Scoping Rules

Strategies

Artifact	Strategy	Meaning
Tasks	WorkspaceOnly	Per-repository backlog and lifecycle state.
Activities and jobs	MergeByKey	Global defaults merge with workspace overrides by key.
Policies	MergeByKey	Profiles override by name; global deny rules accumulate.
Job runs	WorkspaceOnly	Run artifacts stay local to the workspace.
Skills	MergeByKey	Global defaults in ~/.orbit/skills; workspace entries override by skill name.
Audit	GlobalOnly	One authoritative event trail.

Typical Workspace State

.orbit/
  adrs/
  auto_tasks/
  frictions/
  learnings/
  resources/
  routines/
  state/
  tasks/
  config.toml
  config.yaml

Rule of Thumb

If an artifact describes this repository’s work, keep it workspace-local. If it describes reusable execution defaults, use mergeable global assets and override them in the workspace when needed.