What Build Artifacts Does AI-DLC Generate in the Construction Phase?

During the Construction phase, AI-DLC generates nine distinct artifact categories—including functional design specifications, infrastructure blueprints, compiled binaries, container images, test reports, and immutable audit logs—all stored under the aidlc-docs/construction/ hierarchy.

The AI-DLC (AI-Driven Lifecycle Controller) workflow in the awslabs/aidlc-workflows repository structures software delivery through disciplined, rule-based phases. During the Construction phase specifically, the system produces a comprehensive set of build artifacts that capture design decisions, source code, compiled packages, and validation results required for downstream deployment.

Artifact Storage Hierarchy

All Construction phase outputs are organized under the aidlc-docs/construction/ directory. This centralized hierarchy ensures that design documents, generated code, compiled binaries, and test evidence remain discoverable and version-controlled throughout the workflow. The engine references specific rule files under aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rule-details/construction/ to determine the structure and content of each artifact category.

Design and Requirements Artifacts

Before code compilation begins, AI-DLC establishes foundational design documents that drive subsequent generation steps.

Functional-design artifacts capture unit-of-work definitions, component diagrams, method signatures, and business-rule specifications. These are defined according to the rule in aidlc-rules/aws-aidlc-rule-details/construction/functional-design.md.

Non-functional-requirements (NFR) artifacts document performance, scalability, reliability, and security constraints. The rule file nfr-requirements.md governs their format and validation criteria.

Infrastructure-design artifacts specify cloud-resource topology, networking configurations, IAM policies, and deployment-environment specifications. These blueprints reside in the construction hierarchy as defined by infrastructure-design.md.

Generated Code and Deployment Descriptors

The code-generation artifacts translate design specifications into runnable assets. According to code-generation.md, this category includes:

• Source files in the target language
• Unit-test scaffolds
• Documentation stubs
• Deployment descriptors (e.g., CloudFormation templates, Dockerfiles, Kubernetes manifests)

These artifacts serve as the immediate input for the build system.

Compiled Build Artifacts

The build-artifacts category contains the tangible outputs of the compilation and packaging process. As specified in build-and-test.md under the "Build Artifacts" section, these include:

• Compiled binaries (e.g., JVM .class files, native executables)
• Language-specific packages (JARs, Python wheels, npm bundles)
• Container images (Docker images tagged with version identifiers)
• Distribution archives (.tar.gz, .zip files)

The build rule instructs the engine to populate specific paths such as:

### 3. Build All Units

```bash
[Command to build all units]

# Example: mvn clean install, npm run build, brazil-build

Test Validation Artifacts

Comprehensive test-artifacts verify the correctness and security of the build. Generated per the Test Instructions in build-and-test.md, these encompass:

• Unit-test reports and coverage metrics
• Integration-test logs and failure traces
• Performance-test benchmarks and latency metrics
• Security-scan outcomes and vulnerability assessments
• End-to-end validation results

These artifacts provide the evidence required to gate progression to the next workflow phase.

Workflow Governance Files

Build and Test Summary

The build-and-test-summary.md artifact (referenced in build-and-test.md Step 7) aggregates the consolidated build status, a catalogue of all generated artifacts with their locations, and recommendations for next steps or remediation actions.

State Tracking

The aidlc-docs/aidlc-state.md file records the current phase identifier, completion timestamps, and boolean flags indicating which Construction steps have finished. This state artifact, updated per "Step 8: Update State Tracking" in build-and-test.md, enables workflow continuity across sessions.

Audit Trail

The aidlc-docs/audit.md file serves as an immutable log of actions, timestamps, and generated file paths for compliance and traceability. Populated during "Step 10: Log Interaction" in build-and-test.md, this append-only record ensures that every artifact generation event is permanently documented.

Summary

• AI-DLC generates nine distinct artifact categories during Construction, spanning design, code, build, test, and governance concerns.
• All artifacts are stored under aidlc-docs/construction/ with specific subdirectories for build instructions, generated code, and test results.
• Design artifacts (functional, NFR, infrastructure) precede code generation and establish the contract for the build.
• Build artifacts include compiled binaries, language packages (JARs, wheels, npm bundles), and container images.
• Test artifacts capture unit, integration, performance, and security validation evidence.
• Governance files (aidlc-state.md, audit.md, build-and-test-summary.md) maintain workflow state and compliance trails.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are AI-DLC Construction phase artifacts stored?

All artifacts are stored under the aidlc-docs/construction/ directory hierarchy. This includes design documents in subdirectories like functional-design/, compiled outputs in build-and-test/, and governance files such as aidlc-state.md at the root of aidlc-docs/.

What types of compiled binaries does AI-DLC produce?

According to the build-and-test.md rule, AI-DLC produces language-specific packages such as JARs for Java, wheels for Python, npm bundles for Node.js, and container images (e.g., docker-images/my-app:1.0.0). The system also generates distribution archives like dist/my-app-1.0.0.tar.gz.

How does AI-DLC track Construction phase completion?

Completion is tracked via the aidlc-docs/aidlc-state.md file, which is updated at Step 8 of the build-and-test workflow. This markdown file records phase identifiers, Unix timestamps, and boolean completion flags for each Construction step, enabling the engine to resume or validate progress.

What is the purpose of the audit.md artifact?

The aidlc-docs/audit.md file serves as an immutable compliance log generated during Step 10 of the Construction phase. It records every action taken, the timestamp of execution, and the file paths of all generated artifacts, creating a permanent trail for security audits and regulatory requirements.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}