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docs(readme): de-slop and tighten the README - #27

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claude/readme-deslop
Jul 1, 2026
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docs(readme): de-slop and tighten the README#27
tcballard merged 3 commits into
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claude/readme-deslop

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@tcballard tcballard commented Jul 1, 2026

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A critical pass over the README: cut AI/marketing language, remove repetition, tighten to match rac-core's structure and voice, and fix a few stale facts. 260 → 182 lines.

Cut (the slop)

  • Deck vocabulary: "moat" (×2), "verification arm", "load-bearing", "the differentiator".
  • Over-bolding (nearly every line) and filler intensifiers ("durable" ×4, "real" as a crutch, "faithful").
  • README-level ADR citations (083/085/063/065/084/007) that read as internal notes.
  • Heavy repetition — "contract consumer", "produces verification evidence and nothing else", and "Lore owns the knowledge; Proofkeeper runs the evidence" were each restated 2–3× across the intro, The boundary, The coverage signal, and Origin.

Structure (align with rac-core)

  • Folded The boundary into the How it works bullets (one closing line), the way rac-core folds its boundaries.
  • Merged The coverage signal into a tighter Coverage section.
  • Compressed the long custom-ModelClient code block into one line pointing at the library API.
  • Generalised the compare table's shaky "e.g. Devin / Factory" examples to "Record-and-replay" / "AI PR reviewer".

Fixed (staleness, while here)

  • Quickstart now leads with npm i -g @itsthelore/proofkeeper (it's published) instead of npm install && npm run build (clone-and-build).
  • Dropped "early v0.0.1 prototype" — contradicts the CalVer/npm release; replaced with a published-on-npm / CalVer status.
  • Corrected the repository-layout tree (top dir is proofkeeper/, not lore-proofkeeper/ twice).

Kept intentionally

  • The tagline verbatim and the "rac-core captures… Proofkeeper proves…" framing.
  • Badges (incl. the Dogfood badge), every real feature, and all commands.

No code or behaviour change — docs only.

tcballard added 3 commits July 1, 2026 05:53
…nhancements]

Cuts marketing/AI-tell language (moat, load-bearing, verification arm, over-bolding, filler intensifiers) and the heavy repetition across the intro, boundary, coverage, and origin sections. Folds the boundary into How it works; merges the two coverage sections. Aligns structure and voice with the rac-core README. Fixes staleness: leads with 'npm i -g @itsthelore/proofkeeper' (published) instead of clone-and-build, drops the 'v0.0.1 prototype' status for the CalVer/npm reality, and corrects the repository-layout tree.

Signed-off-by: Tom Ballard <tom@armytage.co>
…us-qa-enhancements]

Copywriting pass to avoid overclaiming: reframe 'proves it does' to 'shows it does' with the test as the proof/evidence (a passing test is not a correctness guarantee); qualify 'any OpenAI-compatible provider' as endpoints that support tool calls (the drive depends on them); replace the 'like a developer would' simile with concrete verbs; drop filler ('the artifact is the point', 'a real test').

Signed-off-by: Tom Ballard <tom@armytage.co>
…s-qa-enhancements]

Clarifies that the model is used only during the drive; the compiled Playwright test, the fidelity re-runs, and every later run need no model or key. Preempts the cost/flakiness objection and states the actual boundary.

Signed-off-by: Tom Ballard <tom@armytage.co>
@tcballard
tcballard merged commit cd32354 into main Jul 1, 2026
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