0-AI-MANIFEST.a2ml

# SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
# Copyright (c) 2026 Jonathan D.A. Jewell (hyperpolymath) <j.d.a.jewell@open.ac.uk>

# STOP - CRITICAL READING REQUIRED

**THIS FILE MUST BE READ FIRST BY ALL AI AGENTS**

## WHAT IS THIS?

This is the AI manifest for **ponyiser**. It declares:
- Canonical file locations (where things MUST be, and nowhere else)
- Critical invariants (rules that must NEVER be violated)
- Repository structure and organization

**ponyiser** wraps concurrent code in Pony reference capabilities (iso, val,
ref, box, trn, tag) for compile-time data-race freedom. It generates Pony
actors and behaviours from a TOML manifest, backed by Idris2 formal proofs
and a Zig FFI bridge.

## CANONICAL LOCATIONS (UNIVERSAL RULE)

### Machine-Readable Metadata: `.machine_readable/` ONLY

These 6 a2ml files MUST exist in `.machine_readable/6a2/` directory ONLY:
1. **STATE.a2ml** - Project state, progress, blockers
2. **META.a2ml** - Architecture decisions, governance
3. **ECOSYSTEM.a2ml** - Position in -iser ecosystem, relationships
4. **AGENTIC.a2ml** - AI agent interaction patterns
5. **NEUROSYM.a2ml** - Neurosymbolic integration config
6. **PLAYBOOK.a2ml** - Operational runbook

**CRITICAL:** If ANY of these files exist in the root directory, this is an ERROR.

### Anchor File: `.machine_readable/anchors/ANCHOR.a2ml` ONLY

Canonical authority and semantic-boundary declaration MUST exist at:

` .machine_readable/anchors/ANCHOR.a2ml `

Do not place `ANCHOR.a2ml` at repository root.

### Maintenance Policies: `.machine_readable/policies/` ONLY

Canonical maintenance/governance files MUST exist under:

` .machine_readable/policies/ `

Minimum required files:
- `MAINTENANCE-AXES.a2ml`
- `MAINTENANCE-CHECKLIST.a2ml`
- `SOFTWARE-DEVELOPMENT-APPROACH.a2ml`

Do not place maintenance policy files in repository root.

### Bot Directives: `.machine_readable/bot_directives/` ONLY

Bot-specific instructions for your automated agents.

### Contractiles: `.machine_readable/contractiles/` ONLY

Policy enforcement contracts (k9, dust, lust, must, trust).

### AI Configuration & Guides: `.machine_readable/ai/` ONLY

- `AI.a2ml` - Language-specific or LLM-specific patterns
- `PLACEHOLDERS.md` - Bootstrap guide

### Community & Forge Metadata: `.github/` ONLY

- `CODEOWNERS` - Review assignments
- `MAINTAINERS` - Machine-readable contact list
- `SUPPORT` - Support channels
- `SECURITY.md` - Technical security policy
- `CONTRIBUTING.md` - Technical contribution manual
- `CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md` - Conduct rules

### Agent Instructions

- `0-AI-MANIFEST.a2ml` - THIS FILE (universal entry point)

## PONYISER-SPECIFIC INVARIANTS

1. **Six reference capabilities only** — iso, val, ref, box, trn, tag. No extensions.
2. **Capability subtyping lattice** — iso <: trn <: ref <: box, iso <: val <: box, tag is bottom. The lattice is fixed; do not invent new subtyping rules.
3. **Actor isolation** — each generated actor has a private heap. No shared mutable state between actors.
4. **Behaviours are async** — all inter-actor communication is via behaviours (asynchronous message handlers). No synchronous cross-actor calls.
5. **Causal messaging** — messages between two actors are delivered in causal (FIFO) order.
6. **Sendability rule** — only iso (consumed), val, and tag references can cross actor boundaries. ref, box, and trn are actor-local.

## CORE INVARIANTS

1. **No state file duplication** - Root must NOT contain STATE.a2ml, META.a2ml, etc.
2. **Single source of truth** - `.machine_readable/` is authoritative
3. **No stale metadata** - If root state files exist, they are OUT OF DATE
4. **License consistency** - All code MPL-2.0 unless platform requires MPL-2.0
5. **Author attribution** - Always "Jonathan D.A. Jewell <j.d.a.jewell@open.ac.uk>"
6. **Container images** - MUST use Chainguard base (`cgr.dev/chainguard/wolfi-base:latest` or `cgr.dev/chainguard/static:latest`)
7. **Container runtime** - Podman, never Docker. Files are `Containerfile`, never `Dockerfile`
8. **Container orchestration** - `selur-compose`, never `docker-compose`

## REPOSITORY STRUCTURE

This repo follows the **Dual-Track** architecture:

```
ponyiser/
├── 0-AI-MANIFEST.a2ml         # THIS FILE (start here)
├── README.adoc                 # High-level orientation (Rich Human)
├── ROADMAP.adoc                # Phased roadmap with Pony milestones
├── CONTRIBUTING.adoc           # Human contribution guide
├── Justfile                    # Task runner
├── Cargo.toml                  # Rust CLI build
├── Containerfile               # OCI build
├── LICENSE                     # MPL-2.0
├── src/                        # Source code
│   ├── main.rs                 # CLI entry point
│   ├── lib.rs                  # Library API
│   ├── manifest/               # ponyiser.toml parser
│   ├── codegen/                # Pony actor/behaviour code generation
│   ├── abi/                    # Rust-side ABI types (mirrors Idris2)
│   └── interface/              # Verified Interface Seams
│       ├── abi/                # Idris2 ABI (RefCapability, Actor, Behaviour proofs)
│       │   ├── Types.idr       # RefCapability, Actor, Behaviour, CausalMessage
│       │   ├── Layout.idr      # Actor mailbox memory layout proofs
│       │   └── Foreign.idr     # Capability analysis and codegen FFI
│       ├── ffi/                # Zig FFI (C-ABI bridge)
│       └── generated/          # C Headers (auto-generated)
├── container/                  # Stapeln container ecosystem
├── docs/                       # Technical documentation
└── .machine_readable/          # ALL machine-readable metadata
```

## SESSION STARTUP CHECKLIST

1. Read THIS file (0-AI-MANIFEST.a2ml) first
2. Understand canonical location: `.machine_readable/`
3. State understanding of canonical locations
4. Note: ponyiser is about Pony reference capabilities for data-race freedom

## ATTESTATION PROOF

**"I have read the AI manifest. All machine-readable content (state files, anchors, policies, bot directives, contractiles, AI guides) is located in `.machine_readable/` ONLY, and community metadata is in `.github/`. I will not create duplicate files in the root directory. I understand ponyiser generates Pony actors with capability-safe references from TOML manifests."**