[vibe](../README.md) > **Guidebooks**

# Guidebooks

> **Status:** Active
> **Last Updated:** 2026-06-23
> **Related:** [vibe runbooks](../runbooks/README.md) · [vibe shareouts](../shareouts/README.md) · canonical docs under [doc/](../../doc/README.md)

## What a guidebook is

A **guidebook** is a *tree-doc reference map* of the lab: a navigable set of linked Markdown pages (a root index, per-folder README hubs, and leaf pages wired with breadcrumbs and bidirectional cross-references) whose job is to **describe how the system is actually wired right now** — components, the conventions that join them, and the data/control flows between them.

Guidebooks are descriptive maps, not procedures. They answer *"how does this fit together?"* For *"how do I execute X step by step?"* see the [runbooks](../runbooks/README.md). For *"why was it built this way?"* see the architecture decision records under [doc/adr](../../doc/adr/README.md).

```mermaid
%%{init: {'theme': 'base'}}%%
flowchart LR
    classDef src fill:#2563eb,stroke:#1e40af,color:#fff
    classDef proc fill:#059669,stroke:#047857,color:#fff
    classDef store fill:#7c3aed,stroke:#6d28d9,color:#fff
    SYS["Lab system<br>(factory + tools + cms)"]:::src --> GB["Guidebook<br>(tree-doc reference map)"]:::proc --> READER["Reader<br>(human or agent)<br>understands the wiring"]:::store
```

1. The lab system spans three repos — `factory`, `tools`, and `cms` — joined by the `<app>` naming convention.
2. A guidebook surveys that system and renders it as a tree-doc reference map: indexed folders, breadcrumb-linked leaves, Mermaid flow diagrams.
3. A reader (a human onboarding, or an agent planning a change) consumes the guidebook to understand how the pieces wire together before touching anything.

## Key maintenance rule

> [!IMPORTANT]
> **If a component documented in a guidebook is altered, the guidebook page describing it MUST be updated in the same change.** A reference map that drifts from reality is worse than no map — it sends readers (and agents) confidently down dead paths. Treat the guidebook edit as part of the diff, not a follow-up: the PR that changes the component is the PR that updates its guidebook page.

## Index

| Guidebook | What it maps | Status |
|---|---|---|
| [Lab ecosystem](lab-ecosystem/README.md) | End-to-end map of `factory` + `tools` + `cms`: repos, the `<app>` join key, secrets via Vault, CI/CD, ArgoCD, and the data/control flows that connect them | ✅ Active |
| [Factory provisioning](factory-provisioning/README.md) | Deep dive into how factory provisions everything: Ansible playbooks + roles and OpenTofu | ✅ Active |
| [Tools](tools/README.md) | Deep dive into the lab platform services in the `tools` namespace (Vault+VSO, Prometheus, Grafana, CrowdSec, poolers, Redis, Plausible, ClickHouse) | ✅ Active |
| [CMS](cms/README.md) | Deep dive into the public Nuxt site arcodange.fr + its Cloudflare DNS/tunnel/Turnstile and Zoho email IaC | ✅ Active |

## Rules to contribute

1. **Use the `tree-docs` skill.** Guidebooks are tree-docs: author and grow them with the skill so breadcrumbs, hubs, and cross-links stay consistent.
2. **Breadcrumb spine on every file.** The first line of each page is its breadcrumb trail: ancestors are relative links, the current page is the bold-unlinked last item, separator is ` > ` (space-gt-space).
3. **README hub per subfolder.** Every folder carries a `README.md` index hub: a table of its children (link + one-line summary + status), sorted by importance/sequence, never alphabetically.
4. **Bidirectional links.** When page A references page B as related, page B references A back. Use descriptive link text — never "here" or "this".
5. **Mermaid preferences.** Begin each diagram with a `%%{init: {'theme': 'base'}}%%` directive, define a `classDef` palette legible on both light and dark backgrounds (dark fills, light text), use HTML `<br>` for line breaks, and follow every diagram immediately with a numbered ordered list restating the same flow in words.
6. **Status legend.** ✅ done · 🟡 beta · 🔴 critical · ⚠️ known issue · ❌ disabled · ⬜ not started.
7. **Honour the maintenance rule above** — update the relevant guidebook page in the same change that alters the component it documents.