Before: A brief cites a statute and section number from memory.
Every instrument must be declared
Missing authority becomes a research gap instead of a precise-looking citation.
HINT for Policy Analysts
Your assistant drafts briefs fast. HINT keeps evidence separate from judgment.
HINT keeps the issue, cited instruments, options, criteria and impacts in plain-text notes beside policy documents. Your assistant reads the declared frame before comparing options or writing a recommendation.
Where it helps
Three situations your team will recognize
Before: An impact figure appears without evidence.
Numbers retain their sources
Fiscal and social estimates remain linked to the evidence and assumptions that produced them.
Before: Options are framed so one conclusion is inevitable.
The same criteria apply to every option
Trade-offs stay visible and recommendations explain where judgment begins.
See it
A real options record from the demo
The Pawnee Policy demo grounds the Lot 48 mandate in SRC-1.
demo-pawnee-policy/issues/lot-48-park/options.md.hint ↗
# mandate overview-1 {#policy_analyst_overview}
Approved mandate grounded in SRC-1.
# source SRC-1
../../sources/approved.mdWhat your assistant does next
It compares options within the approved mandate and marks any absent instrument, stakeholder position or impact evidence as a gap.
What your AI assistant receives
<mandate name="overview-1">
Approved mandate grounded in SRC-1.
</mandate>
<source name="SRC-1">../../sources/approved.md</source>Your boundaries stay visible
What it will never do
- Cite an unverified instrument or provision.
- State an impact figure without a source.
- Invent a stakeholder position or use partisan framing.
FAQ
Questions policy analysts ask
Which jurisdictions does it know?
None by default. You declare the instruments and sources that govern the policy area.
Does it provide legal advice?
No. It structures cited policy context and identifies gaps for qualified review.
How is neutrality enforced?
Declare a neutral style, common evaluation criteria and prohibited framing; reviewers still judge whether the analysis is balanced.
For your technical colleague
The vocabulary
A hintbook is a vocabulary for your profession—installed, not written by you.
issue- Defines the policy question and its boundary.
mandate- Names who requested the analysis and for what decision.
regulation- Identifies a cited legal or regulatory instrument.
provision- Records the exact cited section that applies.
option- Defines one alternative with a stable identifier.
impact- Records an effect, dimension and supporting source.
tradeoff- Separates competing effects without hiding judgment.
recommendation- States a conclusion together with its justification.
Manual setup
Bootstrap is read-only: it prints instructions for the assistant. The assistant performs the installation.
npm install -g @openhint/cli
hint config
hint add @openhint/hintbook-policy-analyst
hint apply
hint verify issues/lot-48-park/options.md
hint emit issues/lot-48-park/options.md