Major project or architecture change.
New top-level vault folder, new repo, new external service integration, change to canon files, change to the purpose of an existing project, or anything that creates a dependency future agents will follow.
The internal AI infrastructure behind VectorCraft Labs. Project orchestration, approval gates, daily reports, context routing, and the rules that keep the lab from running away from itself.
An operator without a system is a bottleneck. A system without an operator is a liability.
VCL is a one-operator lab producing work across multiple tracks: AI infrastructure, web builds, digital products, and public tools. Every track adds load. Every track produces files that need filing, status that needs tracking, and decisions that need logging.
Without systems, the operator becomes the constraint. With systems, the operator becomes the editor. The point of internal infrastructure is not to remove the human. It is to let the human focus on the parts that actually need judgment.
The workshop brain. Routes work, tracks state, surfaces decisions.
Foreman is the internal operating system being built behind VCL. It coordinates work across the lab without trying to replace the lab. Its job is to keep things moving, surface what needs attention, and make sure nothing important slips through.
It runs on the same operating principles as the rest of VCL: tight scope, honest capability, approval before publish, files as deliverables, no fluff.
Anything that affects the real world goes through a gate. The gates are explicit, not vibes.
New top-level vault folder, new repo, new external service integration, change to canon files, change to the purpose of an existing project, or anything that creates a dependency future agents will follow.
New paid service, plan upgrade, payment method, raised spending cap, recurring cost, or purchase of assets, domains, software, plugins, templates, credits, or physical goods.
Etsy listings, social posts, public repos, website pages, product pages, marketplace listings, client docs, downloads, email campaigns, or anything using the VCL logo, brand, doctrine, or official positioning.
Deleting files, folders, repos, branches, records, or assets. Overwriting canon. Removing logs. Sending external messages. Filing forms. Submitting applications. Changing settings that affect access, billing, identity, or visibility.
Changes to VCL doctrine, naming conventions, brand voice, agent roles, Foreman protocols, command structure, memory structure, vault structure, or anything that changes how future agents interpret VCL.
If a gate is crossed without approval, the session stops. What happened is logged. The impact is explained. Work waits for review before continuing. The gate system only works if it is enforced.
A system without memory is the same operator bottleneck wearing a different shirt.
Persistent project memory across sessions: who is doing what, why, what was decided, what is gated, what shipped, what failed. Sessions start with the relevant slice loaded instead of cold every time.
A daily summary that aggregates yesterday's vault changes, active project status, gate decisions, and overnight RECON output (external tech the lab is watching). Read in the morning. Act on what matters. Ignore what does not.
The whole point of the gate system in one line.
The process is documented publicly because the process is part of the product. The build log shows the wins, the rebuilds, the failed shots, and the decisions behind them. People learn from it. The brand earns trust from it.
Operations are controlled privately because mistakes there are expensive. Foreman, the gate system, the cost caps, the spend logs, the canon files, and the keys live inside the lab. They do not get exposed because they happen to also be interesting.
Foreman is not a finished product. It is an evolving internal system.
Near term: deeper integration with the public tools (FlightPlan, this site, the Etsy line) so build status, deploy status, and product status are surfaced in one place. Continued investment in RECON, the external technology observer that runs overnight on a cooldown.
Longer term: a possible public preview surface so collaborators and clients can see project status without seeing the internal control plane. Not a product to sell. A window into the lab. Gated, of course.
The build log is the public record. The decisions, the gates, the things that did not work, all there.