Three files for recurring AI work
A useful AI workflow does not begin with a longer prompt. It begins when the information that should survive a new chat has somewhere to live.
Use the three files below for one recurring task: a weekly update, a research brief, a client follow-up, or a content draft. Keep them beside the work. Fill the context once, write the finish line before each run, and review the output before using it.
01
WORK-CONTEXT.md
This file holds facts and boundaries that should not be reconstructed every time. Update it when the work changes; do not fill gaps with guesses.
Select the full template below and copy it into a file with the shown name.
# Work context
## What this work is for
- Service, project, or team:
- Who it serves:
- Problem the work should help with:
- What we do well:
- What we do not offer:
## Current priorities
- Main goal for this period:
- Measure or signal that matters:
- Time or budget limit:
## Voice and audience
- Intended reader:
- Desired tone:
- Words or claims to avoid:
- A good example to follow:
- An example that misses the mark:
## Facts and sources
- Sources to trust first:
- Facts that need a current check:
- Details that must never be guessed:
- What to say when information is missing: "[needs confirmation]"
## Approval boundaries
- The AI may do:
- A person must approve before:
- The AI must not do:02
DONE-CHECKLIST.md
Write this before the AI starts. It makes the finish line visible to both the person asking and the person reviewing. Keep the checks observable: someone should be able to point to the output or source material and decide whether each one is true.
Select the full template below and copy it into a file with the shown name.
# Done checklist — [task name]
## The result is ready when
- [ ] It answers [the reader's question or requested decision].
- [ ] It includes [required sections, fields, or deliverables].
- [ ] Every factual claim or number is supported by [named source, supplied material, or link].
- [ ] It follows [format, length, language, and tone requirements].
- [ ] It does not include [known exclusions, private information, or unsupported claims].
## Stop and ask a person when
- [ ] A required fact, source, or instruction is missing.
- [ ] The task would send, publish, pay, delete, change access, or share private data.
- [ ] The requested result conflicts with the work context.
## Review record
- Reviewer:
- Reviewed on:
- Result: ready / revise / stop
- Notes:03
PRE-USE-REVIEW.md
Run this review after the draft exists and before anyone relies on it. A clean-looking draft is not enough; check what it says, what it leaves out, and what it is about to do.
Select the full template below and copy it into a file with the shown name.
# Pre-use review — [task name]
## Match the request
- [ ] I read the task request and the work context.
- [ ] The output stays within the requested scope.
- [ ] The intended reader can understand the next step.
## Check the substance
- [ ] Names, dates, numbers, and quotations match a source or supplied input.
- [ ] Assumptions and unknowns are labeled rather than presented as facts.
- [ ] Required links, attachments, and sections are present.
- [ ] No private, confidential, or personal information appears by mistake.
## Check the action
- [ ] The output is a draft unless a person approved external use.
- [ ] Any sending, publishing, payment, deletion, or permission change has the required human approval.
- [ ] If a check failed, I recorded the issue and returned the work for revision.
## Decision
- Decision: use / revise / stop
- Reviewer:
- Date:
- Reason or revision needed: