CONTRACT ANATOMY
Make success explicit before work starts.
The contract keeps the model from silently redefining what good work means while it executes.
Outcome
The result to produce, in concrete terms rather than a list of generic steps.
Acceptance
Structural, semantic, and human checks that together define what can be accepted.
Boundaries
Deadline, token and call budgets, data boundaries, and actions that are forbidden.
Authority
Which capabilities may run automatically and which require a human decision.
Checkpoints
Places where the task pauses for direction, approval, scope adjustment, or budget review.
History
Every contract revision becomes a new version with its reason recorded in the event log.
GOVERNED CHANGE
Changing the plan does not change the goal.
Plans can adapt as the system learns. The contract remains the reference point. Material changes create a new version and trigger the appropriate human checkpoint.
- The system can request clarification when acceptance is ambiguous.
- Budget pressure can pause work instead of silently reducing quality.
- High-impact external actions can require explicit approval.
- The final delivery is checked against the current accepted contract.
VERSIONED
Every material change has a reason