The information provided by FBI confidential human sources can have great investigative, legal, and political significance. This guide to how the FBI handles them is a must-read for anyone following a story involving the FBI.

This document is an internal guide published by the FBI's Directorate of Intelligence. It provides detailed information on the management and oversight of the Confidential Human Source Program. The guide covers various aspects, including the identification, evaluation, and recruitment of potential confidential human sources. It also outlines the procedures for opening, operating, and closing sources, as well as the use of electronic communications with them. The document emphasizes the importance of timing and providing admonishments to sources. Additionally, it discusses the requirements for reopening a closed source and the handling of privileged or exculpatory information. This guide serves as a comprehensive resource for FBI personnel involved in the management of confidential human sources and supersedes a previous version dated 2015.

This annotated version includes bibliographic keyword phrases; abstracts, including TLDR (one word); ELI5; TLDR (vanilla); scientific style; and action items; essays to stimulate viewpoint diversity, including a red team critique; formal grounds for dissent; and MAGA.