{
  "id": 5617690,
  "title": "We ship the AI layer with the code",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/we-ship-the-ai-layer-with-the-code",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-04T18:35:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/madebymonogram/we-ship-the-ai-layer-with-the-code-14pm"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "<The AI layer is included with the code in every repository handed back to the client.>\n\nEvery project delivered contains essential instruction files, specifications, and a DESIGN.md file, along with an MCP server. The contents of the repository provide the client with the necessary knowledge to continue building the system as we originally designed it.\n\n<The formats used to convey information to agents and engineers include AGENTS.md, OpenSpec, and DESIGN.md.>\n\nAGENTS.md outlines how the system is constructed, the pull request gates, data restrictions, and the location of runbooks. It serves as the primary reference for both agents and new engineers, ensuring consistency across the project.\n\n<Requirements are maintained in the repo using OpenSpec, an open-source specification-driven development tool compatible with various coding agents.>\n\nTwo folders, openspec/specs and openspec/changes, store the current system behavior and proposed changes separately. As changes are implemented, they are archived with a date, creating a historical record for future reference.\n\n<Skills are folder-based instructions that agents load when specific tasks are required.>\n\nMost common tasks already have pre-existing skills, including database migrations, routing structures, and quality scoring rubrics. However, custom skills are written when no suitable existing solution is available. These skills are maintained alongside the code and change through the same pull request process.\n\n<The DESIGN.md file provides the design system to agents in a format they can utilize.>\n\nThis markdown file contains tokens with real values, type ramps, spacing habits, component rules, and the reasoning behind them. By including a DESIGN.md file alongside the code, clients can ensure the client's AI-generated components align with the established design system.\n\n<An MCP server is provided to enable non-engineers to interact with the system using conversational agents.>\n\nThe MCP server allows clients to query the system through a conversational agent like Claude or ChatGPT, retrieving answers in real-time based on the analyzed and scored data. This significantly reduces the time required for manual analysis and provides instant access to information.\n\n<The process of creating drafts involves the collaboration of multiple team members.>\n\nIn each stage of the development cycle, agents assist by drafting initial requirements, variations, and edge cases. However, the final review and approval are still necessary, as agents may generate results with predictable inaccuracies. The drafts are reviewed through a pull request process, ensuring the quality and accuracy of the final deliverables.",
  "summary": "Every repo we hand back carries instruction files, specs, skills, a DESIGN.md, and an MCP server. What each one is for, and how our people and the agents split the work of building them. When we finish a project, the client keeps the code. That used to be the whole list. Now the layer that drafted the code has to come with it, or the client's own team cannot extend the system the way we did. This…",
  "key_points": [
    "AI layer included with code in every delivered repository",
    "Clients receive essential instruction files and DESIGN.md file",
    "MCP server enables non-engineers to interact with system"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}