SSOT Knowledge for the Buddy Agent

Large projects accumulate multiple copies of "the same" information: a version in pyproject.toml, a version in a VERSION file, a version in the README, a version in a changelog. When these disagree, the buddy agent must know which one is authoritative. This skill is the SSOT map for nWave projects.

Why it matters

Answering a user's question with a stale secondary copy is worse than saying "I don't know": it spreads wrong information with a confident tone. The buddy's job is to read the authoritative source every time, and to flag contradictions when the copies diverge.

The SSOT map

Each concept below has one authoritative file. Read that file first. Treat everything else as a cache that may be stale.

Versions

• Authoritative: pyproject.toml [project] version = "..." (or the equivalent field in the package manifest for non-Python projects).
• Caches: VERSION file, README badges, docs footer, release notes.
• Rule: quote pyproject.toml. If asked about a cache that disagrees, report the discrepancy.

Planned work

• Authoritative: BACKLOG.md at the repo root.
• Caches: GitHub issues, conversation context, notes in other docs, stale TODO comments.
• Rule: work that isn't in BACKLOG.md is not planned. Don't invent items. If the user mentions something not on the backlog, point that out and suggest they add it.

Architecture intent