// METHOD · 01 — DOCTRINE

Run an
18-month roadmap
in six weeks.

BuildDown is a doctrine for AI-native software teams. Mountain guides (SMEs) set the objective. Sherpas (devs) place the lines. 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 place lines and protection

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 initiative to milestone to issue, and from PR to commit. Goal is merge. No phantom backlog, no ghost epics. Trace the lines from idea to execution.

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 idea to issue in minutes

/build-down

rappel from issues to commits

/summit-push

collaborate across team members and deliver

/belay-on

flash send the gap between context and code

/smoke-jumper

redpoint each PR that didn't one-shot

/super-build-down

lean back and rappel to the summit

View on GitHub →

● 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.