# Reality Checks

{% hint style="warning" %} <sub>If you only remember five short ideas after today, remember the five absolutes in the repo’s invariant file: generated means gated research became a persisted spec, build means a complete manifest, shipped means proofs passed, perfect means zero deviation from that persisted contract.</sub>
{% endhint %}

<h2 align="center"><sub>What this page means?</sub></h2>

| This chapter is                                           | This chapter is not                          |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| <sub>A plain-language mirror of factory promises</sub>    | <sub>A marketing superlative generator</sub> |
| <sub>A place to send new operators before MVP demos</sub> | <sub>Legal advice</sub>                      |

{% stepper %}
{% step %} <sub>**Generated**</sub>

<sub>An idea is</sub> <sub></sub><sub>**customer-facing generated**</sub> <sub></sub><sub>only after it passes the</sub> <sub></sub><sub>**buildability gate**</sub><sub>: persisted MVP build spec, successful compile to manifest, no unresolved gaps. Until then, treat rows as</sub> <sub></sub><sub>**research material**</sub><sub>, not inventory you can promise externally.</sub>
{% endstep %}

{% step %} <sub>**Build**</sub>

<sub>**Build**</sub> <sub></sub><sub>does not exist unless the compiler can emit a</sub> <sub></sub><sub>**complete**</sub> <sub>`MVP Spec`</sub> <sub></sub><sub>from the current capability registry and pack catalog. Incomplete manifest means</sub> <sub></sub><sub>**no build action**</sub> <sub></sub><sub>for that idea. Binary rule, not vibes.</sub>
{% endstep %}

{% step %} <sub>**Shipped**</sub>

<sub>**Shipped**</sub> <sub></sub><sub>means required proofs passed and evidence is persisted. Failed proofs mean a failed terminal state, not a quiet “mostly shipped.” Inconclusive probes block unless explicitly optional in the manifest.</sub>
{% endstep %}

{% step %} <sub>**Perfect**</sub>

<sub>**Perfect**</sub> <sub></sub><sub>means</sub> <sub></sub><sub>**zero deviation**</sub> <sub></sub><sub>from the persisted contract (spec plus compiled IR or manifest snapshot). Wanting new behavior is a</sub> <sub></sub><sub>**new contract**</sub><sub>, not a bug in an old successful build.</sub>
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

<h2 align="center"><sub>What ARIA never guarantees</sub></h2>

<p align="center"><sub>ARIA does <strong>not</strong> guarantee arbitrary natural language.</sub> <br><sub>Marketing copy, brainstorms, and prompts that never compiled sit outside.</sub></p>

<p align="center"></p>

<h2 align="center"><sub>Verbal punctuation</sub></h2>

{% stepper %}
{% step %} <sub>**First**</sub>

<sub>If</sub> <sub></sub><sub>**Build MVP**</sub> <sub></sub><sub>is hidden, assume the gate failed until you read the UI reason.</sub>
{% endstep %}

{% step %} <sub>**Second**</sub>

<sub>When someone says “the AI promised,” translate to “uncompiled language” and move the conversation to spec and proofs.</sub>
{% endstep %}

{% step %} <sub>**Third**</sub>

<sub>Escalate product bugs with</sub> <sub></sub><sub>**repro steps**</sub> <sub></sub><sub>and</sub> <sub></sub><sub>**persisted ids**</sub><sub>, not only adjectives.</sub>
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

***

<h2 align="center"><sub>Ask a question</sub></h2>

<p align="center"><sub><strong>Which slide in your deck still claims behavior that is not in the persisted spec?</strong></sub> <br><sub>Fix the deck before an external meeting.</sub></p>


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