Sources

A source is material a board learns from: a repo, a document repo, a page from Confluence or Notion, a Sentry project, a URL, or a pasted note. Sources Overview lists the source types, and Connecting Sources covers setup.

A source is something a board learns from

Register a source once in the workspace catalog, then bind it to as many boards as need it. Each binding connects one source to one board.

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Push and pull

Sources differ in who reads the material.

The code plugin pushes. It analyses your repo on your machine and sends a finished graph of nodes and edges; we interpret nothing on our side.

The code plugin also grounds. Its /ground command checks a board an architect already authored against the PRDs, RFCs and ADRs in a document repo. It links the evidence it finds and reports drift, and it does not build a board. In a code repo, it checks the analysed board against the design docs beside the code and cites them. See Grounding a board in documents.

Everything else is pulled. You give the content's location, we fetch the content, and ProvenMap reads it in chat on demand. When a document governs a board, we can build nodes and edges from it.

Governing and reference

Every binding is either governing or reference.

A governing source creates and updates the board's structure. It takes part in sync and can conflict with another governing source over the same element. Make a source governing only if you'd trust it to redraw the board.

A reference source is context only. It never redraws the board and never causes a sync conflict. It is read on demand in Chat and by insights.

Bind most material as reference: ADRs, RFCs, design pages, vendor docs and runbooks. With your confirmation, ProvenMap can draft work items from reference material and name the document each one came from.

Reference bindings are unlimited. More than one governing source is allowed only in specific cases, including a classification match and a Code Plugin exemption. Sources Overview states the rules.

Binding a repo makes an app board

One governing Code Plugin binding turns a board into an app board: one board, one repo. The app board has its own hub, aspects, work items, and compiled skills. Make this an app writes that binding and registers the repo's source in the same step.

Two rules apply. A board takes exactly one governing Code Plugin binding, and a board inside an app board cannot take one. App boards do not nest, so a board beneath one shows a note pointing to the app board above it.

Is it current?

Two signals show whether a source is current: a sync badge on the canvas binding indicator, and a binding's pulse on the board's hub. Sources Overview explains what each value means and which one to read first.

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