For AI agents: the complete documentation index is available at /llms.txt, the full documentation bundle is available at /llms-full.txt, and this page is available as Markdown at /packs/shared/documentation/standards.md.
Quick start

Standards authoring

A standard is an actionable contract for authors and reviewers. Its examples and enforcement notes should make compliance assessable.

Rule construction

Why

“Keep diagrams readable” does not tell an author which conventions to apply. A standard needs both the concrete instruction and the reason a future edit should retain it.

Rules

  • MUST give each rule section a Why rationale and a Rules list. [review]
  • MUST use the pack's RFC 2119 terms and end normative bullets with periods. [review]
  • MUST keep a rule focused on one independently assessable requirement. [review]
  • MUST put repository-specific permissions and release choices in operating instructions rather than portable standards. [review]
  • MUST preserve required public/library contracts when prescribing a coding pattern. [review]
  • MUST include a focused valid example when the rule is not self-evident. [review]
  • MUST document Enforcement, distinguishing tool checks from human review. [review]
  • MUST avoid claiming that lint enforces a convention when the configured rules do not enforce it. [review]
  • SHOULD use a good/bad comparison only when the difference is consequential and can be explained briefly. [review]

Example rule

## Entry selection

### Why

An installed pack needs a reading entrypoint. A metadata-only check cannot establish that the selected files contain it.

### Rules

- MUST include the declared entrypoint in selected content.

### Example

Selecting START.md while declaring START.md as the entrypoint satisfies the rule.

## Enforcement

The installer rejects an excluded entrypoint; behavior tests exercise that contract.

Review checklist

Check the rule against a real operation, verify the example, and identify the exact tool or reviewer that can detect a violation. Register the page in the pack README and regenerate the consumer's routing index.

[review]

Component-content tests check standard metadata and Why, Rules, and Enforcement headings. Review establishes rule semantics, example correctness, portability, and the accuracy of enforcement claims.

See Writing and Formatting. Language-specific API comments belong to the selected language pack.

Enforcement

Component-content tests check standard metadata and Why, Rules, and Enforcement headings. Review establishes rule semantics, example correctness, portability, and the accuracy of enforcement claims.

See Writing and Formatting. Language-specific API comments belong to the selected language pack.