Step 2 of 6

Write the delivery rule once

Say where finished files go and what they are called before the task starts. One rule, pasted every time, ends the final_new_2 problem.

What happened

What it costs when you skip it

A folder with eleven files that all claim to be the final version is not a filing problem, it is a decision you never made. You were present for every rename and still cannot tell which one you sent.

The fix is not nicer folder names. It is a rule stated once, before the work exists, and repeated at the start of every task.

Do this

1. Decide two things before the first task. Where finished files go (outputs/), and how they are named: YYYYMMDD_project_what-it-is_vNN.ext.
2. Write them into RULES.md in the task folder. Four lines is enough: workspace, delivery folder, name pattern, and the no-overwrite rule.
3. Paste the rule into the first message of every task. Do not assume the agent remembers the last session. A new session starts blank.
4. Add the two hard constraints. "Never overwrite a version, a change is a new vNN." "Never delete; if something is wrong, make a new version."
5. Require a path list at the end. "Tell me the full path of every file you created." This is what turns a claim into something you can check.
6. Check the list, then open the file. A file that exists is not a file that is right.

Workspace: D:\agent-work\2026-11-12_q4-report
Work only inside it. Deliverables go in outputs/.
Name: YYYYMMDD_project_what-it-is_vNN.ext
Example: 20261112_q4-review_summary_v01.docx
Never overwrite a version. Never delete: make a new vNN.
List the full path of every file you create.

Checklist

• The delivery folder is named in the first message.
• The name pattern is stated with one worked example.
• The no-overwrite and no-delete rules are both stated.
• The agent listed full paths for everything it created.
• You opened the delivered file, not only its name.

Common mistakes

• Asking the agent to "organize the folder". Organize is not a rule, it is an invitation. It will invent a scheme, apply it once, and never use it again.
• Renaming after delivery. The moment a name changes, any note, link or message that referenced it is wrong. Deliver a new version instead.
• Trusting "saved successfully". That sentence can be true and still be the wrong folder. The path list costs one line and settles it.
• Making the rule long. Past about six lines it stops being read. Keep the rule small and put the detail in the pack.

What you need for this step

The full pack: folder layout, naming rule with good and bad examples, the paste-ready prompt, and a pre-flight checklist.