# Distillate Format Reference

Examples showing the transformation from human-readable source content to distillate format.

## Frontmatter

Every distillate includes YAML frontmatter. Source paths are relative to the distillate's location so the distillate remains portable:

```yaml
---
type: rcode-distillate
sources:
  - "product-brief-example.md"
  - "product-brief-example-discovery-notes.md"
downstream_consumer: "PRD creation"
created: "2026-03-13"
token_estimate: 1200
parts: 1
---
```

## Before/After Examples

### Prose Paragraph to Dense Bullet

**Before** (human-readable brief excerpt):
```
## What Makes This Different

**The anti-fragmentation layer.** The AI tooling space is fracturing across 40+
platforms with no shared methodology layer. rcode is uniquely positioned to be the
cross-platform constant — the structured approach that works the same in Cursor,
Claude Code, Windsurf, Copilot, and whatever launches next month. Every other
methodology or skill framework maintains its own platform support matrix. By
building on the open-source skills CLI ecosystem, rcode offloads the highest-churn
maintenance burden and focuses on what actually differentiates it: the methodology
itself.
```

**After** (distillate):
```
## Differentiation
- Anti-fragmentation positioning: rcode = cross-platform constant across 40+ fragmenting AI tools; no competitor provides shared methodology layer
- Platform complexity delegated to Vercel skills CLI ecosystem (MIT); rcode maintains methodology, not platform configs
```

### Technical Details to Compressed Facts

**Before** (discovery notes excerpt):
```
## Competitive Landscape

- **Vercel Skills.sh**: 83K+ skills, 18 agents, largest curated leaderboard —
  but dev-only, skills trigger unreliably (20% without explicit prompting)
- **SkillsMP**: 400K+ skills directory, pure aggregator with no curation or CLI
- **ClawHub/OpenClaw**: ~3.2K curated skills with versioning/rollback, small ecosystem
- **Lindy**: No-code AI agent builder for business automation — closed platform,
  no skill sharing
- **Microsoft Copilot Studio**: Enterprise no-code agent builder — vendor-locked
  to Microsoft
- **MindStudio**: No-code AI agent platform — siloed, no interoperability
- **Make/Zapier AI**: Workflow automation adding AI agents — workflow-centric,
  not methodology-centric
- **Key gap**: NO competitor combines structured methodology with plugin
  marketplace — this is rcode's whitespace
```

**After** (distillate):
```
## Competitive Landscape
- No competitor combines structured methodology + plugin marketplace (whitespace)
- Skills.sh (Vercel): 83K skills, 18 agents, dev-only, 20% trigger reliability
- SkillsMP: 400K skills, aggregator only, no curation/CLI
- ClawHub: 3.2K curated, versioning, small ecosystem
- No-code platforms (Lindy, Copilot Studio, MindStudio, Make/Zapier): closed/siloed, no skill portability, business-only
```

### Deduplication Across Documents

When the same fact appears in both a brief and discovery notes:

**Brief says:**
```
The rcode-init utility lives in .rcode/skills/rcode-init/ — reference it via @.rcode/skills/rcode-init/SKILL.md in every bundle
```

**Discovery notes say:**
```
The rcode-init utility lives in .rcode/skills/rcode-init/ — reference it via @.rcode/skills/rcode-init/SKILL.md in every bundle/install
(solves bootstrapping problem)
```

**Distillate keeps the more contextual version:**
```
- rcode-init: always included as base skill in every bundle (solves bootstrapping)
```

### Decision/Rationale Compression

**Before:**
```
We decided not to build our own platform support matrix going forward, instead
delegating to the Vercel skills CLI ecosystem. The rationale is that maintaining
20+ platform configs is the biggest maintenance burden and it's unsustainable
at 40+ platforms.
```

**After:**
```
- Rejected: own platform support matrix. Reason: unsustainable at 40+ platforms; delegate to Vercel CLI ecosystem
```

## Full Example

A complete distillate produced from a product brief and its discovery notes, targeted at PRD creation:

```markdown
---
type: rcode-distillate
sources:
  - "product-brief-rcode-next-gen-installer.md"
  - "product-brief-rcode-next-gen-installer-discovery-notes.md"
downstream_consumer: "PRD creation"
created: "2026-03-13"
token_estimate: 1450
parts: 1
---

## Core Concept
- rcode Next-Gen Installer: replaces monolithic Node.js CLI with skill-based plugin architecture for distributing rcode methodology across 40+ AI platforms
- Three layers: self-describing plugins (rcode-manifest.json), cross-platform install via Vercel skills CLI (MIT), runtime registration via rcode-init (internal skill at .rcode/skills/rcode-init/)
- Transforms rcode from dev-only methodology into open platform for any domain (creative, therapeutic, educational, personal)

## Problem
- Current installer maintains ~20 platform configs manually; each platform convention change requires installer update, test, release — largest maintenance burden on team
- Node.js/npm required — blocks non-technical users on UI-based platforms (Claude Co-Work, etc.)
- CSV manifests are static, generated once at install; no runtime scanning/registration
- Unsustainable at 40+ platforms; new tools launching weekly

## Solution Architecture
- Plugins: skill bundles with Anthropic plugin standard as base format + rcode-manifest.json extending for rcode-specific metadata (installer options, capabilities, help integration, phase ordering, dependencies)
- Existing manifest example: `{"module-code":"rcode","replaces-skill":"rcode-create-product-brief","capabilities":[{"name":"create-brief","menu-code":"CB","supports-headless":true,"phase-name":"1-analysis","after":["brainstorming"],"before":["create-prd"],"is-required":true}]}`
- Vercel skills CLI handles platform translation; integration pattern (wrap/fork/call) is PRD decision
- rcode-init: global skill scanning installed rcode-manifest.json files, registering capabilities, configuring project settings; always included as base skill in every bundle (solves bootstrapping)
- rcode-update: plugin update path without full reinstall; technical approach (diff/replace/preserve customizations) is PRD decision
- Distribution tiers: (1) NPX installer wrapping skills CLI for technical users, (2) zip bundle + platform-specific README for non-technical users, (3) future marketplace
- Non-technical path has honest friction: "copy to right folder" requires knowing where; per-platform README instructions; improves over time as low-code space matures

## Differentiation
- Anti-fragmentation: rcode = cross-platform constant; no competitor provides shared methodology layer across AI tools
- Curated quality: all submissions gated, human-reviewed by rcode + core team; 13.4% of community skills have critical vulnerabilities (Snyk 2026); quality gate value increases as ecosystem gets noisier
- Domain-agnostic: no competitor builds beyond software dev workflows; same plugin system powers any domain via rcode Builder (separate initiative)

## Users (ordered by v1 priority)
- Module authors (primary v1): package/test/distribute plugins independently without installer changes
- Developers: single-command install on any of 40+ platforms via NPX
- Non-technical users: install without Node/Git/terminal; emerging segment including PMs, designers, educators
- Future plugin creators: non-dev authors using rcode Builder; need distribution without building own installer

## Success Criteria
- Zero (or near-zero) custom platform directory code; delegated to skills CLI ecosystem
- Installation verified on top platforms by volume; skills CLI handles long tail
- Non-technical install path validated with non-developer users
- rcode-init discovers/registers all plugins from manifests; clear errors for malformed manifests
- At least one external module author successfully publishes plugin using manifest system
- rcode-update works without full reinstall
- Existing CLI users have documented migration path

## Scope
- In: manifest spec, rcode-init, rcode-update, Vercel CLI integration, NPX installer, zip bundles, migration path
- Out: rcode Builder, marketplace web platform, skill conversion (prerequisite, separate), one-click install for all platforms, monetization, quality certification process (gated-submission principle is architectural requirement; process defined separately)
- Deferred: CI/CD integration, telemetry for module authors, air-gapped enterprise install, zip bundle integrity verification (checksums/signing), deeper non-technical platform integrations

## Current Installer (migration context)
- Entry: `tools/cli/rcode-cli.js` (Commander.js) → `tools/cli/installers/lib/core/installer.js`
- Platforms: `platform-codes.yaml` (~20 platforms with target dirs, legacy dirs, template types, special flags)
- Manifests: CSV files (skill/workflow/agent-manifest.csv) are current source of truth, not JSON
- External modules: `external-official-modules.yaml` (CIS, GDS, TEA, WDS) from npm with semver
- Dependencies: 4-pass resolver (collect → parse → resolve → transitive); YAML-declared only
- Config: prompts for name, communication language, document output language, output folder
- Skills already use directory-per-skill layout; rcode-manifest.json sidecars exist but are not source of truth
- Key shift: CSV-based static manifests → JSON-based runtime scanning

## Vercel Skills CLI
- `npx skills add <source>` — GitHub, GitLab, local paths, git URLs
- 40+ agents; per-agent path mappings; symlinks (recommended) or copies
- Scopes: project-level or global
- Discovery: `skills/`, `.agents/skills/`, agent-specific paths, `.claude-plugin/marketplace.json`
- Commands: add, list, find, remove, check, update, init
- Non-interactive: `-y`, `--all` flags for CI/CD

## Competitive Landscape
- No competitor combines structured methodology + plugin marketplace (whitespace)
- Skills.sh (Vercel): 83K skills, dev-only, 20% trigger reliability without explicit prompting
- SkillsMP: 400K skills, aggregator only, no curation
- ClawHub: 3.2K curated, versioning, small
- No-code platforms (Lindy, Copilot Studio, MindStudio, Make/Zapier): closed/siloed, no skill portability, business-only
- Market: $7.84B (2025) → $52.62B (2030); Agent Skills spec ~4 months old, 351K+ skills; standards converging under Linux Foundation AAIF (MCP, AGENTS.md, A2A)

## Rejected Alternatives
- Building own platform support matrix: unsustainable at 40+; delegate to Vercel ecosystem
- One-click install for non-technical v1: emerging space; guidance-based, improve over time
- Prior roadmap/brainstorming: clean start, unconstrained by previous planning

## Open Questions
- Vercel CLI integration pattern: wrap/fork/call/peer dependency?
- rcode-update mechanics: diff/replace? Preserve user customizations?
- Migration story: command/manual reinstall/compatibility shim?
- Cross-platform testing: CI matrix for top N? Community testing for rest?
- rcode-manifest.json as open standard submission to Agent Skills governance?
- Platforms NOT supported by Vercel skills CLI?
- Manifest versioning strategy for backward compatibility?
- Plugin author getting-started experience and tooling?

## Opportunities
- Module authors as acquisition channel: each published plugin distributes rcode to creator's audience
- CI/CD integration: rcode-init as pipeline one-liner increases stickiness
- Educational institutions: structured methodology + non-technical install → university AI curriculum
- Skill composability: mixing rcode modules with third-party skills for custom methodology stacks

## Risks
- Manifest format evolution creates versioning/compatibility burden once third-party authors publish
- Quality gate needs defined process, not just claim — gated review model addresses
- 40+ platform testing environments even with Vercel handling translation
- Scope creep pressure from marketplace vision (explicitly excluded but primary long-term value)
- Vercel dependency: minor supply-chain risk; MIT license allows fork if deprioritized
```
