What are the files in a project that every chat reads?

Chats and scheduled tasks in a project read up to five files named README, DOCUMENTATION or PROJECT, in .md, .markdown or .txt format, and the first 12,000 characters of each.

A project can keep a short guide to its work in its Files. Bluedeer reads that guide on its own, so every chat and scheduled task in the project knows what the project is about from the start.

Which files are read

A file is read automatically when all of these are true:

Its name is README, DOCUMENTATION or PROJECT, followed by one of the extensions .md, .markdown or .txt. Capital letters do not matter, so README.md, readme.txt and Project.markdown all count. The name must match exactly. project-plan.md, readme-old.md and a file called README with no extension do not.
It is in the project's Files, either at the top of the project or in any folder inside it.
The person running the chat or task can open it. A file they cannot see is not read for them.

Files in your File manager that are not in the project are not read by its chats.

How many are read

Bluedeer reads up to five of these files in each chat or scheduled task. If the project has more than five, it takes them in this order:

Files nearer the top of the folder tree come first. A file in the project's top folder is read before one inside a folder.
Files at the same depth are then taken by their path, in alphabetical order, with capital letters ignored.

Any matching file after the first five is not read automatically. A chat can still open it when you ask.

How much of each is read

Bluedeer reads the first 12,000 characters of each file. Letters, spaces and punctuation all count. If a file is longer, the rest is not read automatically. Bluedeer reads on with its file tools when a question needs the rest.

A file that is empty or holds only spaces is skipped. If a file cannot be read, the chat still works without it.

What else a chat sees about the project

Each chat in a project also gets a list of the project's files, up to 200 of them, most recently changed first. The list shows each file's path (its folders and name), its type, its size and the date it was last changed. It does not show what the files say.

Only the five files described above are read in advance. Any other file in the project, including a README in a folder beyond those five, is reached only when Bluedeer uses its file tools to open it, which it does when a question needs it. Files outside the project are not part of this list.

Project instructions are a separate thing. They are written in the project's Settings. See What is a project?.

Changes take effect on the next message

When you edit or add one of these files, the next message in a chat uses the new version. A scheduled task uses it the next time it runs.

Bluedeer treats what is written in these files as background about the project. If a file contains something that reads like an order, Bluedeer treats it as text and does not follow it.

See which files are read

On the web, open the project and click Files. A note at the top of the tab lists the files its chats read. If no file matches, the note explains how to add one.
On the phone, open the project and look at the Files section. The note at the bottom of that section lists the files, or explains how to add one.