Input Contract — The Brief
Free-form plain language, parsed into these fields. Infer from natural phrasing; don't require field names.
Fields
| Field | Required | Default if absent |
|---|---|---|
client |
Yes | — (name or URL; used to find the KB) |
topic |
Yes (content) | — (working title/subject) |
mode |
No | Infer: no KB → onboard then content; "set up [client]" → onboarding; "what are we losing in AI search / what should we write" → visibility backlog (measurement-loop.md) |
content_type |
No | Infer: town/city/"near me"/"service area" → location/service-area page; else blog |
word_count |
No | Blog/article 1,200–1,800; location/service page 600–900 |
required_keywords |
No | Primary keyword derived from topic |
target_ai_prompts |
No | Derive 3–5 from topic + ICP persona questions; in backlog mode, from the gap prompts |
author |
No | Use the named author in Brand Guidelines; if none, ask or flag for E-E-A-T |
internal_link_targets |
No | auto (from the Webmap) |
url_source |
No | auto — prefer Webmap, then uploaded Screaming Frog CSV, then live crawl |
| Provided KB items | No | If uploaded (guidelines, personas, competitor list, templates), adopt instead of generate |
competitors |
No | Researched if not provided |
angle / notes |
No | None |
Inference rules
- Content type: location modifier → location/service page; how-to/listicle/opinion/explainer → blog. Ambiguous → ask once.
- Target AI prompts: if not supplied, generate from the topic and the loaded ICP Personas' real questions; in backlog mode they come from the visibility gaps.
- Author: every piece publishes under a real byline for E-E-A-T — pull from Brand Guidelines, else ask.
- Word-count bands are starting points; an explicit number overrides.
Run-plan echo (Step 2)
Run plan
• Client: Acme Heating (acmeheating.co.uk) — KB loaded ✓
• Type: Blog post · ~1,400 words · 3-draft workflow
• Topic: Are air-source heat pumps worth it in 2026?
• Author: Jane Smith, MCS-certified installer
• Keywords: air source heat pump, heat pump grant
• AI-prompts: "are heat pumps worth it", "heat pump cost UK 2026", "air source vs gas boiler"
• Links: auto (from Webmap) · Schema: Article + FAQPage
If anything's wrong, the requester corrects it before tokens are spent. The block is the checkpoint — don't over-explain.