V8 — Architecture (Page Index) — Ariadne

This directory holds the V8 (Ariadne — a self-authoring detective universe) architecture reference, decomposed from the single ../V8_ARCHITECTURE.md hub into focused, in-depth, code-grounded pages. The hub remains the canonical entry point and preserves every section heading; each page below expands one part of the system with richer, code-grounded detail and an honest implemented / spec-only status. V8 is a small product with a focused real symbolic core and an ambitious spec, so the pages are deliberately consolidated and explicit about what is shipped versus designed. The companion feature map lives in ../V8_features.md.

Cross-reference convention. Page-to-page links are relative (./<slug>.md). Platform-foundation links point at the shared platform/ space.

Architecture landscape#

flowchart LR Brief[Seeded case brief and world constraints] --> Clew[Clew case proposal] Clew --> Minos[Minos formal solvability and uniqueness proof] Minos --> Palimpsest[Palimpsest canon graph] Palimpsest --> Anansesem[Anansesem writers room] Palimpsest --> Loom[Loom media realization] Anansesem --> Ori[Ori living suspects] Loom --> Ori Ori --> Daedalus[Daedalus compiler and V5 runtime bridge] Daedalus --> Theseus[Theseus automated play and evaluation] Theseus --> Decision[Independent eight-gate ReleaseDecision] Decision --> Oracle[Oracle delivery and operations] Minos --> Artifacts[(Proof case and canon artifacts)] Daedalus --> Artifacts2[(Compiled provenance and replay artifacts)] Decision --> Artifacts2

Each edge carries a typed, versioned artifact rather than shared mutable prose. Failures route according to ownership: symbolic ambiguity returns to Clew, canon conflicts to Palimpsest, surface defects to realization, compatibility to Daedalus, and missing independent evidence to release withholding.

Use this index to trace one immutable case version through contracts, proof, canon, realization, living-suspect policy, compilation, automated evaluation, independent release gates, staging, observation, and rollback. Pair the trace with the feature index so pipeline success is measured against the complete fair player experience.

Every focused architecture page appears exactly once below. The V8 documentation guide supplies the case-truth model and role paths; the diagram atlas supplies the shared visual vocabulary. Gap/research/decision/dependency sources, backlog, current artifacts/tests, human-aligned evidence, and production operations govern completion.

The case identifier, schema version, seed, solver result, canon revision, model and prompt identifiers, asset provenance, compiler target, evaluation report, and release decision together form the trace key. A reader should be able to move forward from the brief to delivery or backward from a player-visible clue without guessing which regenerated surface or proof artifact was used. If that join is absent, the pipeline is not auditable even when every individual stage reports success.

Orientation#

Architectural Thesis & the Generation Pipeline — the solve-first deterministic thesis and the multi-stage case-minting pipeline.

Data Contracts#

Canonical Data Contracts — the typed case bundle, clue/suspect/alibi/solution shapes, and gate verdicts every stage shares.

The Symbolic Core#

The Symbolic Core: Clew, Minos & Palimpsest — case generation (Clew), the real SAT/CSP solvability verifier (Minos), and the canon graph (Palimpsest) — where the real code concentrates.

Surface Realization#

Surface Realization: Anansesem, Loom & Ori Suspects — turning a verified skeleton into playable prose (Anansesem), assets (Loom), and living, interrogatable suspects (Ori).

Delivery, Evaluation & Operations#

Daedalus Compiler & Theseus Evaluation — compiling the playable case bundle (Daedalus) and the fairness/quality eval-gate (Theseus).
Oracle Director, Cross-Cutting Concerns & Deployment — player-facing direction (Oracle), the cross-cutting concerns, and the deployment shape.