$ aidlc glossary
10 terms, generated at build time from the same file the skills read — so a definition here is the definition the tool uses.
Read these 3 first: instance, scope, claim. Each already means something else in software, so the risk is not confusion — it is confidently believing the wrong thing and finding out later.
- instance
- one unit of work, such as a single feature or fix, with its own folder of files under `.aidlc/state/` tracking how far it has gotNot an instantiated object, a running server, or a copy of the application.
- scope
- which phases of the lifecycle apply to a piece of work: micro runs implementation and testing only, standard starts at requirements, full starts at ideationNot how large or how ambitious the change is.
- claim
- a lock saying which session is currently working on an instance, so two sessions in one repository cannot tread on each otherNot an assertion, a support ticket, or an expense claim.
- template
- a named workflow that fixes which phases a piece of work runs through: micro-task, bugfix, quick-feature, full-feature, or spike
- artifact
- a document a phase is required to produce, such as requirements.md or test-results.md, committed alongside the code it describes
- retrospective
- a short written review captured when an instance finishes, which appends durable lessons to the guidance layer for the next instance to read
- gate
- a check that must pass before work moves to the next phase, run by `aidlc gate` in CI or by `aidlc transition` locally
- phase
- one named step of the lifecycle, such as requirements or implementation, each with its own conditions for starting and for being finished
- entry criteria
- what must already be true before a phase is allowed to start
- exit criteria
- what must be true before a phase can be called finished