How ValidKeep, Profiles, Landscape, and Ysbuild Fit Together
ValidKeep is not one product story. It is four configurable layers that stack cleanly but serve different jobs. This article is the recommended starting point if you are new to the platform or landed here from another blog article.
In plain language: an assurance profile declares what must be true in the repository (file types, trace rules, OQ and PQ separation). A landscape profile declares where work happens in Git (branches, release gates, ValidKeep Hub status). The ValidKeep CLI runs npx validkeep verify to audit the repo deterministically (no LLM). Optional ysbuild is Yttrigen in-house authoring acceleration; verify is the gate for everyone. For atomic notation ($D_x$, $R_x$, $C_x$, $L_x$, obligations, capabilities), see the atomic model after this map.
Four layers at a glance
| Layer | What it is | Requires LLM? |
|---|---|---|
| Assurance profile | Node types, trace rules, OQ and PQ separation, risk tags (validkeep-profile-*.yaml). See Assurance profiles. | No |
| Landscape profile | Branch topology, hosting classes, CR/release gates, ValidKeep Hub status bridges. See Governed SDLC landscape. | No |
| ValidKeep CLI + ValidKeep Hub | npx validkeep verify, MiniHub rehearsal, ValidKeep Hub official ledger. See Impartial audit. |
No |
| Ysbuild profile (optional) | Yttrigen in-house restricted LLM agents per atomic role. See Restricted agents. | Yes (authoring aid only) |
Critical message: ValidKeep does not require ysbuild. Anyone can author atomic files by hand or with other tools; npx validkeep verify runs independently as an impartial audit against whichever assurance profile is referenced in validkeep.yaml. The CLI has no LLM control path.
What runs when you commit
On a governed branch (for example devcr/CR-101), a push triggers a mechanical triangle:
- CLI verify (
npx validkeep verify) checks DAG balance, sidecar trace joins, orphan policy, and profile-required headings against the assurance profile. - Landscape branch rules (landscape profile) enforce which files may change, diff policy, and hosting expectations.
- ValidKeep Hub CR state (ValidKeep Hub) must be unlocked for the action (for example Realization complete before integration PR).
Pass or fail is deterministic. No model participates in verify. See The Impartial Auditor.
Authoring path (optional)
Hand-in-glove pairing: the ysbuild profile header declares that trace rules come from the ValidKeep assurance profile at load time, not duplicated in ysbuild YAML. Each LLM turn inlines the module architecture doc and assurance profile excerpt in general_introduction (section 0 of the ten-section prompt).
In Yttrigen Studio, developers prototype in sandbox branches. Optional ysbuilders (rx, cx, lx, oqtest, code, and others; see atomic model and ysbuild) propose patches to atomic files under strict upstream/downstream blindness. Every promotion still hits the same verify gate.
Profile pluralism
High Assurance is Yttrigen's recommended atomic model ($D_x$, $R_x$, $C_x$, $L_x$, separated OQ and PQ). Other assurance profiles swap node algebra and trace strictness for GAMP5, IEC 62304 SaMD, SOC2, DO-178C, or ISO 26262 without forking ValidKeep core. See Assurance profiles for the comparison table. The same landscape profile can pair with different assurance profiles per organization or application.