// METHOD · 01 — DOCTRINE

Run an
18-month roadmap
in six weeks.

BuildDown is a doctrine for AI-native software teams. Mountain guides set the route. Sherpas carry. The dark factory runs while you sleep.

Try AI-Implement → Read the docs

EST. ROUTE · 6 WEEKS FIXED LINES · >24 BIVVY · DARK FACTORY

// 02 — MANIFESTO

A short field manual for teams who think they ship fast and don't.

Most teams build up. They start at the foundation, climb a backlog, and hope the summit is still there when they arrive. BuildDown inverts the climb. The summit — the customer outcome — is fixed in the rock above. We rappel from it. Every issue, every commit, every review is a fixed line traced down from the truth at the top.

// 03 — METHOD

The four pillars.

FIG. 03 — ROPED PARTY

SKILLS

Mountain guides set the route

Product SMEs and customer experts use Skills to convert intent into well-formed issues with rich context, milestone alignment, and consistent format.

AI-IMPLEMENT

Sherpas carry the load

Dev leads orchestrate the pack — fixed lines, belay points, descent order. The team moves as a roped party, not a free solo.

DARK FACTORY

The dark factory runs

Agents work the wall through the night. Build-up, build-down, summit-push, belay-on, smoke-jumper, super-build-down — coordinated, not chaotic.

DOCTRINE

Every line is traced down

From outcome to PR. No phantom backlog, no ghost epics. The rope goes all the way to the summit, or the climb doesn't start.

COMING SHORTLY

// SKILLS

The top of the funnel.

Skills give SMEs a rope-handle into ChatGPT, Codex, and Claude. Rich project context, consistent issue formatting, milestone alignment — so the experts on your team (and your customers) can shape work directly.

/build-up

scope upward from PR to outcome

/build-down

rappel from outcome to issues

/summit-push

drive a single objective to done

/belay-on

pair with a partner on the wall

/smoke-jumper

drop into incidents fast

/super-build-down

compose all of the above

● LIVE

// AI-IMPLEMENT

The dark factory.

Orchestrate 18 months of roadmap in six weeks. Agents work the wall through the night. Mountain guides set the route. Sherpas carry the load. You ship at altitude.

SUMMIT · OUTCOME

BASE · PR

6 FIXED LINES · 6 AGENTS

Open the factory →

// 04 — HOW IT WORKS

From summit to PR. In four moves.

Set the summit

A mountain guide writes the outcome — the fixed point in the rock above.

Run build-down

Skills rappel the outcome into well-formed issues with full context and milestone alignment.

Belay on

Sherpas pair with agents on each line. Reviews, gates, and fixed protections keep the party safe.

Descend at altitude

The dark factory runs through the night. You wake up further down the wall.

Run an 18-month roadmap in six weeks.