The Habit That Stops Your AI From Quietly Wrecking Your Plan

Short summary

Document what your AI assistant should NOT build (non-goals) and keep the list visible for every future prompt. AI naturally fills empty space with assumptions; without explicit boundaries, it quietly adds scope—payment systems, admin panels, multi-tenant architecture. During planning sessions, use two prompts: first to surface potential additions the agent might make, then to lock them in as clear rules that travel with every subsequent prompt on the project.

• •Write non-goals (what the AI should NOT build) and keep them visible in your project rules
• •AI fills empty space with assumptions; explicit boundaries prevent silent scope creep
• •Use two prompts during planning: surface potential additions, then lock them in as rules

Generated with AI, which can make mistakes.