ETHOS
Why we build, and what kind of company we want to be.
Read the Ethos →HOW THE IDEAS SHED BUILDS
Cow Rules is becoming the public, living source of truth for how The Ideas Shed builds software with AI.
It preserves practical lessons from real building so the next build benefits from what we have already learned.
Will this lesson make the next build better?
If yes, it probably belongs in Cow Rules.
We are deliberately showing the process we follow, what we learn and how that process changes over time. This is how we currently build, not a claim that everyone should build this way.
See How We Build →THE IDEAS SHED WAY
Four layers. No corporate treasure map required.
PRINCIPLES
The few durable beliefs that guide every product decision.
See the Principles →RULES
Practical instructions for how humans and AI should behave.
Read the Rules →TOOLS
Useful things we build once and sensibly reuse.
Use the Tools →WHY THIS PAGE EXISTS
AI can now build more of the software. That means humans should spend less time learning plumbing and more time deciding what should happen, what matters, whether the AI understood, and whether the solution truly works.
Remove complexity from the human.
Preserve the truth and the judgement that matter.
THE PINK COW EXPLAINS
Cowglish translates the machinery into the minimum useful human understanding. Nerd Stuff is there when you want to learn what is happening downstairs.
NERDS DOWNSTAIRS
“Production is currently resolving to a deployment generated from an earlier commit, while the latest changes have not reached the live environment.”
COWGLISH
🐄 The thing you're looking at isn't the thing you just built.
WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERS
Publish the latest build and check the normal live URL again.
FOUR COW RULES TO START WITH
1
IF I CLICK IT, SOMETHING SHOULD HAPPEN
Meaningful actions need obvious feedback. A tiny click deserves a tiny response. A major action can celebrate with stronger movement, clarity, or reward.
2
DON'T MAKE HUMANS HUNT
Avoid forcing people to remember random folders, threads, or versions. The current destination should be obvious every time.
3
ONE OBVIOUS CURRENT VERSION
Publishing once should mean one clear current live build. If the user refreshes, they should get the latest version without cache games.
4
CHAT THINKS. WORK BUILDS.
Use chat for discovery, strategy and critique. Use WORK for implementation, execution, deployment and delivery.
LIVING STANDARD
No seven pillars. No 38-point framework. No Cow Rules Certified Practitioner™ Level 2 Diploma.
Cow Rules should stay small, sharp, and useful. A rule only survives if it repeatedly improves real products.
Before you build, check cowrules.theideasshed.com and follow the current Cow Rules relevant to this task.