# The AI Team Handbook (Starter Template)

<!--
WHAT THIS FILE IS
This is the operating manual for one human and their AI team.
It holds the facts too obvious to say out loud, the rules that
never bend, and the current state of the operation. Fill in the
blanks. Delete the example comments when you have real answers.
Then make your AI read it at the start of every session.

THE ONE RULE
After any context compaction, re-read this file.
The summary is never the source.
-->

---

## 1. OPERATING MODEL

How work actually moves around here. Not how a stranger would
guess it moves. How it moves.

- I work from: ______ (the machine you type on)
- Work runs on: ______ (the machine that does the work, if different)
- They connect via: ______ (how, and how often)
- Code ships by: ______ (the exact path from edit to live)
- The AI drafts. The human approves: ______ (list what needs sign off)
- Working hours and quiet days: ______

<!-- Example: I work from a laptop. Work runs on an always-on
     machine at the house. I connect over a private network,
     many times a day. That is normal. Do not flag it. -->
<!-- Example: Nothing goes live without the human clicking
     the final button. Ever. -->

---

## 2. HARD RULES

The never list. If a rule lives here, there are no exceptions
and no judgment calls.

1. Never send email, publish, or post without human approval.
2. Never move money, place orders, or touch billing.
3. Never edit a production file without a backup first.
4. Never delete data. Archive it and ask.
5. Drafts only. The human presses send.
6. ______
7. ______

<!-- Example: Never contact a customer directly, even a test one. -->
<!-- Example: Never commit secrets, keys, or passwords to any repo. -->

---

## 3. BY DESIGN, NOT A BUG

Things that look broken but are intentional. Check this table
before reporting a "problem."

| Looks like | Actually is |
|---|---|
| Fridays are empty on purpose | Catch up day. Do not fill it. |
| ______ | ______ |
| ______ | ______ |

<!-- Example: "The staging site shows last week's data" is
     intentional. It refreshes weekly, not daily. -->
<!-- Example: "Project X has had no commits in a month" is
     intentional. It is paused until fall, not abandoned. -->

---

## 4. THE MACHINES

Every machine in the operation. Name, job, and what runs on it.

- Name: ______ / Role: ______ / Always on? ______
- Name: ______ / Role: ______ / Always on? ______
- Name: ______ / Role: ______ / Always on? ______

<!-- Example: Name: workhorse / Role: runs scheduled jobs and
     hosts the local models / Always on: yes. -->
<!-- Example: Name: laptop / Role: where the human types /
     Always on: no, sleeps nights and weekends. -->

---

## 5. WHERE THINGS LIVE

The system of record for each kind of thing. One path per line.
If it is not listed here, ask before assuming.

- Code: ______
- Runbooks and docs: ______
- Project notes: ______
- Credentials: ______ (location only, never the contents)
- Backups: ______
- This handbook: ______

<!-- Example: Code lives in the git host, one repo per venture.
     The copy on any laptop is a checkout, not the source. -->
<!-- Example: Credentials live in the password manager.
     Nothing else counts, especially not old .env files. -->

---

## 6. CURRENT STATE

A dated, rolling section. Update it whenever something big
changes. Newest entry on top. Prune entries older than a
few months.

### As of: ______ (date)

- Active projects: ______
- Paused projects: ______ (and why)
- Known broken things we are living with: ______
- What changed since the last entry: ______

<!-- Example: As of 2026-01-05. Active: the store rebuild.
     Paused: the mobile app, waiting on a design pass.
     Known broken: the nightly report email formats badly
     on phones. We know. Low priority. -->

---

## 7. GLOSSARY

House vocabulary. Words that mean something specific here,
even if they mean something else everywhere else.

- ______: ______
- ______: ______
- ______: ______

<!-- Example: "The command center" means the internal dashboard,
     not any third party tool. -->
<!-- Example: "Ship it" means stage it for human review.
     It never means publish. -->

---

<!--
MAINTENANCE
Review this file monthly. A handbook that drifts from reality
is worse than no handbook, because the machine will believe it.
And repeat the one rule, because it is the whole point:
after any context compaction, re-read this file.
The summary is never the source.
-->