artifact-delivery-contract

name	artifact-delivery-contract
description	Deliver diagrams, canvases, web UI, and other visual artifacts through an explicit viewing surface with acceptance criteria, an early preview checkpoint, persistent files, and final visual verification. Use whenever artifact completion depends on what a user can open and see.
license	MIT

Artifact delivery contract

An artifact is not delivered merely because source files exist. It must persist at an agreed location, open in an agreed surface, and pass visual acceptance criteria.

Establish the contract

Before substantial implementation, determine:

• artifact type and persistent output path;
• delivery surface (editor, browser, canvas, native application, or file link);
• exact open/show action the user will receive;
• required source and exported formats;
• applicable acceptance matrix rows;
• target viewport, device, or page/slide dimensions;
• whether interactivity, keyboard navigation, printing, or offline use matters.

When the prompt omits a variable, choose the safest conventional default and state it in the first preview.

Acceptance matrix

Mark non-applicable rows N/A with a reason.

Area	Acceptance criteria
Theme	Intentional light/dark/high-contrast behavior; sufficient contrast; no invisible or hard-coded conflicting colors
Typography	Readable hierarchy, sizes, line lengths, wrapping, and fallback fonts
Navigation	Obvious current state, working links/controls, keyboard path, and no dead ends
Layout	No overlap, clipping, accidental overflow, or hidden required content
Responsive behavior	Defined behavior at target widths; touch targets and reflow where applicable
Content	Accurate labels, no placeholder text, useful empty/error/loading states
Accessibility	Semantic structure, focus order, alternative text/labels, and non-color cues as applicable
Persistence	Source and required exports saved at stable paths and reopen successfully
Delivery	The promised surface opens the exact final artifact, not a stale preview

Workflow

1. Create the smallest representative artifact that establishes theme, typography, navigation model, and layout direction.
2. First-preview checkpoint: persist it and open/show it in the promised delivery surface before scaling out. Inspect the rendered result, record matrix failures, and correct the design direction.
3. Complete the artifact using the approved direction. Keep source assets local and avoid embedding credentials, private data, or unlicensed content.
4. Exercise interaction and navigation paths. Test required viewport sizes or fixed dimensions and applicable theme states.
5. Persist the final source and exports. Reopen from the persisted path to catch transient or unsaved state.
6. Perform final visual verification on the actual delivery surface. Inspect each acceptance row and check for clipping, overlap, contrast, wrapping, stale content, broken navigation, and missing assets.
7. Open/show the final artifact to the user and report its persistent path, format, acceptance results, and any explicit limitations.

Do not claim visual verification from source inspection, compilation, or a successful export alone. If the delivery surface cannot be opened or visually inspected, return BLOCKED or DELIVERED WITH UNVERIFIED VISUALS, never a full success claim.