> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.cortex.aic.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.cortex.aic.io/lifecycle/products.md).

# Products

Products turns a question and its evidence into a document that people can review. A Product draft is an internal record. Downloading it does not approve release or prove that anyone received it.

## Before you start

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### Select the correct workspace

Review the current Direction requirement.
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### Check access

Check that you have Product write access. You also need access to any analysis, material, or approved report that you plan to cite.
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### Define the product

Decide who will read the finished product and what question it must answer. Check the full protective marking and restrictions before you write.
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### Confirm cited material is ready

If you plan to cite material, confirm that its exact extraction is Ready and accessible. For restricted product authoring, the form can require an approved processing activity.
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## Find a draft

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### Open Product drafts

In the menu, select **Intelligence cycle → Products**. The page title is **Product drafts**.
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### Search for the draft

Enter terms in **Search product titles and section headings**. Set **Template** if useful, then select **Find product drafts**.
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### Review the draft

Open the draft you need. Check the linked requirement, template, content revision, handling, author, and recorded source basis.
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The list shows drafts you are allowed to see. A search filter can hide a relevant draft. Edit the filter and select **Find product drafts** again before you create a duplicate.
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## Create a product draft

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### Start a new draft

On **Product drafts**, select **Create product draft**.
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### Follow the form steps

Follow the steps **Setup**, **Content**, **Sources**, and **Review**.
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### Link the requirement

In **Setup**, use **Find visible requirements** and **Find product requirements** if needed. Select the correct **Linked requirement**.
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### Select a template

Select **Product template**. If you change the template, select **Replace sections with selected template**. This replaces the section headings and text. The title, notes, and citations remain. Check the visible warning before you replace existing writing.
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### Complete policing template requirements

For a policing template, select an approved local policing profile and record why it applies. The product form shows the required headings and any missing local readiness items.
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### Write the content

In **Content**, enter **Product title** (3–200 characters). Write in **Section text** under each **Section heading**. You can add, move, or remove sections within the form limit of 16.
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### Add source notes

Use **Source note** for provenance limits, caveats, and uncertainty. A note does not replace an exact citation. The form allows up to eight source notes.
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### Save incomplete work if needed

You can save an internal draft with section text still incomplete. The draft page tells you how many sections need text before controlled release.
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### Review and save

On **Review**, read **Review product draft** and select **Save product draft**. This saves one internal revision. On an amendment, enter **Reason for new content revision** and use **Save and continue editing** if you need to keep working.
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The draft keeps the originating requirement version and handling. Earlier content revisions remain in the product history. A saved draft does not create a release.

## Add sources and an analytical basis

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### Link analytical lineage

In **Sources**, use **Optional analytical lineage** to find an analytical workspace for the linked requirement. Select **Optional analytical workspace** and **Exact analytical content revision** if you want the product to name that exact assessment.
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### Build from selected analysis

The analytical text is not copied just because you link the revision. To start from its question, judgements, alternatives, gaps, and citations, select **Replace the current text and citations with this analytical revision**, then select **Build draft from selected analysis**. Review and edit all resulting text.
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### Add evidence citations

Use the evidence picker to select Ready material, extraction version, exact segment, and quotation. Select **Preview quotation**, then **Add this evidence citation**. Check every entry in **Product evidence**.
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### Add approved report sources

If the product uses an approved intelligence report, select it in the report picker and review **Approved report sources**. The product retains the exact recipient projection.
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### Select a processing activity where required

If the product is restricted, select an approved processing activity in the **Sources** step. The activity must cover the requirement and the actual sources. CORTEX checks it again when you save.
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You can create an initial draft without citations in some cases, but you must complete the source and content checks before you request a controlled release. Do not treat a linked analysis, report, or parser output as automatic approval of a claim.
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## Optional AI-assisted first draft

On **Product drafts**, **Generate a report with AI** opens the same new product editor at its AI panel. This option is available only when the required node capability, policy, grant, and evidence are present.

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### Select the linked requirement

First select the **Linked requirement** in **Setup**.
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### Select CSV material

In **Generate a report with AI**, use **Find CSV material**, then select **CSV material** from processed material you can access.
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### Review the extraction

Check the **Extraction version**. Review the exact cells that the report will use.
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### Confirm approved AI use

Complete **Confirm approved AI use** as the panel requires.
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### Generate the first draft

Select **Replace the current draft text with a model-assisted first draft**, then select **Generate AI report draft**.
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### Review and save

Read and edit the generated text, citations, limitations, and model provenance. Generation alone saves nothing. Use **Save product draft** after your review.
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If AI generation is unavailable, read the reason in the panel and use manual authoring. A model output is a draft that needs human assessment; it is not a source verification or release approval.
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## Review and export the internal draft

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### Select the retained revision

Open the saved product. Use **Retained content revision to preview or export** to select the exact revision.
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### Review the draft

Read **Draft preview**, **Product context**, cited evidence, linked analysis, and **Content revision history**. The detail page shows incomplete sections.
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### Prepare the export

When authorised, open **Prepare an internal draft export**. Select **File format** (PDF, DOCX, or JSON), enter **Reason for preparing this draft**, and select **Prepare and download internal draft**.
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### Check the file

Check the prepared file and its SHA-256. The export action is in audit history. Refresh the product before another change if the page tells you to do so.
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An internal export is marked as a draft. Its file hash and audit entry show preparation; they do not show distribution, approval, or receipt. Handle downloaded files under the full product marking.
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## Move toward a controlled release

Complete every required section and confirm the citations, restrictions, and intended audience. When the product is ready and you have release submission authority, use **Draft a controlled release** on the current product. The release workflow makes separate review, approval, publication, and recipient acknowledgement decisions. You can find related releases through **Product tasks → View releases for this product** or **Release & sharing → Releases**.

If cited evidence later receives a correction, open the product's **Evidence corrections affecting revision** panel. Read the annotation history, record the effect and next action when authorised, then amend and release a new version through the normal workflow if necessary. Earlier content and released files remain retained.

## If you cannot continue

<details>

<summary>No requirement appears</summary>

Confirm the selected workspace and Direction access, then refine **Find visible requirements**.

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<details>

<summary>A template warning appears</summary>

Select **Replace sections with selected template** only after checking which section text it will replace.

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<summary>An evidence citation fails</summary>

Check material readiness, exact extraction, source access, and handling in **Evidence memory**.

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<details>

<summary>A processing activity is required</summary>

Choose a current approved activity with the correct scope. Do not remove a restriction to avoid this requirement.

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<summary>A save conflicts</summary>

Select **Refresh product**, inspect the current revision and audit, and reapply the intended amendment.

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<details>

<summary>A downloaded file seems final</summary>

Check the release record. An internal draft export does not approve or send a package.

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Continue with **Release & sharing → Releases** when the exact current product revision is ready for independent release decisions.