# Always-loaded instructions that grow, or that include a directory tour

*Comments and text*: one of the ways AI coding agents bloat software, from lessloc's [pattern catalog](https://lessloc.org/patterns/index.md). lessloc catches it as [`long-instructions`](https://lessloc.org/guide/reference.md#tier-3).

## What makes always-loaded instructions that grow a bad practice?

The standard that calls it a bad practice: [arXiv:2602.11988](https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.11988) (context files with overviews raised cost by more than 20% and did not help).

## What does lessloc do about always-loaded instructions that grow?

lessloc catches it as [`long-instructions`](https://lessloc.org/guide/reference.md#tier-3).

- `long-instructions` (tier 3): A directory tour in always-loaded instructions, or instruction files over `instructionBudget` tokens.

## Related patterns

The other patterns in [Comments and text](https://lessloc.org/patterns/index.md#comments-and-text):

- [Comments that narrate what the code does](https://lessloc.org/patterns/narration.md): lessloc catches it as `narration`.
- [Banners, dividers, closing-brace comments, emoji decoration](https://lessloc.org/patterns/decoration.md): lessloc catches it as `narration`.
- [Docs that restate the name](https://lessloc.org/patterns/restating-docs.md): lessloc catches it as `narration`.
- [History and messages to the requester](https://lessloc.org/patterns/history.md): lessloc catches it as `history`.
- [Comment blocks and comment-heavy changes](https://lessloc.org/patterns/comment-weight.md): lessloc catches it as `comment-block` and `comment-density`.
- [Log lines that narrate each step](https://lessloc.org/patterns/log-chatter.md): lessloc catches it as `narration` (three or more in a file).
- [Docs that still name what a change removed](https://lessloc.org/patterns/stale-doc.md): lessloc catches it as `stale-doc`.
- [Summary, report and notes files](https://lessloc.org/patterns/index.md#report-files): lessloc catches it as `junk-file` and refuses it before it lands.
- [Doc files and README growth nobody asked for](https://lessloc.org/patterns/unrequested-docs.md): lessloc catches it as `unrequested-doc`.
- [Docs deleted wholesale to shrink a change](https://lessloc.org/patterns/doc-removed.md): lessloc catches it as `doc-removed`.
- [Commit messages that recap the diff file by file](https://lessloc.org/patterns/commit-recaps.md): The commit hook warns when a message lists the files the diff shows.