Living Glossary
Every term in the series, explained for humans. Click any entry to explore.
10 terms
Directive
operationsA documented set of instructions for completing a specific task or process.
What it does
Tells the AI (or a human) exactly what to do, in what order, with what tools, and what to do when something goes wrong.
Without it
Knowledge lives in one person's head. When they're gone, so is the process.
Scary → Normal
"Write a directive with edge cases and escalation rules" → "Write down what you do, in order, including what to do if something goes wrong."
CLAUDE.md
infrastructureThe instruction document that tells an AI how your organization works.
What it does
Contains your values, processes, guardrails, and decision-making rules. The AI reads it before every action.
Without it
Your AI is generic. It doesn't know your values, your style, or your boundaries.
Scary → Normal
"Write an AI instruction document" → "Write a letter to a new team member explaining how your organization works."
Script
infrastructureA small program that does one specific job reliably every time.
What it does
The deterministic execution layer — handles API calls, data processing, and file operations without AI judgment.
Without it
The AI tries to do everything itself. 90% accuracy per step = 59% success over 5 steps.
Scary → Normal
"Execute a Python script in the deterministic layer" → "Run a tool that does one job perfectly every time."
3-Layer Architecture
infrastructureThe organizing principle: directives (what to do), orchestration (decision making), execution (doing the work).
What it does
Separates human intent from AI judgment from reliable tools. Each layer does what it's best at.
Without it
Everything is tangled together. Errors compound. Changes break unrelated things.
Scary → Normal
"Implement a 3-layer architecture" → "Separate your recipes, your chef, and your kitchen appliances."
VOSPA
operationsValues → Organization → Story → People → Automation. A framework for seeing your entire organization through five concentric layers.
What it does
Diagnostic lens that reveals which layer needs attention first. Core outward, not linear.
Without it
You fix symptoms without seeing the layers underneath. Automate on top of broken values = scaled chaos.
Scary → Normal
"Apply the VOSPA diagnostic framework" → "Look at your organization through five lenses, starting from the core."
Self-Annealing
operationsWhen something breaks, fix it and update the instructions so it never breaks that way again.
What it does
The feedback loop that makes your system antifragile — it gets stronger from every failure.
Without it
Same errors happen again and again. Fixes are forgotten. The system never improves.
Scary → Normal
"Implement a self-annealing feedback loop" → "When something breaks, write down the fix so it never breaks that way again."
Hook
infrastructureA rule that runs automatically to catch mistakes before they happen.
What it does
Deterministic guardrails — no AI judgment, just rules. If condition X, prevent action Y.
Without it
You rely on memory (human or AI) to catch every edge case. Memory fails.
Scary → Normal
"Deploy a deterministic pre-tool-use hook" → "Set up a rule that automatically catches mistakes before they happen."
Vault
infrastructureOne place where everything your organization knows lives — structured, searchable, and yours.
What it does
A knowledge base in markdown files, organized by folders. Human-readable and machine-searchable.
Without it
Knowledge is scattered across email, docs, Slack, and memory. Finding anything takes minutes. AI can't access it.
Scary → Normal
"Set up a structured knowledge vault with markdown files" → "Create an organized folder of text files that you and your AI can both read."
Memory System
infrastructureHow an AI remembers important things between conversations.
What it does
Persistent files indexed by topic. The AI reads them at the start of each session to recall context.
Without it
Every conversation starts from scratch. The AI forgets everything you told it yesterday.
Scary → Normal
"Create a persistent memory system with topic file indexing" → "Set up a notebook where your AI remembers important things between conversations."
Agent
infrastructureA specialized AI worker assigned to handle a specific type of task.
What it does
Like a team member with a job description — the research agent searches, the writer writes, the reviewer reviews.
Without it
One AI tries to do everything. Quality suffers. No specialization.
Scary → Normal
"Configure agent assignments with escalation boundaries" → "Give specific tasks to specific specialists, and tell them when to stop and ask you."