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+# contract.yaml Field Reference Cheatsheet
+
+A quick-reference guide to every field in the Agent Contract v1.1 schema.
+Copy the minimal example below, then add fields as your workflow needs them.
+
+## Minimal Valid Contract
+
+The smallest contract that passes schema validation:
+
+```yaml
+version: 1.1
+
+system:
+  name: My Agent
+```
+
+`version` is always required. You must also provide at least one of
+`system`, `agent`, or `workflow` to identify the system.
+
+## Full Field Reference
+
+### version *(required)*
+
+Schema version. Must be `1.1` (number or string).
+
+```yaml
+version: 1.1
+```
+
+### system *(one of system/agent/workflow required)*
+
+Identifies the system this contract governs.
+
+```yaml
+system:
+  name: Invoice Processor          # required, non-empty string
+  purpose: Processes incoming PDF  # optional description
+  version: "1.0.0"                 # optional semver
+```
+
+### agent
+
+Legacy alias for `system`. Same shape. Prefer `system` for new contracts.
+
+### workflow
+
+Legacy v1 alias - a plain string for the system name. Use `system` instead.
+
+### domain
+
+Operational application domain.
+
+```yaml
+domain: finance     # free-form string (e.g. healthcare, education, software)
+```
+
+### capabilities
+
+What the system can do. Each entry is a string or an object with `name`
+and `description`.
+
+```yaml
+capabilities:
+  - name: parse_invoice
+    description: Extracts line items from PDF invoices
+  - name: reconcile_payments
+    description: Matches payments to open invoices
+```
+
+### resources
+
+External resources the system touches. Each entry is a string or an object
+with `name`, `type`, `access`, and `scope`.
+
+```yaml
+resources:
+  - name: invoice_db
+    type: postgres
+    access: read
+    scope: finance_schema
+```
+
+### inputs
+
+What the system accepts as input. Each entry is a string or an object
+with `name`, `type`, `required`, and `description`.
+
+```yaml
+inputs:
+  - name: pdf_file
+    type: file
+    required: true
+  - name: vendor_id
+    type: string
+    required: false
+```
+
+### outputs
+
+What the system produces. Each entry is a string or an object with
+`name`, `type`, and `description`.
+
+```yaml
+outputs:
+  - name: reconciled_report
+    type: json
+  - name: audit_log
+    type: text
+```
+
+### permissions
+
+Scoped action grants. Each entry is a string matching
+`resource:action` or an object. Wildcards (`*`, `all`, `any`) are
+not allowed.
+
+```yaml
+permissions:
+  - "invoice_db:read"
+  - "payment_gateway:charge"
+```
+
+### constraints
+
+Operational limits. Each entry is an object with a `type` and limit
+fields.
+
+```yaml
+constraints:
+  - type: rate_limit
+    maximum: 60
+    unit: requests_per_minute
+  - type: cost
+    maximum: 5
+    currency: USD
+```
+
+### side_effects
+
+External changes the system makes. Each entry is a string or an object
+with `type`, `resource`, `description`, and `irreversible`.
+
+```yaml
+side_effects:
+  - type: write
+    resource: invoice_db
+    description: Updates invoice status to paid
+    irreversible: false
+```
+
+When `irreversible: true` and `approvals` is empty, the linter emits
+a warning.
+
+### approvals
+
+Human-in-the-loop gates. Each entry is a string or an object with
+`action`, `required`, `approver`, and `condition`.
+
+```yaml
+approvals:
+  - action: process_refund
+    required: true
+    approver: finance_manager
+    condition: amount > 500
+```
+
+### dependencies
+
+Other systems or services this contract relies on. Each entry is a
+string or an object with `name`, `type`, and `required`.
+
+```yaml
+dependencies:
+  - name: postgres
+    type: database
+    required: true
+  - name: redis
+    type: cache
+    required: false
+```
+
+### state
+
+How the system stores state. A string or an object with `persistence`,
+`scope`, and `storage`.
+
+```yaml
+state:
+  persistence: session    # none | session | persistent | ephemeral
+  scope: per_user
+  storage: redis
+```
+
+### recovery
+
+What happens on failure. A string or an object with `strategy`
+and `details`.
+
+```yaml
+recovery:
+  strategy: retry    # stop | retry | rollback | human_escalation | fallback
+  details: Retry up to 3 times with exponential backoff
+```
+
+### replay
+
+Whether the system can be safely replayed. A string or an object
+with `mode` and `details`.
+
+```yaml
+replay:
+  mode: idempotent    # idempotent | non_idempotent | conditional | prohibited
+```
+
+### observability
+
+Logging and tracing level. A string, array of strings, or an object
+with `level` and `sinks`.
+
+```yaml
+observability:
+  level: audit    # none | basic | audit | verbose
+  sinks:
+    - stdout
+    - elasticsearch
+```
+
+### artifacts
+
+Produced artifacts with provenance metadata. Each entry is an object
+with `name`, `type`, `source`, `integrity_required`, and
+`provenance_required`.
+
+```yaml
+artifacts:
+  - name: trained_model
+    type: model    # model | dataset | document | package | executable | configuration | tool | dependency
+    source: s3://bucket/model.pkl
+    integrity_required: true
+    provenance_required: true
+```
+
+### security
+
+Transport and sandbox requirements.
+
+```yaml
+security:
+  transport_security: tls_required
+  sandbox_required: true
+  auth_required: true
+```
+
+### risk
+
+Risk classification for the system.
+
+```yaml
+risk:
+  level: medium    # low | medium | high | critical
+  category: financial_loss
+```
+
+### implementation
+
+Runtime and framework metadata.
+
+```yaml
+implementation:
+  framework: langgraph
+  runtime: python
+  language: python
+  repository: https://github.com/org/repo
+```
+
+### lifecycle
+
+Execution model and behavioral constraints. When `mode` is
+`persistent`, `idle_behavior` is required.
+
+```yaml
+lifecycle:
+  mode: request-response    # request-response | persistent | scheduled
+  idle_behavior: Polls queue every 30s   # required if mode=persistent
+  initiation: human-only    # human-only | schedule | self | agent
+  resumability: stateless   # stateless | context-snapshot | replay-from-log
+```
+
+## Common Patterns
+
+### Stateless Request-Response (simplest)
+
+```yaml
+version: 1.1
+system:
+  name: Q&A Bot
+  purpose: Answers user questions
+domain: education
+lifecycle:
+  mode: request-response
+state:
+  persistence: none
+recovery:
+  strategy: stop
+replay:
+  mode: idempotent
+```
+
+### Persistent Worker with Side Effects
+
+```yaml
+version: 1.1
+system:
+  name: File Processor
+  purpose: Watches and processes uploaded files
+lifecycle:
+  mode: persistent
+  idle_behavior: Polls upload directory every 60 seconds
+  initiation: schedule
+  resumability: replay-from-log
+side_effects:
+  - type: write
+    resource: file_system
+    description: Moves processed files to archive
+    irreversible: true
+approvals:
+  - action: delete_original
+    required: true
+    approver: admin
+recovery:
+  strategy: rollback
+observability:
+  level: audit
+risk:
+  level: medium
+  category: data_loss
+```
+
+### Scheduled Task with Cost Constraint
+
+```yaml
+version: 1.1
+system:
+  name: Nightly Reporter
+  purpose: Generates and emails daily summary report
+lifecycle:
+  mode: scheduled
+  initiation: schedule
+  resumability: stateless
+constraints:
+  - type: cost
+    maximum: 1
+    currency: USD
+  - type: rate_limit
+    maximum: 100
+    unit: requests_per_hour
+outputs:
+  - name: report
+    type: email
+recovery:
+  strategy: retry
+replay:
+  mode: idempotent
+risk:
+  level: low
+```
+
+## Validation
+
+Validate your contract before committing:
+
+```bash
+python scripts/validate_contracts.py
+```
+
+Or use the CLI:
+
+```bash
+scyvera validate contract.yaml
+```
+
+See [`schemas/v1.1/contract.schema.json`](../schemas/v1.1/contract.schema.json)
+for the normative JSON Schema definition.