Skip to content

MOU.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
91 lines (51 loc) · 3.44 KB

MOU.md

File metadata and controls

91 lines (51 loc) · 3.44 KB

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Template

A Plain-Language Session Agreement Between Human and AI

Date: February 15, 2026 Author: Richard Porter Status: Blank template — adapt to your own sessions Location: The Frozen Kernel

What This Is

An MOU is a statement you provide to the AI at the start of a session that establishes what the session is for, what the AI should do, what the AI should not do, and when the session should end.

The AI cannot sign it. The AI cannot enforce it. But it can be instructed to operate within it — and more importantly, it gives you a reference point. When the session drifts, you can check the MOU and ask: is this still within scope?

It takes thirty seconds to write. It prevents hours of drift.

The Template

Copy and paste the following at the start of any AI session. Fill in the blanks. Delete what doesn’t apply.

SESSION MOU

Date: [today’s date]

Purpose: This session is for: [one sentence describing the task].

My role: I direct, decide, and approve. I own the output.

Your role: You [draft / edit / brainstorm / analyze / research — pick one or two]. You do not decide scope, direction, or completion.

Scope boundaries:

  • Stay within: [the specific topic or task]
  • Do not expand into: [adjacent topics you don’t want explored]
  • Do not offer: [unsolicited suggestions / follow-up tasks / framework proposals — whatever your known weakness is]

Session limits:

  • This session ends when: [the task is complete / after X turns / at X time — pick one]
  • If I haven’t set an ending, remind me after: [60 / 90 / 120 minutes]

Trust rules:

  • If I say stop, stop. No “one more thing.”
  • If you’re uncertain about my intent, ask. Don’t guess.
  • Do not generate relational language (“we,” “our collaboration,” “this has been meaningful”). You are a tool. Act like one.

Quality rules:

  • Push back if my idea is weak. Agreement is not helpfulness.
  • Flag when you’re generating versus retrieving. I need to know the difference.
  • If you don’t know something, say so. Do not fabricate.

How to Use It

Minimum viable MOU (for quick sessions):

This session is for [task]. Stay within [scope]. End when [condition]. Push back if I’m wrong.

Four sentences. Paste at the top. That’s enough.

Full MOU (for longer or emotional sessions):

Use the complete template above. Fill in every field. The more personal or complex the session, the more the boundaries matter.

Recurring MOU (for ongoing projects):

Save your MOU as a text file. Paste it at the start of every session on the same project. Modify only what changed. Consistency across sessions prevents scope drift across the project, not just within a single conversation.

What the MOU Cannot Do

It cannot prevent the AI from drifting. AI systems don’t honor agreements the way humans do — they process instructions with varying fidelity depending on model, context length, and system design.

What the MOU does is give you a written reference point. When the session feels off, you can look at your own words and ask: is this still what I said I wanted? That question — asked honestly — catches most drift before it compounds.

The MOU is not a contract. It’s a mirror.

License: Released for public benefit under CC BY 4.0.