AGENTS.md @import vs cat-concat — evaluation

Question: Could ai-config’s SSOT (AGENTS.md → CLAUDE.md via deploy.sh cat-concat) be improved by switching to Claude Code’s native @AGENTS.md import syntax (per Medium article on Anthropic declining native AGENTS.md support)?

Verdict: no change. Current cat-concat approach kept.

Findings:

• Confirmed via official docs (code.claude.com/docs/en/memory): @AGENTS.md import is Anthropic’s documented bridge pattern — but it loads full file content into context at session start, same token cost as concat. No context savings either way.
• User-scope imports (~/.claude/CLAUDE.md) load without an approval dialog (only project-scope external imports trigger it) — so approval friction isn’t a blocker.
• Real blocker: WSL/Windows duality. ai-config (source AGENTS.md) lives only in WSL home (~/ai-config). Windows Claude Code (C:\Users\Admin\.claude\CLAUDE.md) would need a live cross-filesystem import (\\wsl$\...) — unverified reliability, no docs confirmation.
• Current deploy.sh cat-concat already delivers the article’s recommended outcome (one AGENTS.md SSOT, thin per-tool wrapper) for both WSL and Windows targets uniformly, no cross-filesystem dependency.
• Staleness concern (concat’s theoretical downside) is already closed — post-commit hook auto-runs deploy.sh on every ai-config commit.

Outcome: no code/config change. Current SSOT design already implements the substance of Anthropic’s own recommended pattern, plus solves cross-platform delivery the import approach doesn’t obviously handle.