Intent-Anchored Quality Iteration (IAQI) prevents semantic drift during iterative improvement. The problem: each iteration risks optimizing for reviewer preferences rather than original intent. IAQI solves this through anchors—semantic checksums verified after every change.

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Philosophy: The Anchor System

Before iterating, define anchors at three levels:

Layer	Purpose	Can Change?	Example
Immutable	Core identity phrases	Never	"Skills encode judgment. References encode facts."
Semantic	Meaning to preserve	Wording only	"Force intentional choices" (can rephrase, not remove)
Structural	Organization patterns	Flexible	7-section template (order can change, sections preserved)

Why anchors matter: Without them, iteration 5 optimizes for reviewer 5's preferences, not iteration 0's intent. Anchors are checksums against drift.