# Intake Pipeline

## Purpose

This document defines how personal projects, commitments, and agent work enter
`tegwick-control` without turning every idea into immediate obligation.

## Principle

Capture is not commitment. Items move through explicit stages; each stage has
a home and a clear exit criterion.

## Stages

### Stage 0 — Capture

Save loose material without classifying it.

| Location | Use for |
|---|---|
| `inbox/` | Rough notes, pasted thoughts, urgent fragments, questions |

**Exit:** Item is saved and no longer held in memory.

---

### Stage 1 — Triage

During weekly or monthly review, decide what the item is.

| Question | Guides toward |
|---|---|
| Is this a one-off action? | `TASKS.md` |
| Does it belong to a known area? | `areas/<area>.md` |
| Does it need a choice before action? | `decisions/` |
| Is it multi-step structured work? | `workplans/` |
| Is it bounded agent work in this repo? | `agent-tasks/` |
| Is it implementation work in another repo? | Agent task + target repo |
| Is it interesting but not active? | Area card options, or park |
| Is it noise? | Delete or archive from inbox |

**Outcomes:** route, park, merge, or reject. Do not create commitments during
capture.

---

### Stage 2 — Classify

Assign a work class (see `OPERATING_MODEL.md`):

| Class | Typical home |
|---|---|
| Commitment | `TASKS.md` + area card |
| Option | Area card `Options` section |
| Exploration | Area card or `inbox/` until clearer |
| Decision | `decisions/DEC-NNN-<slug>.md` |
| Waiting | `TASKS.md` (Waiting section) |
| Routine | Area card or `REVIEW_RHYTHM.md` |
| Someday | Area card, A0/A1 only |

---

### Stage 3 — Prepare

Before agent delegation or activation:

1. Confirm activation level in `PROJECT_LANDSCAPE.md` and the area card.
2. Define boundaries (allowed/forbidden changes, approval gates).
3. For repo work: name target repo, expected output, acceptance criteria.
4. For decisions: write options and consequences before choosing.

**Agent tasks** use `templates/agent-task.md`.  
**Decisions** use `templates/decision-record.md`.  
**Multi-task work** uses `workplans/TEGWICK-WP-NNNN-<slug>.md`.

---

### Stage 4 — Activate

A item becomes active work only when it has:

- an owner;
- a clear next action;
- a reason for acting now;
- a defined review surface.

Commitments appear in `TASKS.md`. Structured strands appear in `workplans/`.
Bounded agent prompts appear in `agent-tasks/`.

---

### Stage 5 — Review and Close

| Surface | Review question |
|---|---|
| `TASKS.md` | Still a true commitment? |
| `decisions/` | Resolved, superseded, or still open? |
| `agent-tasks/` | Done, blocked, or needs rescoping? |
| `workplans/` | Tasks progressing; workstream still aligned? |
| `areas/` | Activation level and next surface still correct? |

Use `templates/weekly-review.md` for the weekly pass.

## Folder Map

```text
inbox/              temporary capture (Stage 0)
areas/              per-topic control cards (organizations and life domains)
TASKS.md            current commitments index
decisions/          structured decision records (append-only log)
DECISIONS.md        decision registry (open + resolved index)
agent-tasks/        bounded, approval-aware agent prompts for this repo
workplans/          State Hub–synced multi-task workstreams
templates/          blank forms for cards, tasks, decisions, reviews
```

## Activation Guardrail

Do not promote A1 Incubating topics to A2 Active or A3 Critical without an
explicit decision in `decisions/` and human approval per `AGENT_RULES.md`.

## Current Prioritized Workstream

After intake scaffold (TEGWICK-WP-0002), the first prioritized workstream is
**Binky critical path visibility** — see `workplans/TEGWICK-WP-0003-binky-critical-path.md`.

This follows `PROJECT_LANDSCAPE.md` current focus: stabilize `tegwick-control`,
then make Binky's survival situation explicit without solving everything at once.