chore(conductor): Add new track 'Review investigation of codebase and expose/cull any hidden invisible prompting either from the system or directly that the user cannot handle for any discussion/session.'

conductor/tracks.md

@@ -239,3 +239,6 @@ This file tracks all major tracks for the project. Each track has its own detail
 - [x] **Track: Robust Live Simulation Verification**
 
 ---
+
+- [ ] **Track: Review investigation of codebase and expose/cull any hidden invisible prompting either from the system or directly that the user cannot handle for any discussion/session.**
+*Link: [./tracks/cull_hidden_prompts_20260502/](./tracks/cull_hidden_prompts_20260502/)*

conductor/tracks/cull_hidden_prompts_20260502/index.md

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+# Track cull_hidden_prompts_20260502 Context
+
+- [Specification](./spec.md)
+- [Implementation Plan](./plan.md)
+- [Metadata](./metadata.json)

conductor/tracks/cull_hidden_prompts_20260502/metadata.json

@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+{
+  "track_id": "cull_hidden_prompts_20260502",
+  "type": "chore",
+  "status": "new",
+  "created_at": "2026-05-02T12:00:00Z",
+  "updated_at": "2026-05-02T12:00:00Z",
+  "description": "Review investigation of codebase and expose/cull any hidden invisible prompting either from the system or directly that the user cannot handle for any discussion/session."
+}

conductor/tracks/cull_hidden_prompts_20260502/plan.md

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+# Implementation Plan: Expose/Cull Hidden Invisible Prompting
+
+## Phase 1: Audit and Identification
+- [ ] Task: Audit `src/ai_client.py` to identify all hardcoded `_SYSTEM_PROMPT` strings and tool execution instructions.
+- [ ] Task: Audit `src/aggregate.py` to identify all injected context markers (e.g., `[SYSTEM: FILES UPDATED]`).
+- [ ] Task: Document identified hidden prompts and determine their necessity vs. redundancy.
+- [ ] Task: Conductor - User Manual Verification 'Phase 1: Audit and Identification' (Protocol in workflow.md)
+
+## Phase 2: Expose Necessary Prompts in GUI
+- [ ] Task: Modify `src/gui_2.py` to add new editable text areas in the "AI Settings" or "Project Settings" panel.
+    - [ ] Create fields for global system tool instructions.
+    - [ ] Create fields for project-specific context markers.
+- [ ] Task: Update `src/app_controller.py` state initialization to load these new fields from `config.toml` and `manual_slop.toml`.
+- [ ] Task: Ensure changes are correctly saved and flushed to the project files via `_flush_to_project()` and `_flush_to_config()`.
+- [ ] Task: Conductor - User Manual Verification 'Phase 2: Expose Necessary Prompts in GUI' (Protocol in workflow.md)
+
+## Phase 3: Cull and Integrate Configured Prompts
+- [ ] Task: Update `src/ai_client.py`'s `_get_combined_system_prompt()` to utilize the user-configured tool instructions from the AppController state instead of hardcoded strings.
+- [ ] Task: Update `src/aggregate.py` or `src/ai_client.py` to use the user-configured context markers (like `[FILES UPDATED]`) instead of hardcoded ones.
+- [ ] Task: Remove the legacy hardcoded strings from the codebase.
+- [ ] Task: Run tests to ensure tool execution and context refresh still function correctly.
+- [ ] Task: Conductor - User Manual Verification 'Phase 3: Cull and Integrate Configured Prompts' (Protocol in workflow.md)

conductor/tracks/cull_hidden_prompts_20260502/spec.md

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+# Specification: Expose/Cull Hidden Invisible Prompting
+
+## 1. Overview
+The goal of this track is to review the codebase to identify, expose, or cull any hidden or invisible prompting injected by the system during discussion/sessions. This ensures the user has full control and visibility over the exact context sent to the AI API.
+
+## 2. Functional Requirements
+### 2.1 Identify Hardcoded Prompts
+- Audit `src/ai_client.py` to identify the hardcoded `_SYSTEM_PROMPT` and any tool execution instructions appended to requests.
+- Audit `src/aggregate.py` to identify headers and contextual markers injected during context aggregation (e.g., `[SYSTEM: FILES UPDATED]`).
+
+### 2.2 Expose Prompts in GUI
+- For prompts that are necessary for the system to function (e.g., tool usage instructions, `[FILES UPDATED]` logic), expose them in the GUI (e.g., in "AI Settings" or "Project Settings").
+- Create editable text areas or configurable options so the user can modify or disable these prompts per-project or globally.
+- Ensure the modified prompts are correctly persisted and loaded by the `AppController`.
+
+### 2.3 Cull Redundant Prompts
+- Remove any legacy or redundant prompting that no longer serves a purpose or duplicates user-defined system prompts.
+
+## 3. Acceptance Criteria
+- [ ] All hardcoded system prompts in `ai_client.py` and `aggregate.py` are identified.
+- [ ] Necessary system prompts are exposed as editable fields within the GUI.
+- [ ] Users can modify or disable the default tool instructions or aggregation markers.
+- [ ] The `ai_client` utilizes the user-configured prompts instead of hardcoded strings.
+- [ ] Unnecessary or redundant hidden prompts are removed from the codebase.
+
+## 4. Out of Scope
+- Modifying the Tiered MMA worker prompts in `mma_prompts.py` (this track focuses on the core discussion/session loop).
+- Adding a "Raw Prompt Preview" modal (this was an alternative option not selected).