---
title: "Context layers — The Complete Flow Law"
source: "/reference/layr-002-complete-flow/context"
description: "The nine stages are not fixed. A context layer decides which of them a task can reach at all, and a flow that is complete for one user can be unreachable for another."
---
# Context layers

Part of [LAYR-002 — The Complete Flow Law](/__layr/pages/reference/layr-002-complete-flow.md). The complete rule and agent contract live in the full Markdown representation.

## Context changes the flow

The nine stages are not fixed. A context layer decides which of them a task can reach at all, and a flow that is complete for one user can be unreachable for another.

## Permissions

Do not show actions that will always fail unless exposing the restriction itself has value.

Use the product's established permission model.

---

## Responsive behavior

Responsive completeness means the task remains available.

A desktop action row may become an overflow menu on mobile.

Do not hide necessary actions merely to make a layout fit.

---

## Accessibility

The flow should remain operable through:

- keyboard,
- visible focus,
- programmatic labels,
- semantic controls,
- appropriate status feedback,
- assistive technology.

Accessibility belongs to completion, not a future polishing pass.

---

## Empty states

Different empty states can represent different tasks:

```text
No invoices exist.
```

```text
No invoices match filters.
```

```text
Invoices could not be loaded.
```

They require different next steps.

---

## Long and unusual content

Test realistic extremes:

- long names,
- large currency values,
- missing optional fields,
- long localization strings,
- many tags,
- long tables.

Do not design only against ideal mock fixtures.

---

## Concurrency

Collaborative products may need to handle:

- stale data,
- edits by another user,
- deleted records,
- changed statuses,
- conflicts.

Only implement this when the product architecture supports such states.

---