Concepts · Template naming

Template naming & the verb registry

Every workflow template id is verb-first: the verb names the act, the rest names the artifact. The verb is not decoration — it declares what the template does to produce its output. This registry is the source of truth for which verb to use; it is extended deliberately, because a new verb is a vocabulary decision, not a convenience.

The shape

A template id is verb-noun, kebab-case, verb first. The id is stable — it is referenced by runs, orders, and worker allow-lists, so it is chosen once and does not change on a whim (see Renames). The name answers two things at a glance: what act the template performs (the verb) and what artifact it produces (the rest).

template idstext

verb-noun            kebab-case, verb first

generate-clip-art-asset      generate → invents the image
build-demand-brief           build    → computes from an upload
compose-youtube-core-points  compose  → writes from a transcript
transcribe-youtube-video     transcribe → converts, adds nothing

The registry

Each verb carries a distinct meaning. Pick the verb whose meaning matches what the template actually does to its inputs, not the one that sounds closest.

Verb	Meaning	Use when
`generate`	Invent new content from an intent	The artifact did not exist in any form before — the model creates it (text or image).
`plan`	Decide what to make, before making it	The output is a work list another template executes (items plus rationale).
`build`	Construct a structured product from supplied data	Deterministic computation is the core; any prose is a layer on top; the output has exact, referenceable structure (keys, segments, tables).
`compose`	Write a document from existing sources	The essence is authored writing — human or agent — grounded in supplied inputs: sources in, prose out.
`transcribe`	Convert a medium faithfully, adding nothing	Pure extraction with zero invention.
`edit`	Transform an existing artifact per an instruction	Input artifact → modified artifact, shape preserved.
`remove`	Strip something from an existing artifact	A narrower edit: the instruction is fixed by the template.

The boundary that matters most

generate invents, build computes, compose writes from sources. Three verbs sit close enough to be confused, so the line between them is worth stating plainly:

A demand brief is a build. Its load-bearing parts (segments, tiers, calendar, coverage) are computed exactly from an uploaded export; the analyst prose is the wrapper. Calling it generate would imply the numbers were invented; calling it compose would emphasize the wrong layer.
A core-points brief is a compose. The transcript is the source; the written brief is the product.
An essay is a generate. Nothing upstream constrains its content but the intent.

“Compose” is the act of writing, not a claim about the author

compose means writing a document from sources — it does not imply a human author (agents compose too), and it is unrelated to any product surface that shares the word. It is simply the natural verb for turning sources into prose.

Verbs deliberately not used

Verb	Why it is reserved
`assemble`	Taken by the engine: every template’s terminal stage is an assembler that shapes step outputs into artifact content. A template id using it would name ~5% of the pipeline, not the template’s purpose.
`create` / `make`	Too generic to carry a boundary — every template creates something. A verb has to distinguish.

Renames are a lifecycle event

Because an id is referenced by runs, orders, and worker allow-lists, a rename is a lifecycle event, never a content edit. The successor id is registered as a new template; the old id stays registered with its original content plus status=deprecated and a supersededById pointer. New runs against the old id fail with a pointer to the successor, and the deprecated id drops out of listings — while existing runs that referenced it stay resolvable.

Precedent

youtube-core-points-brief → compose-youtube-core-points (2026-07-08) — the one pre-registry id that had no verb, brought into the pattern. Its predecessor plan-daily-clipart-batch → plan-clipart-batch (2026-07-05) established the deprecate-and-supersede mechanics.

Related concepts

Workflow templates — the reusable definitions these ids name, and where the id field is specified.
Workflow versioning — how a template’s immutable versions are published and pinned, distinct from renaming the id.
Runs — durable executions that reference a template id, which is why the id must stay stable.