Release-centric ops folders

Cluster every release’s artefacts under one predictable directory. Open the 2025‑11 bundle or jump to the release manifest.

Intent

Give each release a self-contained folder so reviewers open ops/releases/YYYY-MM/index.md and instantly see the month’s Decisions, Signals, and Receipts.

Tension

• Receipts, analytics, and decisions were scattered across docs/, reports/, and ad-hoc folders, making audits slow.
• Governance requires visible state + receipts + decisions per release.
• Structure must stay lightweight enough to maintain monthly and runnable locally.

Guardrails and constraints

1. Keep everything local-first with deterministic naming (YYYY-MM folders, YYYY-MM-DD-short-name files).
2. CI enforces presence of index.md plus required frontmatter (owner, date, guardrail mapping, release tag).
3. State and Receipts surfaces must link back to the release folder so receipts are traceable.

Options considered

Option	Notes
Ad-hoc folders	Zero work but impossible to audit.
Single flat release log	One file, but conflicts and unreadable history.
Release-centric directories (chosen)	Predictable path, easy to script, aligns with cadence.

Decision

Adopt release-centric directories. Create ops/releases/YYYY-MM/ with an index.md capturing Decisions, Signals, Receipts plus links to artefacts. Update State/Receipts to reference the folder and add CI to guard the structure.

Commitments

1. Build the pilot ops/releases/2025-11/ with owner/date/guardrail mapping/release tag frontmatter and the standard sections.
2. Link the pilot index from State and Receipts pages.
3. Ship scripts/release-folders-check.mjs and wire it into CI to enforce naming and index presence.
4. Document the pattern inside the release bundle manifest and State ledger so every subsequent release follows the template.

Proof / acceptance

• Every release folder includes a compliant index.md.
• Index pages list Decisions, Signals, Receipts with working links.
• State and Receipts surfaces point to the latest release index.
• CI blocks PRs when release folders drift.

Stop rule

If locating artefacts in this structure takes >30 minutes per week across two cycles, open a follow-up decision with a revised structure (hybrid or flat).