policy: no build artifacts in version control

Reviewed-on: #14

prompts/LLM_PROSE_TELLS.md

@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 # LLM Prose Tells
 
-A catalog of structural, lexical, and rhetorical patterns found in LLM-generated
-prose.
+A catalog of patterns found in LLM-generated prose.
 
 ---
 
@@ -18,7 +17,7 @@ A negation followed by an em-dash and a reframe.
 
 Even outside the "not X but Y" pivot, models substitute em-dashes for commas,
 semicolons, parentheses, colons, and periods. The em-dash can replace any other
-punctuation mark, and models default to it for that reason.
+punctuation mark, so models default to it.
 
 ### The Colon Elaboration
 
@@ -79,8 +78,7 @@ zero information. The actual point is always in the next paragraph.
 
 > "This is, of course, a simplification." "There are, to be fair, exceptions."
 
-Parenthetical asides inserted to perform nuance without ever changing the
-argument.
+Parenthetical asides inserted to perform nuance without changing the argument.
 
 ### The Unnecessary Contrast
 
@@ -127,10 +125,10 @@ precedent), "navigate," "foster," "underscores," "resonates," "embark,"
 
 ### Elevated Register Drift
 
-Models write one register above where a human would. "Use" becomes "utilize."
-"Start" becomes "commence." "Help" becomes "facilitate." "Show" becomes
-"demonstrate." "Try" becomes "endeavor." "Change" becomes "transform." "Make"
-becomes "craft."
+Models write one register above where a human would, replacing "use" with
+"utilize," "start" with "commence," "help" with "facilitate," "show" with
+"demonstrate," "try" with "endeavor," "change" with "transform," and "make" with
+"craft."
 
 ### Filler Adverbs
 
@@ -307,9 +305,9 @@ introduces another.
 
 ### Pass 2: Sentence-Level Restructuring
 
-10. Find every em-dash pivot ("not X...but Y," "not just X...Y," "more than
-    X...Y") and rewrite it as two separate clauses or a single sentence that
-    makes the point without the negation-then-correction structure.
+10. Find every em-dash pivot ("not X—but Y," "not just X—Y," "more than X—Y")
+    and rewrite it as two separate clauses or a single sentence that makes the
+    point without the negation-then-correction structure.
 
 11. Find every colon elaboration and check whether it's doing real work. If the
     clause before the colon could be deleted without losing meaning, rewrite the
@@ -443,12 +441,6 @@ roughly like this:
 >
 > **model:** _(rewrites entire document without em-dashes while describing
 > em-dash overuse)_
->
-> **human:** this whole document seems to be making the case for FREQUENCY of
-> use being important. we don't care about frequency, remove all that
-> persuasion.
->
-> **model:** _(strips out every "humans do this too but less often" comparison)_
 
 The human compared this process to the deleted scene in Terminator 2 where John
 Connor switches the T-800's CPU to learning mode. The model compared it to a

prompts/REPO_POLICIES.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: Repository Policies
-last_modified: 2026-02-22
+last_modified: 2026-03-09
 ---
 
 This document covers repository structure, tooling, and workflow standards. Code
@@ -98,6 +98,13 @@ style conventions are in separate documents:
   `https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/prompts/raw/branch/main/.gitignore` when setting up
   a new repo.
 
+- **No build artifacts in version control.** Code-derived data (compiled
+  bundles, minified output, generated assets) must never be committed to the
+  repository if it can be avoided. The build process (e.g. Dockerfile, Makefile)
+  should generate these at build time. Notable exception: Go protobuf generated
+  files (`.pb.go`) ARE committed because repos need to work with `go get`, which
+  downloads code but does not execute code generation.
+
 - Never use `git add -A` or `git add .`. Always stage files explicitly by name.
 
 - Never force-push to `main`.