diff --git a/.ai/modular.md b/.ai/modular.md
index 11dedf821fef..407ac8bea805 100644
--- a/.ai/modular.md
+++ b/.ai/modular.md
@@ -58,6 +58,10 @@ Does it choose ONE block based on which input is present?
   Is the selection 1:1 with trigger inputs?
     YES -> AutoPipelineBlocks (simple trigger mapping)
     NO  -> ConditionalPipelineBlocks (custom select_block method)
+
+Is it a different CHECKPOINT (distilled / turbo / a variant with its own schedule)?
+  YES -> its own blocks assembly, unless it behaves literally the same
+         (see Key pattern: Checkpoint variants)
 ```
 
 ## Build order (easiest first)
@@ -67,6 +71,17 @@ Does it choose ONE block based on which input is present?
 3. `before_denoise.py` -- Timesteps, latent prep, noise setup. Each logical operation = one block
 4. `denoise.py` -- The hardest. Convert guidance to guider abstraction
 
+## Growing a pipeline: one workflow at a time
+
+Build one workflow end-to-end first (e.g. t2v), then add the next workflow — and later the next blocks assembly / checkpoint variant — one at a time. Each addition should **introduce new blocks rather than modify existing ones**: existing blocks are already wired into working workflows, and a new leaf block plus a new assembly entry can't break them.
+
+The one good reason to touch an existing block is to make it strictly more **general**. Be honest about which direction the edit goes:
+
+- **Adding a branch is not generalizing — it's specializing.** `if components.config.foo:` or `if block_state.image is not None:` inside an existing block means the block now does two things. Add a new block for the new case instead, and let workflow selection or a variant assembly pick between them.
+- **Collapsing duplicates is generalizing.** If two blocks are identical except for which conditioning inputs they pass to the denoiser, don't keep both — rework the one block to take `kwargs_type="denoiser_input_fields"` (see the `kwargs_type` pattern below) so the same block serves every workflow, as the Cosmos3 denoise step does.
+
+Rule of thumb: a generalizing edit *removes* an if/else or a duplicate block. If your edit *adds* an if/else, it's a new block trying to get out.
+
 ## Key pattern: Guider abstraction
 
 Original pipeline has guidance baked in:
@@ -166,6 +181,14 @@ class AutoDenoise(ConditionalPipelineBlocks):
     default_block_name = "text2video"
 ```
 
+## Key pattern: Checkpoint variants
+
+A different checkpoint (distilled / turbo / a variant with its own schedule) can have its own blocks assembly mapped to it: give the variant a `ModularPipeline` subclass carrying its `default_blocks_name`, and checkpoints route to it automatically — via `_class_name` in `modular_model_index.json`, or, for repos that only ship a standard `model_index.json`, a config-keyed map fn in `MODULAR_PIPELINE_MAPPING` (see `_flux2_klein_map_fn`).
+
+Default to taking that option. The only reason not to is when the variant behaves literally the same; if the split buys anything at all — the distilled variant doesn't have to declare `negative_prompt`, doesn't carry a guider, its docs describe exactly what the checkpoint does — make the separate assembly. It costs almost nothing: assemblies compose the same shared leaf blocks, and only the steps that truly differ need new block classes. See `modular_blocks_flux2_klein.py`, which reuses the base flux2 leaf blocks and swaps in just a `negative_prompt`-free text encoder and a guider-free denoise step.
+
+Don't fall back to the standard-pipeline habit of a config flag branching inside a shared block (`ConfigSpec(name="is_distilled")` + `if components.config.is_distilled:`). That keeps both variants' behavior bundled in one blockset — and the input surface is the one thing it can never fix: a repo can override components and config values per checkpoint, but never which inputs the blocks declare, so the distilled checkpoint would still accept `negative_prompt` and silently ignore it.
+
 ## Key pattern: Standalone block reusability
 
 One of the core reason a pipeline is split into blocks at all: each block (text encoder, VAE encoder, prepare-latents, denoise, decoder) must be runnable on its own, and its output must be reusable as the input to a different downstream chain.
@@ -249,6 +272,8 @@ ComponentSpec(
 
 8. **No-op skip logic inside an optional block.** If a step is conditional (e.g. an optional prompt enhancer), don't have the block check a flag at the top of `__call__` and `return` early. Wrap it in an `AutoPipelineBlocks` with `block_trigger_inputs = ["use_xxx"]` so the block is only assembled into the pipeline when the trigger input is provided. The block's own `__call__` should always assume its components and inputs are present.
 
+9. **Serving a checkpoint variant through a config flag in a shared block.** `ConfigSpec(name="is_distilled")` plus `if components.config.is_distilled:` bundles two checkpoints' behavior into one blockset — and it can't change the input surface at all (the distilled variant would still accept `negative_prompt`). Suggest a separate blocks assembly for the variant instead (see Key pattern: Checkpoint variants).
+
 ## Conversion checklist
 
 - [ ] Read original pipeline's `__call__` end-to-end, map stages