FRAME is a universal runtime for structured systems. Everything it hosts is a FRAME in a governed relationship graph. Clients project and submit Intents — they do not own state.

• Architecture overview: docs/FRAME.md
• Build and run: docs/DEVELOPER.md
• Package contract: docs/FRAME-PACKAGE.md
• Integrity check: ./tools/architecture-check.sh Essential Documentation

All users should be familiar with:

• Identity and laws: docs/FRAME.md
• Ontology · Algebra · Physics · Runtime: docs/FRAME-ARCHITECTURE.md
• Legal transformations: docs/FRAME-ALGEBRA.md
• Platform operations: docs/FRAME-PLATFORM.md
• Package Contract: docs/FRAME-PACKAGE.md
• Conformance: docs/FRAME-CONFORMANCE.md Full index: docs/README.md Who Are You? ============ Find your role below:
• New FRAME Developer — Building on the substrate
• Package Author — Shipping .frame packages
• Client / UI Developer — Browser, desktop, phone, shell
• Runtime / Host Engineer — Persistence, authority, execution
• Security / Authority — Sessions, identity, trust, governance
• Connected Host / Mesh — Multi-host sync
• AI Integrator — Participants, recommendations, delegation
• Operator — Install, boot, backup, recover
• Researcher — Studying the architecture
• AI Coding Assistant — Working in this repository For Specific Users ================== New FRAME Developer

Start here:

• Entry path: README.md → docs/FRAME.md
• Developer guide: docs/DEVELOPER.md
• Glossary: docs/FRAME-GLOSSARY.md
• Conventions: docs/FRAME-CONVENTIONS.md
• Build host: cargo build --manifest-path frame_runtime_host/Cargo.toml
• Run: ./frame start Package Author

Create things WITH FRAME, not inside Core:

• Package Contract: docs/FRAME-PACKAGE.md
• Built-in package layout: packages/
• Capability resolution: docs/rfc/RFC-0001-CAPABILITY-RESOLUTION.md
• Exchange Space (generic discovery): docs/FRAME-EXCHANGE-SPACE.md Client / UI Developer

Universal client boundary:

• Interaction model: docs/FRAME-INTERACTION.md
• Wire protocol: docs/rfc/RFC-0002-CORE-WIRE-PROTOCOL.md
• Session / transport: docs/rfc/RFC-0003-RUNTIME-TRANSPORT-SESSION.md
• Browser UI: ui/
• Wire TypeScript: runtimes/frame_wire_ts/
• Client contract: frame.client.v1 (see frame_runtime_host client protocol) Runtime / Host Engineer

Authoritative host:

• Architecture: docs/FRAME-ARCHITECTURE.md
• Platform ops: docs/FRAME-PLATFORM.md
• Mutation map: docs/FRAME-MUTATION-MAP.md
• Host source: frame_runtime_host/
• Integrity freeze: .cursor/rules/architecture-freeze.mdc
• Architecture check: ./tools/architecture-check.sh Security / Authority

Only governed mutation writes the Runtime Graph:

• Governance strategies: docs/FRAME-GOVERNANCE-STRATEGIES.md
• Package trust / signatures: docs/FRAME-PACKAGE.md
• Architecture debt / freeze criteria: docs/ARCHITECTURE-DEBT.md
• Conformance suite: docs/FRAME-CONFORMANCE.md Connected Host / Mesh

Separate hosts, authorized sync:

• Platform / runtime docs: docs/FRAME-PLATFORM.md
• Host source: frame_runtime_host/src/connected_host.rs
• Peer authority: frame_runtime_host/src/peer_sync_auth.rs AI Integrator

AI is a participant, not a second authority:

• Interaction / Commitment Boundary: docs/FRAME-INTERACTION.md
• Host AI modules: frame_runtime_host/src/ai_participant.rs
• Optional config: FRAME_AI_CONFIG Operator

Install and run the product host:

• Run: ./frame --help
• Data dir: FRAME_DATA_DIR (default ~/.local/share/frame)
• Release layout: dist/frame/README-RUN.txt
• Package release: ./tools/package-release.sh
• Developer ops: docs/DEVELOPER.md Researcher

Study the frozen substrate:

• FRAME.md
• FRAME-ARCHITECTURE.md
• FRAME-ALGEBRA.md
• FRAME-PLATFORM.md
• RFCs under docs/rfc/ AI Coding Assistant

CRITICAL: FRAME is frozen. Do not invent new Core nouns, mutation paths, or parallel authorities.

• Architecture freeze: .cursor/rules/architecture-freeze.mdc
• Integrity criteria: docs/ARCHITECTURE-DEBT.md
• Must pass: ./tools/architecture-check.sh
• Entry path: docs/FRAME.md → docs/FRAME-ARCHITECTURE.md → docs/FRAME-ALGEBRA.md Build and Validate ==================

./tools/architecture-check.sh
cargo test --manifest-path frame_runtime_host/Cargo.toml --lib -- --test-threads=1
(cd runtimes/frame_wire_ts && npm test && npm run verify)
(cd ui && npm test)
./frame start

FRAME is the substrate. Domain products (vehicles, weather stations, marketplaces, hardware demos, and similar) are built WITH FRAME in other repositories.