---
title: Software Factory
slug: software-factory
type: concept
created: 2026-06-17
updated: 2026-06-17
status: active
tags:
  - software-factory
  - industrialization
  - automation
sources:
  - dan-shapiro-you-dont-write-code-2026-02-13
  - strongdm-attractor-nlspec
  - jleechanorg-dark-factory-repo
related:
  - dark-factory
  - strongdm-attractor
  - agentic-pipeline-runner
confidence: medium
contradictions:
  - A software factory can still include human reading and manual approval; dark factory is a more aggressive variant.
bead_refs:
  - dark-factory-rr4
---

# Software Factory

A software factory is a repeatable production system for turning intent into software artifacts. In this wiki, it is the broader category; [[dark-factory]] is the lights-off variant that tries to avoid human code reading.

## Components

- Input artifacts: goals, specs, product requirements, examples, acceptance criteria.
- Execution machinery: coding agents, tool registries, isolated worktrees, CI, runners, and queues.
- Validation machinery: tests, review agents, holdouts, policy gates, observability, evidence bundles.
- Feedback machinery: retries, fix loops, failure diagnosis, escalation, and learning.

## Relation To Dark Factory

`inference:` A software factory can improve throughput without eliminating human review. A dark factory treats human diff review as the bottleneck to remove, so it invests more heavily in validation contracts and automated observability.