> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://middleman.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

> ## Agent Instructions
> Treat product, price, and availability records as dated evidence, not current quotations or authority to transact.
> Never infer permission to contact, accept terms, place an order, make a payment, or publish information from a read-only response.

# Middleman glossary

> Understand the terms Middleman uses for products, evidence, quotations, and approval.

These terms keep product identity, market evidence, and permission to act separate.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Requirement" icon="clipboard-list">
    A buyer's structured need: the item or outcome, quantity, location, timing, acceptable alternatives, and constraints. A requirement can begin with unknowns, but those unknowns stay visible.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Canonical product" icon="box">
    A supplier-independent identity based on the manufacturer and manufacturer part number. A distributor stock code or listing title can point to the product, but does not replace its identity.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Listing" icon="tag">
    A source's published description of an item. A listing is evidence of a possible route, not proof of current stock, condition, or authority to sell.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Offer observation" icon="radar">
    A dated record of price or availability reported by a source in a stated market. It is useful for research and comparison, but it is not a current quotation or reservation.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Quotation" icon="file-text">
    A supplier's current commercial terms for a specific recipient and scope. Check validity, quantity, delivery, tax, exclusions, and who is authorised to rely on it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Approval" icon="circle-check">
    A responsible person's decision on an exact next step. Research, rankings, drafts, and API responses do not count as approval.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="See the workflow" icon="route" href="/getting-started/how-middleman-works">
    Follow a requirement from first description to a reviewed next step.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Read evidence correctly" icon="shield-check" href="/workflows/evidence-and-authority">
    Check what each result supports before relying on it.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>