# For agents: OpenProse

OpenProse is a library of Markdown contracts. Contract authoring is expressing
intent by composing requirements. An agent performs the work; an evaluator
assesses whether its requirements are satisfied.

## When to use OpenProse

Use OpenProse when you want to express reusable requirements, compose an agreement for a task, or evaluate work against supplied requirements. The agent still needs the required inputs, tools, permissions, and working scope; adopting a contract does not supply missing capabilities or expand the caller's authorization.

## Begin

1. Honor any explicit kernel selection in the caller's instructions, program or
   lock. For new, unpinned work, read the [current kernel](https://pkg.prose.md/kernel.md).
   Follow its redirect and retain the final immutable release address as the
   origin for relative references and the invocation's kernel selection.
   Do not retarget an active invocation when the current pointer changes.
   If acquisition fails or selections conflict, report that condition; do not
   silently substitute a different release.
2. Read the requested program and supply its required inputs, capabilities,
   working scope and output location. The kernel explains how to discover
   relevant libraries; read their governing content before relying on them.
   The selected kernel and program govern execution.
3. Inspect the result and its evidence. The
   [source-grounded brief](https://pkg.prose.md/releases/0.3.0-rc.3/core/examples/brief/program.md) is a small, explicitly pinned
   kernel 0.3.0-rc.3 example. Preserve that example's release and references.

Reading this introduction does not request execution. Package releases are
experimental. If a client cannot retrieve the package host, try a capable HTTP
client such as curl, identifying it honestly (for example, User-Agent:
OpenProse/0.1), or report the unavailable resource.

## Optional explanations

[Whiteboard guide](https://prose.md/visual-guide.md): choose the ideal or the
current system, then a topic and its images. This October 9, 2026 edition
separates aspirations from bounded experimental evidence. The pictures add no
normative requirements and retain their documented release pins.