Quicklify Canonical File Contract v1.2
How Quicklify uses canonical files to keep AI, KB, workflow, and release systems governed.
This document defines the Quicklify file contract.
The contract is simple: important system behavior should be expressed in files that can be read, versioned, reviewed, and owned.
The Purpose
Canonical files keep AI and workflow systems from becoming invisible machinery.
They make it possible to see what the system believes, what it is allowed to do, what changed, and which output came from which source.
Canonical Layers
Quicklify systems may use different file sets depending on the project, but the same pattern applies.
Site configuration
site.json is the site-level control surface. It can define identity, navigation, theme selection, strategy, and other explicit configuration.
The principle is more important than the exact filename: core behavior belongs in a visible configuration layer, not scattered through hidden runtime state.
Content sources
Markdown and structured content files hold the editorial source of truth.
Generated pages, public output, and AI summaries should remain traceable back to these source files.
Knowledge-base sources
KB files hold operating knowledge, entity records, overlays, route or place context, approval posture, and other structured facts.
A KB should separate raw source material, reviewed decisions, public summaries, and downstream presentation.
Workflow and governance records
Plans, operator notes, approval files, review queues, handoff documents, and release manifests are part of the system.
They are not paperwork. They are the control layer that keeps AI-assisted work understandable.
Release files
Release manifests, IndexNow working files, deployment configuration, and acceptance checks should describe what is about to ship.
Production release state should not depend on memory, guessed diffs, or hidden deploy history.
Rules
- No hidden source of truth.
- No runtime database unless the problem truly earns it.
- No automatic publishing without an explicit approval path.
- No silent AI mutation of production content.
- Configuration, content, KB state, and release intent should be inspectable.
- Generated output is downstream of canonical source files.
- File structures may evolve, but the change must be intentional, documented, and reviewable.
Why This Matters
AI systems become fragile when nobody can explain what they know, where the knowledge came from, or how the output was approved.
The Quicklify file contract keeps systems grounded. It gives operators a way to build with AI while preserving ownership, clarity, and production discipline.
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