How to Mark the Current AI Work Artifact

Preserving every version creates a new problem: the next person may choose the wrong one. History is useful only when the present state is unmistakable. Create a small current-artifact note. It should point to one file, state why that file supersedes its predecessor, and name any unresolved facts. This choice maps to “A run history you can inspect.” Its public evidence is the pointer that connects the current artifact to the reason it replaced an earlier one.

Reader decision: Decide whether to add a current-artifact note to one finished job.

Published 2026.08.09 · 3 minute read

Use a pointer instead of renaming history

A readable note can contain four fields:

current artifact;
prior artifact;
reason for the change;
known unknowns.

Keep the pointer separate from the files it describes. A reader can update one reference without rewriting earlier artifacts or hiding their sequence.

Name the files by their jobs

The synthetic file set distinguishes the corrected brief from its source note and earlier attempt through role-based names.

Describe the relationship, not merely the date

A newer timestamp does not prove that a file is preferable. It may be a partial edit, a copy, or an abandoned experiment.

W3C PROV-O supplies concepts for describing how one entity was derived from another. CommonMark keeps a pointer note readable as plain text. RFC 8493 explains inventories for file collections, which can preserve the pointer with the artifacts it references.

The useful evidence is the stated relationship: this brief replaced that brief because one sentence lacked source support.

Use the method at genuine decision points

A current pointer fits work where several retained artifacts could guide the next step. It is unnecessary when only one disposable file exists.

This method identifies the present artifact. It does not define how the files should be named or why a rejected attempt deserves retention.

Follow the neighboring decisions

Read Keep AI Work in Files You Control for the parent memory choice. Use Name AI Work Files by Role to clarify each artifact's function. Continue with Keep Rejected AI Work as Correction History when an earlier attempt contains a lesson worth preserving.