# Core Engineering Manifest

This manifest defines the modular structure of generic engineering standards and cognitive conduct. These principles govern all technical decisions, version control, and architectural patterns in 2026.

<rules>
- **AGENT DIRECTIVE:** These core modules take absolute precedence over specific language defaults.
- **STANDARDS:** Adhere to NIST AI Agent Standards and MCP (Model Context Protocol).
- **PRAGMATISM:** Balance architectural excellence with delivery speed (Watchguard principle).
</rules>

## Modules

| Module                                        | Description                | Key Focus                                               |
| :-------------------------------------------- | :------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------ |
| `core-cognitive-conduct.instructions.md`      | AI Reasoning Framework     | Professional conduct, critical thinking, idempotency.   |
| `core-commits-git.instructions.md`            | Git & Versioning Standards | Conventional Commits, AI-Native types, history hygiene. |
| `core-hexagonal-architecture.instructions.md` | Architectural Patterns     | Ports & Adapters, domain isolation, testability.        |
| `core-decision-framework.instructions.md`     | Technical Decision Making  | Watchguard rules, technical debt, risk assessment.      |
| `core-security-sanitization.instructions.md`  | Security Standards         | Input validation (Zod/Pydantic), secrets, sanitization. |
| `core-ops-infrastructure.instructions.md`     | Runtimes & Infrastructure  | Docker (multi-stage), OpenTelemetry, lockfiles.         |
| `core-agentic-collaboration.instructions.md`  | Multi-Agent Protocols      | Handoffs, durable state, AI-to-AI collaboration.        |

<success_criteria>

- All core principles are encapsulated in modular UIAs.
- Hybrid XML/Markdown tagging is applied.
- AI-specific git standards (agent/prompt types) are included.
- Security and Ops are now integrated into the core standards.

</success_criteria>
