diff --git a/internal/knowledge/file.go b/internal/knowledge/file.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..afaf5a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/knowledge/file.go
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+package knowledge
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"io/fs"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"unicode/utf8"
+)
+
+// maxProfileBytes caps the grounding text so the coach prompt stays bounded.
+const maxProfileBytes = 6 * 1024
+
+// FileSource reads the user's profile from a single file. It is stateless: the
+// selected path is passed to Load, so the controller can repoint it at runtime
+// without a mutable field.
+type FileSource struct {
+	defaultPath string // used when Load is called with path == ""
+}
+
+// NewFileSource builds the adapter. defaultPath is used when Load receives an
+// empty path; if it too is empty, Load falls back to ~/.antidrift/knowledge.md.
+func NewFileSource(defaultPath string) *FileSource {
+	return &FileSource{defaultPath: defaultPath}
+}
+
+// Load reads the profile at path (or the default). A missing file yields an
+// empty-Text Profile and no error; only a real read failure errors. The
+// resolved absolute path is always returned for display.
+func (s *FileSource) Load(ctx context.Context, path string) (Profile, error) {
+	resolved := s.resolve(path)
+	data, err := os.ReadFile(resolved)
+	if errors.Is(err, fs.ErrNotExist) {
+		return Profile{Path: resolved}, nil
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		return Profile{Path: resolved}, fmt.Errorf("knowledge: read %s: %w", resolved, err)
+	}
+	text := strings.TrimSpace(string(data))
+	if text == "" {
+		return Profile{Path: resolved}, nil
+	}
+	return Profile{Text: truncate(text, maxProfileBytes), Path: resolved}, nil
+}
+
+// resolve picks path, else the default, else ~/.antidrift/knowledge.md; expands
+// a leading ~; and makes the result absolute for stable display.
+func (s *FileSource) resolve(path string) string {
+	p := path
+	if p == "" {
+		p = s.defaultPath
+	}
+	if p == "" {
+		if home, err := os.UserHomeDir(); err == nil {
+			p = filepath.Join(home, ".antidrift", "knowledge.md")
+		}
+	}
+	p = expandTilde(p)
+	if abs, err := filepath.Abs(p); err == nil {
+		return abs
+	}
+	return p
+}
+
+func expandTilde(p string) string {
+	if p != "~" && !strings.HasPrefix(p, "~/") {
+		return p
+	}
+	home, err := os.UserHomeDir()
+	if err != nil {
+		return p
+	}
+	if p == "~" {
+		return home
+	}
+	return filepath.Join(home, p[2:])
+}
+
+// truncate clips s to max bytes on a UTF-8 rune boundary and appends a marker.
+func truncate(s string, max int) string {
+	if len(s) <= max {
+		return s
+	}
+	cut := max
+	for cut > 0 && !utf8.RuneStart(s[cut]) {
+		cut--
+	}
+	return s[:cut] + "\n…(truncated)"
+}
diff --git a/internal/knowledge/file_test.go b/internal/knowledge/file_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3d6f331
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/knowledge/file_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+package knowledge
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestLoadPresentFile(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	p := filepath.Join(dir, "knowledge.md")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(p, []byte("  I am a focus-tool author.\n"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	got, err := NewFileSource(p).Load(context.Background(), "")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Load: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got.Text != "I am a focus-tool author." {
+		t.Errorf("Text = %q (whitespace should be trimmed)", got.Text)
+	}
+	if got.Path != p {
+		t.Errorf("Path = %q, want %q", got.Path, p)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestLoadAbsentFileIsNotError(t *testing.T) {
+	p := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "missing.md")
+	got, err := NewFileSource(p).Load(context.Background(), "")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("absent file must not error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got.Text != "" {
+		t.Errorf("Text = %q, want empty for absent file", got.Text)
+	}
+	if got.Path != p {
+		t.Errorf("Path = %q, want %q even when absent", got.Path, p)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestLoadExplicitPathBeatsDefault(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	def := filepath.Join(dir, "default.md")
+	other := filepath.Join(dir, "other.md")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(def, []byte("default"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(other, []byte("explicit"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	got, err := NewFileSource(def).Load(context.Background(), other)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Load: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got.Text != "explicit" || got.Path != other {
+		t.Fatalf("explicit path ignored: %+v", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestLoadTruncatesOversize(t *testing.T) {
+	p := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "big.md")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(p, []byte(strings.Repeat("a", maxProfileBytes+500)), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	got, err := NewFileSource(p).Load(context.Background(), "")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Load: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(got.Text) > maxProfileBytes+len("\n…(truncated)") {
+		t.Errorf("Text not truncated: %d bytes", len(got.Text))
+	}
+	if !strings.HasSuffix(got.Text, "(truncated)") {
+		t.Errorf("missing truncation marker: %q", got.Text[len(got.Text)-20:])
+	}
+}
+
+func TestLoadWhitespaceOnlyIsAbsent(t *testing.T) {
+	p := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "blank.md")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(p, []byte("   \n\t\n"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	got, err := NewFileSource(p).Load(context.Background(), "")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Load: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got.Text != "" {
+		t.Errorf("whitespace-only should be empty, got %q", got.Text)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestLoadReadErrorIsError(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir() // a directory is not readable as a file
+	if _, err := NewFileSource(dir).Load(context.Background(), ""); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("reading a directory should error")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/knowledge/knowledge.go b/internal/knowledge/knowledge.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4b57b26
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/knowledge/knowledge.go
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+// Package knowledge is the Knowledge port: it answers "who am I; what are my
+// priorities?" by loading the user's standing profile. It imports nothing from
+// the rest of the app, so it stays a leaf package.
+package knowledge
+
+import "context"
+
+// Profile is the user's standing context. Primitives only, so knowledge stays a
+// leaf package.
+type Profile struct {
+	Text string // grounding text; "" when no profile is available
+	Path string // resolved source location, for display
+}
+
+// Source answers "who am I; what are my priorities?" — the user's standing
+// profile that grounds the advisor.
+type Source interface {
+	// Load returns the user's profile. path selects an explicit location; ""
+	// means the adapter's configured default. A missing source is NOT an error:
+	// it yields an empty-Text Profile so the caller degrades to ungrounded. Only
+	// a real read failure (permissions, unreadable) returns an error.
+	Load(ctx context.Context, path string) (Profile, error)
+}