Playbook
Ten laws, one loop, one escalation ladder, and one pre-ship checklist. This is the compressed operating doctrine of AI Founder OS. Everything else on this site is detail. This page is the system.
The 10 Laws
Law 1: Ship small until invariants fail
Make the smallest change that moves the project forward. Refactor only when a defined rule breaks.
Reorganizing folders before shipping the feature that users need.
Ship the feature. Refactor if an invariant fails, not before.
Law 2: No fix without repro
Reproduce the failure before writing any fix. If you cannot reproduce it, you do not understand it.
Reading the error message, guessing the cause, and pushing a patch.
Reproduce locally, confirm the failure, then write the smallest fix.
Law 3: One task per commit
Each commit represents one bounded task with one goal and one proof.
Combining a copy change, a new section, and a Nav update in the same unbounded session.
Write three task scripts. Run them sequentially. Commit each separately.
Law 4: Hotspot or no parallel
Run parallel agents only when each agent has an exclusive file list with zero overlap.
Two agents both editing Nav.tsx at the same time.
Serialize tasks that share files. Parallelize only when hotspots are isolated.
Law 5: Proof or it did not happen
Every change must include build output, git show, and a handoff packet.
Telling yourself the fix works without running the build.
Run npx tsc --noEmit and npm run build. Paste the output. No exceptions.
Law 6: Architecture before automation
Understand the system structure before automating changes to it.
Asking Claude to add a feature without reading the architecture blueprint first.
Read the blueprint. Copy relevant invariants into the task script. Then run it.
Law 7: Cheap model for iteration, strong model for risk
Use inexpensive models for bounded edits. Use capable models for architecture and debugging.
Sending a three-line copy edit to Claude Opus.
Use Haiku or GPT-4o Mini for copy. Use Opus for diagnosing why a build fails.
Law 8: Static by default
Every page is a Server Component with no data fetching unless interactivity is required.
Adding auth() to a content page, making it dynamic and uncacheable.
Keep content pages static. Add auth only to pages that gate access.
Law 9: Feature flags isolate risk
New capabilities hide behind flags. The import exists, but the runtime execution is gated.
Removing the stripe package because billing is off, breaking the build.
Keep the dependency installed. Use the flag to control execution, not imports.
Law 10: If confused, simplify
When the path forward is unclear, remove complexity instead of adding it.
Adding a caching layer to solve a performance issue you have not measured.
Measure first. If no measurement, remove the layer you suspect. Ship simpler.
The Operator Loop (Compressed)
The full operator cycle
Every task follows these six steps, then loops.
- 1Define the goal
- 2Draft a bounded task
- 3Execute inside hotspot
- 4Return proof
- 5Decide next move
This loop compounds clarity.
Skipping steps compounds chaos.
Escalation Ladder
- Level 1: Reproduce and isolate
Confirm the failure exists and narrow it to a specific file or function.
- Level 2: Check invariants
Compare observed behavior against your defined rules. Name the violation.
- Level 3: Rewrite architecture boundary
If the invariant itself is wrong or missing, update the blueprint before fixing code.
- Level 4: Reduce surface area
Remove features, dependencies, or abstractions until the system stabilizes.
- Level 5: Roll back
If nothing else works, revert to the last known good commit and start over with a tighter scope.
Discipline Checklist (Pre-Ship)
- ✓TypeScript clean (npx tsc --noEmit passes)
- ✓Build clean (npm run build passes, all routes render)
- ✓One commit (single bounded change, not a batch)
- ✓Proof packet included (git show --stat and git show --name-only)
- ✓No new deps without documented reason
- ✓No layout drift (layout.tsx untouched unless explicitly scoped)
- ✓No auth shortcuts (no skipping auth checks on protected routes)
- ✓No silent breaking changes (no edits outside the declared hotspot)