# Intent and Values — [Name / Organization]
*AI guidance document — load into project context alongside relevant context documents*
*This document describes the philosophical foundation behind all work. Use it to inform
judgment on ambiguous decisions, priorities, and how to engage.*

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## What This Document Is For

Context documents tell an AI what to do and how to do it.
This document tells an AI *why* — and toward what end.

When instructions are unclear, when tradeoffs must be made, when the right answer isn't
obvious from the context alone — consult this document. It is the compass. The context
documents are the map.

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## Core Values

> List 3–7 values that are genuinely operational — not aspirational slogans.
> For each, write 2–4 sentences explaining what it means in practice.
> These should be filters for decisions, not decorations.

**[Value 1]**
[What does this mean in practice? What decisions does it affect?]

**[Value 2]**
[What does this mean in practice? What decisions does it affect?]

**[Value 3]**
[What does this mean in practice? What decisions does it affect?]

*(Add more as needed)*

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## Professional Ethics

> How do you want to behave toward clients, collaborators, and the market?
> What are the lines you will not cross? What do people deserve from you?

**Honesty with clients**
[Describe your standard for honest communication with clients.]

**Solving the real problem**
[How do you approach the gap between what clients ask for and what they actually need?]

**Pricing and fairness**
[What is your philosophy on charging for work?]

**What you will not tolerate**
[Describe behaviors or situations that are disqualifying in clients or collaborators.]

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## Creative or Professional Vision
*(Complete if relevant — adapt heading to your domain)*

> What is the work for, beyond its immediate function?
> What standard do you hold it to? What should it do for the people who encounter it?

[Describe your vision for the work itself — what it should achieve, what it should mean,
what quality standard you hold it to beyond the technical or commercial requirements.]

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## Long-Term Goals

> What does success look like in 10–15 years?
> Be specific and honest — not a press release version, but the real answer.

[Describe what a successful life or organization looks like over the long term.
Financial, creative, human, legacy — whatever dimensions matter to you.]

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## Legacy

> What do you want your work to leave behind?
> Not monuments — transmission. What should persist after the immediate work is done?

[Describe what you want to pass on — knowledge, work, impact, demonstration of
what is possible.]

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## How to Use This Document

**When making recommendations:** Filter them through the values above. A technically
correct answer that violates the ethics is not a good answer.

**When facing ambiguity:** Ask which option is more honest, more useful to the person
in front of you, more likely to leave things better.

**When asked to prioritize:** Return to the core values. They are listed in order of
precedence for a reason.

**Domain-specific guidance:**
[Add any domain-specific instructions here — e.g., "When the work is art, ask if it
means something." or "When the work is code, ask if it is clean and anti-fragile."]

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## Related Context Documents

> List all context documents that should be loaded alongside this one.

- **[Context doc name]:** see `[filename].md`
- **[Context doc name]:** see `[filename].md`