REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE SPECIFICATION (RAS) Canonical

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Overview

The Reference Architecture Specification (RAS) defines the official reference architecture of the Open Workspace Intelligence Specification (OWIS). It maps conceptual layers into concrete, decoupled runtime engines and communication contracts.

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Purpose

RAS explains how the conceptual specification is realized into components, data flows, responsibility boundaries, and integration points. It does not lock the platform down to specific programming languages, frameworks, or AI providers.

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Scope

Included:

• Decoupled runtime engine specifications (Discovery, Loading, Parsing, Normalization, Knowledge, Correlation, Conflict, Intelligence, Validation, Planning, Execution Adapter).
• Data flows, processing pipeline contracts, and deployment topologies (Local, Distributed, Enterprise).
• Operational characteristics, security guidelines, and performance principles.

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Non Goals

Excluded:

• Specific parsing algorithms or regex implementations.
• Code formatting or project folder templates.
• Particular IDE user interface layouts.

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Architecture

RAS maps the runtime into four architectural layers:

                   Applications  
  IDE | CLI | SDK | CI/CD | API | Plugins
 ──────────────────────────────────────────────
               Runtime Layer
  Discovery | Parsing | Intelligence | Validation | Planning
 ──────────────────────────────────────────────
           Specification Layer
  Constitution | CAS | UARS | WIR | Schema
 ──────────────────────────────────────────────
            Workspace Layer
  Repository | Documentation | Configuration | Source Code | Assets

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Components

Discovery & Ingestion Engine

Scans the workspace root and resolves the artifact manifest.

Parsing & Normalization Engine

Parses documents into canonical models and correlates terminology.

Intelligence & Validation Engine

Synthesizes the Knowledge Graph, runs conflict checks, and validates output schemas.

Execution Adapter

Binds the validated context to external AI agents.

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Interfaces

Communication between components is strictly governed by public data contracts (e.g. Artifact Manifest, Conflict Report, Workspace Intelligence Report). Internal data models must not be exposed.

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Constraints

• Statelessness: Engines should remain stateless by default.
• Local First: Keep processing inside local sandboxes to protect source code and privacy.
• Deterministic Pipelines: Pipelines must produce consistent outputs for matching inputs.

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Future Extensions

Future implementations can introduce custom parsers (e.g. AST analyzers) and custom validating adapters by mapping to the open extension interfaces defined in this specification.