# ⚠️ STOP - CRITICAL READING REQUIRED
**THIS FILE MUST BE READ FIRST BY ALL AI AGENTS**
## WHAT IS THIS?
This is the AI manifest for **[YOUR-REPO-NAME]**. It declares:
- Canonical file locations (where things MUST be, and nowhere else)
- Critical invariants (rules that must NEVER be violated)
- Repository structure and organization
## CANONICAL LOCATIONS (UNIVERSAL RULE)
### Machine-Readable Metadata: `.machine_readable/` ONLY
These 6 a2ml files MUST exist in `.machine_readable/` directory ONLY:
1. **STATE.a2ml** - Project state, progress, blockers
2. **META.a2ml** - Architecture decisions, governance
3. **ECOSYSTEM.a2ml** - Position in ecosystem, relationships
4. **AGENTIC.a2ml** - AI agent interaction patterns
5. **NEUROSYM.a2ml** - Neurosymbolic integration config
6. **PLAYBOOK.a2ml** - Operational runbook
**CRITICAL:** If ANY of these files exist in the root directory, this is an ERROR.
### Anchor File: `.machine_readable/anchors/ANCHOR.a2ml` ONLY
Canonical authority and semantic-boundary declaration MUST exist at:
` .machine_readable/anchors/ANCHOR.a2ml `
Do not place `ANCHOR.a2ml` at repository root.
### Maintenance Policies: `.machine_readable/policies/` ONLY
Canonical maintenance/governance files MUST exist under:
` .machine_readable/policies/ `
Minimum required files:
- `MAINTENANCE-AXES.a2ml`
- `MAINTENANCE-CHECKLIST.a2ml`
- `SOFTWARE-DEVELOPMENT-APPROACH.a2ml`
Do not place maintenance policy files in repository root.
### Bot Directives: `.machine_readable/bot_directives/` ONLY
Bot-specific instructions for your automated agents.
### Contractiles: `.machine_readable/contractiles/` ONLY
Policy enforcement contracts (k9, dust, lust, must, trust).
### AI Configuration & Guides: `.machine_readable/ai/` ONLY
- `AI.a2ml` - Language-specific or LLM-specific patterns
- `PLACEHOLDERS.md` - Bootstrap guide
### Community & Forge Metadata: `.github/` ONLY
- `CODEOWNERS` - Review assignments
- `MAINTAINERS` - Machine-readable contact list
- `SUPPORT` - Support channels
- `SECURITY.md` - Technical security policy
- `CONTRIBUTING.md` - Technical contribution manual
- `CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md` - Conduct rules
### Agent Instructions
- `0-AI-MANIFEST.a2ml` - THIS FILE (universal entry point)
## CORE INVARIANTS
1. **No state file duplication** - Root must NOT contain STATE.a2ml, META.a2ml, etc.
2. **Single source of truth** - `.machine_readable/` is authoritative
3. **No stale metadata** - If root state files exist, they are OUT OF DATE
4. **License consistency** - All code PMPL-1.0-or-later unless platform requires MPL-2.0
5. **Author attribution** - Always "{{AUTHOR}} <{{AUTHOR_EMAIL}}>"
6. **Container images** - MUST use Chainguard base (`cgr.dev/chainguard/wolfi-base:latest` or `cgr.dev/chainguard/static:latest`)
7. **Container runtime** - Podman, never Docker. Files are `Containerfile`, never `Dockerfile`
8. **Container orchestration** - `selur-compose`, never `docker-compose`
## REPOSITORY STRUCTURE
This repo follows the **Dual-Track** architecture:
```
[YOUR-REPO-NAME]/
├── 0-AI-MANIFEST.a2ml # THIS FILE (start here)
├── README.adoc # High-level orientation (Rich Human)
├── ROADMAP.adoc # Future direction
├── CONTRIBUTING.adoc # Human contribution guide
├── GOVERNANCE.adoc # Decision-making model
├── Justfile # Task runner
├── Containerfile # OCI build
├── LICENSE # Primary license
├── src/ # Source code
│ └── interface/ # Verified Interface Seams
│ ├── abi/ # Idris2 ABI (The Spec)
│ ├── ffi/ # Zig FFI (The Bridge)
│ └── generated/ # C Headers (The Result)
├── container/ # Stapeln container ecosystem
├── docs/ # Technical depths
│ ├── attribution/ # Citations, owners, maintainers (adoc)
│ ├── architecture/ # Topology, diagrams
│ ├── theory/ # Domain theory
│ └── practice/ # Manuals
├── docs/legal/ # Legal exhibits and full texts
└── .machine_readable/ # ALL machine-readable metadata
```
## SESSION STARTUP CHECKLIST
✅ Read THIS file (0-AI-MANIFEST.a2ml) first
✅ Understand canonical location: `.machine_readable/`
✅ State understanding of canonical locations
## ATTESTATION PROOF
**"I have read the AI manifest. All machine-readable content (state files, anchors, policies, bot directives, contractiles, AI guides) is located in `.machine_readable/` ONLY, and community metadata is in `.github/`. I will not create duplicate files in the root directory."**