-gene-transfer.md

3. Competitive Review

Frame multi-agent review dispatch with competitive

incentives to increase rigor and thoroughness.

Load module: modules/competitive-review.md

4. Named Register Invocation

Name a published standard to pull a whole writing register

into output at a cost of one line. Cheaper than exemplar

injection and coarser, with a known mid-session decay.

Load module: modules/named-register-invocation.md

Quick Reference

| Technique | When | Module |

|-----------|------|--------|

| Emotional framing | Any agent prompt | emotional-framing |

| Style gene transfer | Code/doc generation | style-gene-transfer |

| Competitive review | 3+ parallel reviewers | competitive-review |

| Named register | Operator or procedural text | named-register-invocation |

Writing for the Delegate

Framing shapes a delegate's output as much as it shapes a model's prose.

Before dispatching, establish what model the delegate runs, what tools it

has, and what project context it lacks, then write the prompt as a

proposal rather than a procedure.

See modules/know-your-delegate.md.

Exit Criteria

• [ ] When a named register is invoked (for example ASD-STE100),

a deterministic check verifies the register held, per

modules/named-register-invocation.md

• [ ] Dispatch prompts contain no threat-based language ("you must",

"don't fail", "or else"); replaced with calm, confident framing

per modules/emotional-framing.md

• [ ] When generating code or docs to match an existing style, at

least one exemplar sample is injected into context before the

output is requested (style gene transfer applied)

• [ ] When 3+ parallel review agents are dispatched, each agent

prompt includes a competitive framing element per

modules/competitive-review.md

• [ ] The correct technique module is loaded for the task type;

irrelevant modules are not loaded (token efficiency maintained)