NAIOS capability routing · current architecture decision

Core proof cleared.
Execution still parked.

The Authority Spine has now proven all three production workflows and closed the earlier trusted-anchor gap. This page separates that major system progress from the still-closed capability-routing proof window.

Decision recorded: hybrid architecture accepted

No Nathan action is required now. Capability-routing construction, proof, and integration remain intentionally parked. The technical prerequisites passed; only a fresh collision review and explicit Chief opening authorization can start that separate work.

Last updated 2026-07-17 03:50 PTcurrent through HEAD 0ff47663 workflows passedfinal reliability proof activecapability proof parked
currentArchitecture decisionChief A-01 acceptance reconfirmed at 03:34 PT; execution remains parked.
passedTrusted-run boundaryThe historical Migration 029 defect is repaired and independently proven.
passedProduction workflowsAll three Wave 4 workflow proofs passed; the lane is complete.
passedWorkflow 3 + restart admissionBoth are satisfied by the later Migration 033/035 proof chain.
repairBackup operatorIndependent review failed two bounded safety seams before secret/admin access.
waiting72-hour soakA new baseline has not started; prior soak windows cannot count.
frozen by designv5 acceptance oracleStatic fallback remains unchanged; age is intentional, not staleness.
Nathan action

No action required now. The core Authority Spine proof moved forward and the current backup-operator defect is narrow and repairable. Keep capability routing parked unless you deliberately want the Chief to open a separate, collision-checked proof window.

Frozen fallbackv5 PASSExact, unchanged acceptance oracle
Target patternHybridNAIOS trust core + mature plumbing
Production workflows3 / 3Independent business-exit PASS
Authority phaseWave 4Final reliability proof
Current bounded blocker2 seamsBackup authorization + redaction
Capability proofParkedSeparate window remains closed
What was accepted
NAIOS stays the control tower. Proven tools handle the generic machinery.

NAIOS continues to decide what is valid, who is authorized, which evidence belongs together, when private information may be revealed, and whether anything may affect confidence or governed state. Inspect, OpenTelemetry, in-toto/DSSE, and selected policy tooling are tested only as replaceable infrastructure beneath that authority.

WhyNAIOS should be unique where trust and governance matter—not where mature tools already solve execution, retry, tracing, and evidence packaging.
Strategic impactLess custom infrastructure means faster capability development, lower maintenance burden, and easier independent verification.
What happens nowRepair and rereview the bounded backup operator, then run the controlled restart and new 72-hour soak. Capability-routing build work remains a separate future window.
Faster progressStop rebuilding generic task runners, retry systems, trace formats, and evidence envelopes.
Lower maintenance riskUse mature, documented components where NAIOS has no strategic reason to be unique.
Better auditabilityStandard evidence and telemetry formats make independent verification easier.
No loss of controlFramework outputs remain evidence. Chief/PostgreSQL remain the only governed authority lane.
Reversible adoptionFrozen v5 remains the fallback and adversarial acceptance oracle.
Measured commitmentOne disposable scenario earns—or fails to earn—broader adoption.
Technical target state

Evidence flows through replaceable adapters. Authority does not.

1 · governed
Intent & identity

Objective, campaign, task, attempt, cohort, actor and source identities.

2 · NAIOS contract
Evaluation request

Frozen inputs, allowed capabilities, expected evidence and authority label.

3 · replaceable
Inspect execution

Task, scorer, disposable sandbox, durable log, retry and inspection.

4 · evidence
Trace & envelope

OTel/OpenInference correlation plus in-toto/DSSE-compatible subjects and digests.

5 · candidate gate
Verify & policy

Exact hashes, replay, privacy and selected deterministic policy checks.

6 · sole writer
Chief + PostgreSQL

Atomic one-use decision, receipt, qualification, confidence and promotion.

governed authority replaceable execution evidence or candidate decision
Frozen v5 oracleEvery replacement claim must survive the failure modes already discovered in v2–v5.
Isolation boundaryProcedural by default. WSL/bubblewrap or Windows Sandbox must earn stronger claims.
Restart-safe recoveryStable thread identity, bounded pointer state, exact checkpoint and durable receipts.

NAIOS retains

  • Canonical cohort, slot, actor and evidence identity.
  • Chief request-response authorization lineage.
  • Private custody, phase seal and controlled unblinding.
  • PostgreSQL nonce, replay, expiry, revocation and idempotency.
  • Evidence qualification, confidence learning and promotion.

Frameworks may provide

  • Generic task, scorer, sandbox, log and retry mechanics.
  • Portable trace context and AI-specific event semantics.
  • Typed evidence envelopes and signature domain separation.
  • Independent verification receipt structures.
  • Testable policy bundles for selected deterministic gates.
Contained proof

18–36 hours, phased, reversible, and evidence-producing

Current Authority Spine frontier

The three production workflows passed. Final reliability proof remains.

The later Migration 033/035 chain repaired the trusted-run boundary, passed Workflow 3 live proof and restart admission, and completed the full workflow-proof lane. The next system-level test is continuous operation: controlled restart, recovery, scheduling, and a clean new 72-hour soak.

Backup authorization is reusableThe new operator does not yet bind an immutable, scoped, expiring, one-use authorization to the exact inputs and outputs.
Error redaction is incompleteA no-I/O sentinel proved a raw exception could expose the loaded credential instead of using the reviewed secret/DSN sanitizer.
Repair is bounded and fail-closedFix only the operator and seam tests, obtain fresh independent PASS, then perform the prestart sequence. No restart, scheduler enablement, or soak began.
ComponentDomainDecisionRiskRole / impact