Two specifications addressing the framing J asked for after reading
the llms3.com blog: standardize what we have so future work doesn't
drift, and apply the local-first thesis to the audit problem instead
of the over-scoped SaaS-tier identity service.
PATHWAY_MEMORY_SPEC.md (~400 lines):
Documents the existing crates/vectord/src/pathway_memory.rs as a
spec — the third metadata layer alongside catalogd's data metadata
and playbook_memory's operational memory. Defines:
- PathwayTrace wire format
- pathway_id = SHA256(task_class | file_prefix | signal_class)
- file_prefix algorithm (first 2 path segments)
- pathway_vec: 32-bucket bag-of-tokens hash, fixed dim per spec
- Lifecycle: insert → revise → replay → probation gate retire
- Mem0 versioning (trace_uid + parent_trace_uid + version chain)
- Access patterns: query_for_hotswap / query_by_vec / list_versions
- PII risk surface (reducer_summary + final_verdict)
- Spec boundary: stable in v1 vs implementation-specific
No new architecture. Descriptive, not prescriptive.
SUBJECT_MANIFESTS_ON_CATALOGD.md (~400 lines):
The local-first audit-trail spec. Adds a fourth manifest type to
catalogd alongside dataset/view/tombstone/profile. NOT a separate
identity daemon. NOT Vault/KMS/dual-control JWT. Builds on
primitives catalogd already ships:
- SubjectManifest at data/_catalog/subjects/<id>.json
- Per-subject HMAC-chained audit JSONL
- Daily retention sweep using existing tombstone primitives
- Vertical-aware routing (healthcare → local-only)
- Legal-tier credential separate from gateway internal auth
~4 days estimated implementation effort vs 17-20 days for the
IDENTITY_SERVICE_DESIGN approach. Same defensibility for the
staffing-client launch window. Strictly additive to compatibility
with the v3 design if SOC2 Type II becomes a contract requirement.
These are SPECS — what the system already does (pathway) and what's
the smallest local-first thing that addresses the audit need
(subject manifests). Not 9-phase plans. Not new daemons.
The pathway spec is descriptive: writing down what exists so the
next person doesn't reinvent it. The subject-manifests spec is
prescriptive: J greenlights, implementation is days not weeks.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
