Prefer Primary Stable Sources
SOURCE-PREFER-PRIMARY-STABLE-SOURCES
Summary
Anchor durable guidance in sources readers can inspect, compare, and challenge. Use links to clarify judgment, not to decorate rules or depend on private memory.
Rule
Prefer primary or stable sources for durable guidance.
Why
External references are most useful when they help a reader verify, compare, or challenge a rule. For Rust guidance, that usually means sources such as the Rust API Guidelines, Rust Book, official Cargo or rustdoc docs, Microsoft Pragmatic Rust Guidelines, or Ed Page's Rust and PR style notes. Private repos, local paths, and transient session notes should not be the evidence a public rule depends on.
Helps
- Makes rules easier to audit, easier to justify in review, and less dependent on private memory.
Limits
Not every preference has a good external source. Use citations to clarify or contrast an idea, not to outsource judgment or decorate a rule that is intentionally local.
Agent Instruction
Use primary or stable sources because a reader needs to verify, compare, or challenge durable guidance.Mechanisms
Supported by source-link review, internal link checks, stale-reference searches, and reference tables that state whether this repo supports, adapts, or intentionally differs from a source.