diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 869bf7b..cbf8413 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -2,64 +2,42 @@
 
 ## Project Overview
 DataBuild is a bazel-based data build system. Key files:
+- [`DESIGN.md`](./DESIGN.md) - Overall design of databuild
 - [`databuild.proto`](databuild/databuild.proto) - System interfaces
-- [`manifesto.md`](manifesto.md) - Project philosophy
-- [`core-concepts.md`](core-concepts.md) - Core concepts
+- Component designs - design docs for specific aspects or components of databuild:
+  - [Core build](./design/core-build.md) - How the core semantics of databuild works and are implemented
+  - [Build event log](./design/build-event-log.md) - How the build event log works and is accessed
+  - [Service](./design/service.md) - How the databuild HTTP service and web app are designed.
+  - [Glossary](./design/glossary.md) - Centralized description of key terms.
+  - [Graph specification](./design/graph-specification.md) - Describes the different libraries that enable more succinct declaration of databuild applications than the core bazel-based interface.
+  - [Observability](./design/observability.md) - How observability is systematically achieved throughout databuild applications.
+  - [Deploy strategies](./design/deploy-strategies.md) - Different strategies for deploying databuild applications.
+  - [Triggers](./design/triggers.md) - How triggering works in databuild applications.
+  - [Why databuild?](./design/why-databuild.md) - Why to choose databuild instead of other better established orchestration solutions.
+
+Please reference these for any related work, as they indicate key technical bias/direction of the project.
 
 ## Tenets
 
+- Declarative over imperative wherever possible/reasonable.
 - We are building for the future, and choose to do "the right thing" rather than taking shortcuts to get unstuck. If you get stuck, pause and ask for help/input.
-  - In addition, do not add "unknown" results when parses or matches fail - these should always throw.
+- Do not add "unknown" results when parses or matches fail - these should always throw.
+- Compile time correctness is a super-power, and investment in it speeds up flywheel for development and user value.
 
 ## Build & Test
 ```bash
-# Run comprehensive end-to-end tests (validates CLI vs Service consistency)
+# Build all databuild components
+bazel build //...
+
+# Run databuild unit tests
+bazel test //...
+
+# Run end-to-end tests (validates CLI vs Service consistency)
 ./run_e2e_tests.sh
 
-# Run all core unit tests
-./scripts/bb_test_all
-
-# Remote testing
-./scripts/bb_remote_test_all
-
 # Do not try to `bazel test //examples/basic_graph/...`, as this will not work.
 ```
 
-## End-to-End Testing
-The project includes comprehensive end-to-end tests that validate CLI and Service build consistency:
-
-### Test Suite Structure
-- `tests/end_to_end/simple_test.sh` - Basic CLI vs Service validation
-- `tests/end_to_end/podcast_simple_test.sh` - Podcast reviews CLI vs Service validation  
-- `tests/end_to_end/basic_graph_test.sh` - Comprehensive basic graph testing
-- `tests/end_to_end/podcast_reviews_test.sh` - Comprehensive podcast testing
-
-### Event Validation
-Tests ensure CLI and Service emit identical build events:
-- **Build request events**: Orchestration lifecycle (received, planning, executing, completed)
-- **Job events**: Job execution tracking
-- **Partition events**: Partition build status
-
-### CLI vs Service Event Alignment
-Recent improvements ensure both paths emit identical events:
-- CLI: Enhanced with orchestration events to match Service behavior
-- Service: HTTP API orchestration events + core build events
-- Validation: Tests fail if event counts or types differ between CLI and Service
-
-### Running Individual Tests
-```bash
-# Test basic graph
-tests/end_to_end/simple_test.sh \
-  examples/basic_graph/bazel-bin/basic_graph.build \
-  examples/basic_graph/bazel-bin/basic_graph.service
-
-# Test podcast reviews (run from correct directory)
-cd examples/podcast_reviews
-../../tests/end_to_end/podcast_simple_test.sh \
-  bazel-bin/podcast_reviews_graph.build \
-  bazel-bin/podcast_reviews_graph.service
-```
-
 ## Project Structure
 - `databuild/` - Core system (Rust/Proto)
 - `examples/` - Example implementations
@@ -89,21 +67,6 @@ def main():
         handle_exec(sys.argv[2:])    # Perform actual work
 ```
 
-### Job Configuration Requirements
-**CRITICAL**: Job configs must include non-empty `args` for execution to work:
-```python
-config = {
-    "configs": [{
-        "outputs": [{"str": partition_ref}],
-        "inputs": [...],
-        "args": ["some_arg"],  # REQUIRED: Cannot be empty []
-        "env": {"PARTITION_REF": partition_ref}
-    }]
-}
-```
-
-Jobs with `"args": []` will only have their config function called during execution, not exec.
-
 ### DataBuild Execution Flow
 1. **Planning Phase**: DataBuild calls `.cfg` targets to get job configurations
 2. **Execution Phase**: DataBuild calls main job targets which pipe config to exec
diff --git a/design/build-event-log.md b/design/build-event-log.md
index d08bb4f..2151a8a 100644
--- a/design/build-event-log.md
+++ b/design/build-event-log.md
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ status summary, job run statistics, etc.
 ## Architecture
 - Uses [event sourcing](https://martinfowler.com/eaaDev/EventSourcing.html) / 
   [CQRS](https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/cqrs) philosophy.
+- BELs are only ever written to by graph processes (e.g. CLI or service), not the jobs themselves.
 - BEL uses only two types of tables:
   - The root event table, with event ID, timestamp, message, event type, and ID fields for related event types.
   - Type-specific event tables (e.g. task even, partition event, build request event, etc).
diff --git a/design/why-databuild.md b/design/why-databuild.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..acbe347
--- /dev/null
+++ b/design/why-databuild.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+
+# Why DataBuild?
+
+(work in progress)
+
+Why?
+- Orchestration logic changes all the time, better to not write it directly
+- Declarative -> Compile time correctness (e.g. can detect when no job produces a partition pattern)
+- Compartmentalized jobs + data deps -> Simplicity and compartmentalization of complexity
+- Bazel based -> Easy to deploy, maintain, and update
+