What is Keys

How to use the library responsibly and adapt artifacts to your context.

What is Keys

Keys is an open source library of prompts, notebooks, and runbooks for modern software and operations work. It is built to be a starting point, not a final answer.

Responsible use guidelines

  • Adapt before application. Every artifact includes context and assumptions. Update them for your system, data, and risk tolerance.
  • Apply judgment. Keys does not replace engineering, security, or domain expertise. Your team makes final decisions.
  • Human review required. Treat generated outputs as drafts that need validation and peer review before use.
  • Maintain auditability. Record what you changed and why so your team can review decisions later.

What Keys provides

  • A curated collection of reusable artifacts for common workflows
  • A shared vocabulary for teams that want consistent prompts, notebooks, and runbooks
  • A community-maintained reference you can fork, adapt, and improve
  • Documented assumptions and constraints for each artifact

What Keys does not provide

  • Autonomous decision-making—human oversight is required at every stage
  • Guaranteed outcomes—artifacts are starting points, not prescriptions
  • Replacement for validation—testing and security review remain your responsibility
  • Black-box processing—all logic is visible and auditable

Artifact structure

Each artifact includes:

  • Clear assumptions and preconditions
  • Defined input requirements
  • Expected outputs and their limitations
  • Known constraints and edge cases
  • Change history and version information

Recommended workflow

  1. Identify an artifact that matches your situation
  2. Review the assumptions and constraints at the top
  3. Customize for your environment and requirements
  4. Validate through your internal review process
  5. Apply with appropriate oversight
  6. Document adaptations for future reference

Governance

All artifacts go through a review process before publication:

  • Maintainers verify assumptions, inputs, and documented limitations
  • Safety, security, and privacy implications are assessed
  • Artifacts are tagged by type, scope, and change history

For questions about responsible use, review the governance documentation and contribution guidelines.