Artifact Generation Rules - MANDATORY
CRITICAL: This file is the SINGLE SOURCE OF TRUTH for artifact H2 headings. All agents MUST use these EXACT headings when generating artifacts. Violations block commits (pre-commit) and PRs (CI validation).
Pre-Generation Workflow
Before creating ANY artifact file, agents MUST:
- FIND the section for your artifact type below (e.g., "06-deployment-summary.md")
- COPY the EXACT H2 headings listed there
- USE those headings in order in your generated artifact
- ADD
## Referencesat the end (always allowed) - ADD custom H3 subsections under H2s as needed
Template Mapping
All templates live in .github/skills/azure-artifacts/templates/:
| Artifact Pattern | Template File |
|---|---|
01-requirements.md |
01-requirements.template.md |
02-architecture-assessment.md |
02-architecture-assessment.template.md |
03-des-cost-estimate.md |
03-des-cost-estimate.template.md |
04-governance-constraints.md |
04-governance-constraints.template.md |
04-implementation-plan.md |
04-implementation-plan.template.md |
04-preflight-check.md |
04-preflight-check.template.md |
05-implementation-reference.md |
05-implementation-reference.template.md |
06-deployment-summary.md |
06-deployment-summary.template.md |
07-ab-cost-estimate.md |
07-ab-cost-estimate.template.md |
07-backup-dr-plan.md |
07-backup-dr-plan.template.md |
07-compliance-matrix.md |
07-compliance-matrix.template.md |
07-design-document.md |
07-design-document.template.md |
07-documentation-index.md |
07-documentation-index.template.md |
07-operations-runbook.md |
07-operations-runbook.template.md |
07-resource-inventory.md |
07-resource-inventory.template.md |
Golden Rule
DO NOT INVENT H2 HEADINGS. Use ONLY the headings listed below for each artifact type.
Standard Components (Validated)
Every artifact (except PROJECT-README) must include these visual components above the first H2 heading. The validator checks for their presence.
| Component | Pattern | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Badge row |    |
Yes (templates); Advised (artifacts) |
| Collapsible TOC | <details><summary><strong>📑 Table of Contents</strong></summary> |
Yes (templates); Advised (artifacts) |
| Attribution | > Generated by {agent} agent | {date} |
Yes (templates); Advised (artifacts) |
| Nav table | | ⬅️ Previous | 📑 Index | Next ➡️ | |
Yes (templates); Advised (artifacts) |
Complete H2 Heading Reference
IMPORTANT: Copy-paste these headings. Do not paraphrase or abbreviate.
01-requirements.md
## Project Overview
## Functional Requirements
## Non-Functional Requirements (NFRs)
## Compliance & Security Requirements
## Budget
## Operational Requirements
## Regional Preferences
## Summary for Architecture Assessment
## References <!-- Optional, add at end -->
H3 subsections (within H2s above):
## Project Overview→ Business Context## Functional Requirements→ Core Capabilities, User Types, Integrations, Data Types, Architecture Pattern## Non-Functional Requirements (NFRs)→ Availability & Reliability, Performance, Scalability## Compliance & Security Requirements→ Regulatory Frameworks, Data Residency, Auth & Authorization, Network Security, Recommended Security Controls## Budget→ Cost Optimization Priorities (optional)## Operational Requirements→ Monitoring & Alerting, Support & Maintenance, Backup & Disaster Recovery
02-architecture-assessment.md
## Requirements Validation ✅
## Executive Summary
## WAF Pillar Assessment
## Resource SKU Recommendations
## Architecture Decision Summary
## Implementation Handoff
## Approval Gate
## References <!-- Optional, add at end -->
03-des-cost-estimate.md
## 💰 Cost At-a-Glance
## ✅ Decision Summary
## 🔁 Requirements → Cost Mapping
## 📊 Top 5 Cost Drivers
## Architecture Overview
## 🧾 What We Are Not Paying For (Yet)
## ⚠️ Cost Risk Indicators
## 🎯 Quick Decision Matrix
## 💰 Savings Opportunities
## Detailed Cost Breakdown
## References <!-- Required -->
NOTE: Cost estimate files use emoji-prefixed headings and are validated by the unified
validate-artifact-templates.mjsvalidator. The legacyvalidate-cost-estimate-templates.mjsremains as an optional helper.
04-implementation-plan.md
## Overview
## Resource Inventory
## Module Structure
## Implementation Tasks
## Deployment Phases
## Dependency Graph
## Naming Conventions
## Security Configuration
## Estimated Implementation Time
## Approval Gate
## References <!-- Optional, add at end -->
04-governance-constraints.md
## Discovery Source
## Azure Policy Compliance
## Plan Adaptations Based on Policies
## Deployment Blockers
## Required Tags
## Security Policies
## Cost Policies
## Network Policies
## References <!-- Optional, add at end -->
04-preflight-check.md
## Purpose
## AVM Schema Validation Results
## Parameter Type Analysis
## Region Limitations Identified
## Pitfalls Checklist
## Ready for Implementation
## References <!-- Optional, add at end -->
05-implementation-reference.md
## Bicep Templates Location
## File Structure
## Validation Status
## Resources Created
## Deployment Instructions
## Key Implementation Notes
## References <!-- Optional, add at end -->
06-deployment-summary.md
## Preflight Validation
## Deployment Details
## Deployed Resources
## Outputs (Expected)
## To Actually Deploy
## Post-Deployment Tasks
## References <!-- Optional, add at end -->
07-documentation-index.md
## 1. Document Package Contents
## 2. Source Artifacts
## 3. Project Summary
## 4. Related Resources
## 5. Quick Links
## References <!-- Optional, add at end -->
07-design-document.md
## 1. Introduction
## 2. Azure Architecture Overview
## 3. Networking
## 4. Storage
## 5. Compute
## 6. Identity & Access
## 7. Security & Compliance
## 8. Backup & Disaster Recovery
## 9. Management & Monitoring
## 10. Appendix
## References <!-- Optional, add at end -->
07-operations-runbook.md
## Quick Reference
## 1. Daily Operations
## 2. Incident Response
## 3. Common Procedures
## 4. Maintenance Windows
## 5. Contacts & Escalation
## 6. Change Log
## References <!-- Optional, add at end -->
07-resource-inventory.md
## Summary
## Resource Listing
## References <!-- Optional, add at end -->
07-backup-dr-plan.md
## Executive Summary
## 1. Recovery Objectives
## 2. Backup Strategy
## 3. Disaster Recovery Procedures
## 4. Testing Schedule
## 5. Communication Plan
## 6. Roles and Responsibilities
## 7. Dependencies
## 8. Recovery Runbooks
## 9. Appendix
## References <!-- Optional, add at end -->
07-compliance-matrix.md
## Executive Summary
## 1. Control Mapping
## 2. Gap Analysis
## 3. Evidence Collection
## 4. Audit Trail
## 5. Remediation Tracker
## 6. Appendix
## References <!-- Optional, add at end -->
07-ab-cost-estimate.md
## 💰 Cost At-a-Glance
## ✅ Decision Summary
## 🔁 Requirements → Cost Mapping
## 📊 Top 5 Cost Drivers
## Architecture Overview
## 🧾 What We Are Not Paying For (Yet)
## ⚠️ Cost Risk Indicators
## 🎯 Quick Decision Matrix
## 💰 Savings Opportunities
## Detailed Cost Breakdown
## References <!-- Required -->
Enforcement Layers
| Layer | Mechanism | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Instructions | This file auto-applies to all agent-output | Generation time |
| 2. Pre-commit | npm run lint:artifact-templates via Lefthook |
Before commit |
| 3. CI/CD | Same validation in GitHub Actions | Before merge |
| 4. Auto-fix | npm run fix:artifact-h2 |
On-demand correction |
Quick Fix Command
# Analyze what's wrong
npm run fix:artifact-h2 agent-output/{project}/{file}.md
# Auto-fix where possible
npm run fix:artifact-h2 agent-output/{project}/{file}.md --apply
Common Errors and Fixes
If you see:
missing required H2 headings: ## Outputs (Expected)
Fix: You used ## Outputs instead of ## Outputs (Expected). Use the EXACT text.
If you see:
contains extra H2 headings: ## Cost Summary
Fix: ## Cost Summary is not in the template. Either:
- Remove it
- Change to H3:
### Cost Summary(under a valid H2) - Move after
## Referencesas optional section
Generation Workflow
1. Identify artifact type (e.g., 06-deployment-summary.md)
2. Find matching section in THIS FILE (above)
3. Use EXACT H2 headings in EXACT order
4. Fill content under each H2
5. Add ## References at end (always allowed)
6. Add custom H3 subsections under H2s as needed
Why This Matters
- Validation runs on every commit
- Non-compliant artifacts block commits
- CI fails if artifacts don't match
- Consistent structure enables automation
Quick Reference Card
| Artifact | First H2 | Last Required H2 |
|---|---|---|
| 01-requirements | ## Project Overview |
## Summary for Architecture Assessment |
| 02-architecture | ## Requirements Validation ✅ |
## Approval Gate |
| 04-implementation-plan | ## Overview |
## Approval Gate |
| 04-governance | ## Discovery Source |
## Network Policies |
| 04-preflight | ## Purpose |
## Ready for Implementation |
| 05-implementation-ref | ## Bicep Templates Location |
## Key Implementation Notes |
| 06-deployment | ## Preflight Validation |
## Post-Deployment Tasks |
| 07-doc-index | ## 1. Document Package Contents |
## 5. Quick Links |
| 07-design | ## 1. Introduction |
## 10. Appendix |
| 07-runbook | ## Quick Reference |
## 6. Change Log |
| 07-inventory | ## Summary |
## Resource Listing |
| 07-backup-dr | ## Executive Summary |
## 9. Appendix |
| 07-compliance | ## Executive Summary |
## 6. Appendix |
| 07-cost | ## 💰 Cost At-a-Glance |
## Detailed Cost Breakdown |