Clarify blog backlink requirements in CONTRIBUTING.md and ONBOARDING.md, specifying conditions for live or scheduled articles. Update README.md to reflect these changes for consistency.

Author: bshahin

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -37,12 +37,14 @@ The public quality bar focuses on usefulness and honesty:
 
 - Correct CaptchaAI API endpoints and parameter usage
 - Clear setup instructions and environment configuration
-- A working blog backlink for context
+- A canonical blog backlink for context when the article is live or scheduled for imminent publication, or an explicit pending-publication note when it is not
 - Lint or compile checks where toolchains are available
 - Deeper runtime or smoke validation on selected reference flows
 
 The private owner repo also regenerates the root README index, checks cross-repo metadata truth, and validates support-tier claims before treating the public repo as healthy.
 
+Do not point users at missing or unknown `blog.captchaai.com` URLs from this public repo. Scheduled canonical links are acceptable when publication is imminent.
+
 ## External contributions
 
 This repository is not running a broad external contribution workflow right now. If that changes, this file will be updated.

ONBOARDING.md

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ If you are onboarding, start here before editing pack content or changing repo-l
 ## What this repo is for
 
 - publish client-facing runnable example packs
-- help readers move from a blog article to working CaptchaAI code fast
+- help readers move from a live blog article to working CaptchaAI code fast
 - state support levels honestly
 - give clients a stable pack-level contract through `articles/{slug}/README.md`
 
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ Do not treat internal generation history as part of the public contract.
 | Public surface | Private source or owner |
 |---|---|
 | `articles/{slug}/` | article slug and example metadata in `cai_content` |
-| Pack README backlink | blog article at `https://blog.captchaai.com/{slug}` |
+| Pack README backlink | canonical blog article at `https://blog.captchaai.com/{slug}` when the article is live or scheduled for imminent publication |
 | Root README index | generated from private manifests and validation |
 | Support tier | private example-factory validation and reporting |
 
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ The private factory also checks:
 3. Do not hand-edit the generated root README index unless you are intentionally repairing it and regenerating immediately after.
 4. Keep pack README setup steps aligned with the actual files in that pack.
 5. If a language is listed, that implementation should exist and be usable as documented.
+6. Scheduled articles that are about to publish may keep the canonical blog backlink, but missing or unknown blog targets should still use a pending-publication note.
 
 ## Start-here order
 

README.md

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 Public code examples for the [CaptchaAI](https://captchaai.com) CAPTCHA solving API.
 
-This repository is published for clients who want a runnable starting point fast. Each pack links back to a blog article, includes setup instructions, and shows the current support level honestly.
+This repository is published for clients who want a runnable starting point fast. Each pack includes setup instructions, shows the current support level honestly, and links back to the companion blog article once that article is live or scheduled for imminent publication.
 
 For maintainers, start with `ONBOARDING.md` before changing repo-level messaging or pack contracts.