Thank you for your interest in contributing.
This repository is not a generic workflow template or starter kit. It is a reference implementation of an opinionated development workflow, designed to explore how learning during AI-assisted development can be made explicit, reviewable, and integrable into shared context.
Contributions are welcome — but they are expected to respect the conceptual integrity of the workflow.
By contributing, you agree that your contributions are licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
This repository exists to:
- Define the Context-Driven Development Workflow (CDDW) clearly
- Make its assumptions, invariants, and trade-offs explicit
- Provide a coherent operational model aligned with Context-Driven Engineering (CDE)
- Serve as a reference for humans and AI agents experimenting with AI-heavy development
This repository is not intended to:
- Become a general-purpose development framework
- Accumulate tooling-specific instructions
- Offer plug-and-play templates for every context
- Optimize for ease of adoption over conceptual rigor
CDDW is deliberately demanding. Reducing that demand without understanding its purpose is not an improvement.
We welcome contributions that:
- Improve precision, clarity, or internal consistency
- Expose hidden assumptions or failure modes
- Strengthen the alignment between documents
- Clarify boundaries between CDDW and CDE
- Refine definitions based on real-world application
We are especially interested in contributions that:
- Report friction encountered when applying CDDW
- Surface cases where the workflow breaks down
- Identify unnecessary complexity or missing constraints
Expect pushback on contributions that:
- Dilute CDDW into a set of optional “best practices”
- Introduce vague or fashionable terminology
- Reframe the workflow primarily in tooling terms
- Add steps without clear responsibility or purpose
- Optimize for speed or convenience at the expense of coherence
CDDW is not neutral. It makes explicit trade-offs. Contributions that remove those trade-offs without replacing them are likely to be rejected.
CDDW is intentionally opinionated.
When contributing, assume that:
- The workflow invariants are non-negotiable
- Learning capture and consolidation are not optional
- Human responsibility for consolidation must remain explicit
- AI agents must not become de facto authorities
If you believe an invariant is wrong, challenge it explicitly rather than weakening it implicitly.
CDDW is an operational complement to Context-Driven Engineering (CDE), not a redefinition of it.
Contributions should not:
- Turn CDDW into a conceptual framework
- Duplicate or restate CDE documents
- Introduce worldview assumptions into CDDW itself
Changes that affect the conceptual boundary between CDDW and CDE require explicit discussion.
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Open an issue describing:
- What you want to change
- What problem it addresses
- Which document(s) are affected
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Keep pull requests small and focused. Large conceptual changes should start as discussion.
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Reference existing documents explicitly. Avoid introducing parallel definitions.
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Explain trade-offs. If a change simplifies something, state what is lost.
Changes to /starter/ should:
- Preserve separation between discipline definition and tooling
- Avoid introducing tool specific language into core documents
- Maintain version coherence between root documents and scaffold copies
The starter is a reference implementation, not the definition of CDDW.
AI-assisted contributions are allowed.
However:
- You remain responsible for intent and correctness
- Generated text must be reviewed and understood
- Contributions that read as generic AI output will be rejected
AI is a collaborator, not an author.
Be precise. Be respectful. Assume intelligence and good intent.
Strong opinions are welcome. Hand-waving is not.
If you find yourself thinking:
“This would be easier if we made it more flexible…”
Pause.
The rigidity is often where the value lies.