The book stays durable.
The tools stay current.
Ten practical Markdown templates for building a controlled AI operating workspace with current truth, human gates, testing, proof, and recovery.
Forthcoming book companion · Free · No email gate
Direct answer
What is the living companion?
This is the companion resource for Keith Staggers's forthcoming field guide to controlled AI workflows. The book explains the durable decisions. These files give you an editable starting point and can change as better practices emerge.
Start with the first six files to create one operating workspace. Then define one repeated job, test ten normal and failure cases, set authority by consequence, and prove that another operator can stop and recover the system.
The files do not make a workflow secure, compliant, or correct by themselves. Use only material you own or are allowed to use, and keep money, identity, binding commitments, professional judgment, and sensitive information behind the appropriate human decision.
Make the work legible
Write stable context, current state, and a short queue without mixing plans with proof.
Put consequences behind gates
Define what AI may do, what it may prepare, and what the responsible human must decide.
Test, record, transfer, recover
Use observable finish lines and failure cases before depending on the workflow.
Companion version 0.1
Ten files.
One controlled workspace.
Plain text travels well. Download each file, complete only what you know, and mark unread facts UNKNOWN.
Version 0.1 · Updated July 30, 2026
- 01 Download .md
Orient
Context
Define who you are, what matters now, how you work, and which facts the assistant must not guess.
- 02 Download .md
Control
Rules
Separate automatic internal work, approval-required actions, prohibitions, and the system-wide stop control.
- 03 Download .md
Orient
Current State
Keep current priorities, active work, blockers, review dates, and directly read measurements in one place.
- 04 Download .md
Build
Work Queue
Limit work in progress and give each item an owner, input, executable action, finish line, and proof requirement.
- 05 Download .md
Prove
Proof
Record what actually happened, the evidence, the external consequence, and what remains unknown.
- 06 Download .md
Build
Automations
Document one scheduled worker with approved sources, limits, evidence, failure handling, and recovery.
- 07 Download .md
Build
Workflow Contract
Define the trigger, owner, input, finish line, AI boundary, exceptions, proof, and manual fallback for one repeated job.
- 08 Download .md
Prove
Ten-Case Test
Test the normal path, missing and conflicting inputs, private data, money, failure, duplicates, and escalation.
- 09 Download .md
Control
Action Ladder
Assign authority according to consequence, from internal reading through public action, money, contracts, and regulated judgment.
- 10 Download .md
Prove
Transfer and Recovery
Check whether another operator can run, inspect, stop, and recover the system without the original builder taking over.
The browser worksheet saves locally, exports CSV, and prints to PDF. Use synthetic or approved data only.
Durable core · Living layer
Why the system is split in two.
The durable book
Sources, decision rights, workflow contracts, finish lines, testing, evidence, recovery, and transfer. The ideas should remain useful across tools.
The living companion
Editable templates, corrections, dated versions, and implementation notes. This layer can improve without rewriting the durable argument.
Before you download
Straight answers.
Is the book available now?
The book is forthcoming. This page is its living companion resource and the templates can be used independently before the retail release.
Why keep the templates outside the book?
The book holds the durable operating principles. These files can be corrected, versioned, and expanded without making the printed explanation depend on a specific AI tool or interface.
Do these templates require a specific AI product?
No. They are plain Markdown files built around sources, boundaries, approvals, finish lines, testing, evidence, and recovery. Adapt them to the tools and policies that apply to your work.
Does this page collect the information I put in the templates?
No. The links download blank files. Complete and store them in a workspace you control. Do not place credentials, protected information, or material you lack permission to use in an AI-assisted system.
Do the templates make an AI workflow secure or compliant?
No. They help make decisions and failure handling visible. You remain responsible for the laws, contracts, privacy rules, professional duties, account controls, and human review that apply to your work.