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Knowing what a project is does not tell you where to enter it, what is dangerous to touch, or what you need at minimum to start working safely. 08_surface_map.txt fills that gap. It is not an orientation file and it is not a record of current work — it maps the real body of the project: where it lives, how to enter it safely, what has high impact if touched, and what the minimum safe start looks like.

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What it is

08_surface_map.txt does not explain what the project is. It explains where the project really lives, which entrypoints are real, which points attract but lead you away, and which surfaces have high impact if touched. It exists to give a concrete reading of the real body of the project — not of its idea.

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What goes here

Each of the following belongs in 08_surface_map.txt because it maps physical or technical reality rather than identity, decisions, or live work.
ItemWhy it belongs here
Active repos or foldersShows where the project really lives — provides immediate technical orientation
Real entrypointsShows where you truly enter the project — prevents entry from the wrong place
Places NOT to start fromPrevents wrong or too-costly entry — names false entrypoints explicitly
Sensitive files and surfacesShows where a small change has large impact — makes consequence visible before touch
Minimal runbookGathers only the minimum required to start, verify, and make a first safe touch
Critical env, config, or dependenciesExplains what truly changes the project’s behavior if missing or different
Critical external integrationsShows what the project touches outside its own files — prevents surprises

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What does NOT go here

The following material does not belong in 08_surface_map.txt and should be routed to its correct file:
  • Project identity → 01_orientation.txt — explains what the project is, not where it lives technically
  • Hard-to-reopen constants → 02_protocol_freeze.txt — stable project constraints, not technical topology
  • Current live work → 03_master_working.txt — present operational state, not map
  • Decisions already taken → 04_decision_log.txt — records already-won choices
  • Ideas, backlog, or latent material → 05_latent_ideas.txt — not yet closed
  • Full manual, long setup, or extended troubleshooting — 08 must remain a minimal map
  • Total inventory of everything — if a place exists but does not change how you enter or work, it does not belong here

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Entry templates

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Repo / Folder

- place name:
- path:
- what is really there:
- when it makes sense to enter:
- when you risk entering by mistake:

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Entrypoint

- entrypoint:
- what you find there first:
- what that point is really for:
- first safe move:

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Where Not to Start

Write here the points that attract attention but can easily send you the wrong way. This section protects against wrong entry — not mistakes in the abstract, but the specific surfaces that look like a good entry point but are not. 
- false entrypoint:
- why it looks like a good idea:
- why it sends you the wrong way:
- where it is better to enter instead:
If the project has copies, backups, familiar folders, or surfaces that look live but are not, naming them here prevents entry from the wrong place even when the correct entrypoint is already documented above.

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Sensitive Surface

- sensitive point:
- what changes if you touch it:
- why the impact is bigger than it seems:
- first thing to check:
Use this template for points where a local edit can affect kernel, routing, continuity, or project reading more broadly. The goal is not to list what makes you anxious — it is to make visible where the impact class changes.

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Critical Dependency

- name:
- where it really matters:
- what happens if it is missing or changes:
- how you notice:
Use this template only for what truly changes the behavior of the project if it is missing or different. A dependency that is only convenient but does not materially change the project probably does not belong here.

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Critical External Integration

- integration:
- where it really matters:
- why it changes project behavior:
- what risk opens if it changes or disappears:
Not everything that touches the project from outside deserves a line here. Use this section when something external changes access, topology, continuity, or operational risk in a material way.

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Minimal Runbook

- what you want to achieve:
- minimum safe move:
- what you should see if it worked:
The minimal runbook is not for explaining the whole project. It exists so that someone entering does not have to reconstruct the first useful move from scratch. Full setup, tutorial, troubleshooting, or long onboarding do not belong here.

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Entries zone

08_surface_map.txt is append-driven. New technical map entries must be inserted only inside the --- ENTRIES START --- and --- ENTRIES END --- marker zone. [TEMPLATE ONLY] in the entries zone is scaffold only and does not count as a live map entry. links to must point only to real canonical files or real IDs. For useful files, paths, or materials outside the canonical set, use external reference. Open slots are normal only while a block is clearly template-like — in a live map they should not become permanent noise.

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When to update

Update 08_surface_map.txt when the technical shape of the project materially changes:
  • Topology changes — the place where the project really lives changes; stale maps send people to the wrong place
  • Entrypoint changes — the real entry path changes; first access starts from the wrong place otherwise
  • Sensitive surface changes — a point changes its class of impact if touched; unaware changes happen in high-consequence zones otherwise
  • Critical dependency changes — something external or configurational truly changes the project’s behavior
  • Minimum required start changes — the first safe move is no longer the same; old entry habits become dangerous

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Typical errors

  • Turning this file into a full manual — 08 should remain a minimal map; full setup belongs elsewhere
  • Filling it with details that do not help find, enter, or understand impact — if it does not change how you enter or work, it probably does not belong here
  • Using it for current work — current live work belongs in 03_master_working.txt
  • Leaving it too vague to be useful — a surface map that cannot tell you where to enter has failed its purpose
  • Starting from the wrong point because it looks closer or more convenient — the map exists precisely to prevent this

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