Mission: Build Systems for AI|Genesis: B - Active|Architecture: Freeze v1.0|Current WO: WO-F-000

Constitution

The Genesis Constitution and the Architecture Freeze — the frozen governance of Foundry.

FOUNDRY.md

The Constitution for foundry-app

Mission

Build Systems for AI.

First Principle

Language defines architecture.

Architecture defines software.

Software shall never redefine the language.

What Foundry Is

Foundry is the internal operating environment for Genesis and the Etheron AI ecosystem.

It is not a customer product. It is not a marketing site. It is the canonical workplace for AI.

Every AI worker begins here. Every piece of permanent knowledge lives here. Every Work Order is tracked here.

Foundry is provider-independent. Any capable AI that accepts the Constitution may work inside Foundry.

What Foundry Is Not

  • A dashboard
  • A customer portal
  • An analytics product
  • A chat interface
  • A billing system

If a feature does not strengthen Systems for AI, it does not belong here.

Architecture

foundry-app/

BOOT.md <- Read first. Always. FOUNDRY.md <- This file. The Constitution. CLAUDE.md <- Provider-specific pointer. Read FOUNDRY.md. README.md <- Human-readable orientation. DESIGN_LOCK.md <- Frozen design decisions. Never override.

/constitution <- Genesis Constitution and principles /adr <- Architecture Decision Records: architectural boundaries and decisions /lexicon <- Canonical definitions for all Foundry terms /rom <- Read-Only Memory: permanent organizational knowledge /context <- Durable operating context seed (status, principles, domains, tracks, priorities) /workorders <- Active and completed Work Orders /protocols <- Operating protocols for AI workers and humans /pipelines <- Pipeline definitions and configurations /registry <- Capability, Provider, Protocol, Tool, AI Worker registries

The first record, adr/ADR-001_PACKET_STORAGE_BOUNDARY_V1.md, records the packet storage boundary.

Working Principles

  1. Read the Constitution first.
  2. Respect the Lexicon.
  3. Follow approved Work Orders.
  4. No architectural changes without Genesis approval.
  5. Prefer simplicity.
  6. Distill completed work back into ROM.
  7. Every commit must strengthen Systems for AI.

Merge Authority

  • Brain 1 approves all merges to main.
  • AIR-X05 reviews diffs and issues merge or reject recommendations.
  • No AI worker holds merge authority independently.

Registered AI Workers

Worker Provider Responsibility
AIR-X05 Anthropic Architecture and Review
AIR-X08 Anthropic Implementation

Canonical Principle

Every artifact shall have one canonical home, one canonical name, and one canonical purpose.

No duplicate truths. No ambiguous ownership. No scattered knowledge.

Success Criterion

A new AI worker can open Foundry and immediately understand:

  • The mission
  • The constitution
  • Current active work
  • Where permanent knowledge lives

Without reading any prior conversation.

Operating Rule

Foundry Rule #1: We build Foundry by working inside Foundry.

Temporary thinking stays in chat. Permanent decisions move to Foundry. Work executes from Foundry. Learning returns to Foundry.

If knowledge survives today, it belongs in Foundry by end of day.

Version

FOUNDRY.md v1.0 - Architecture Freeze
Sealed by Brain 1. July 7, 2026.

DESIGN_LOCK.md

Architecture Freeze

These decisions are locked. No AI provider may override them without a formal architectural decision (ADR) approved by Brain 1.

Mission (Locked)

Foundry exists to build Systems for AI.

Every feature, page, registry, protocol, and work order must strengthen this mission.

If a proposed feature does not strengthen Systems for AI, it does not belong in Foundry.

Architectural Boundary (Locked)

Genesis The Program

Foundry The System

Etheron The Product

Foundry shall never become a customer application.

Etheron shall never become the engineering platform.

Genesis governs. Foundry builds. Etheron delivers.

Partial supersession — 2026-07-21 (ADR-006). Preserved as historical architectural evidence. Under ADR-006 (Accepted, Brain 1), Etherom is the governing organizational authority and Genesis is Etherom's constitutional foundation and governing memory — not a separate sovereign organization. The statement "Genesis governs" above is no longer controlling to the extent it implies Genesis is a governing organization separate from Etherom. All other provisions of this Architecture Freeze — including "Foundry builds." and "Etheron delivers." — remain in force. The original text is preserved unchanged for historical traceability. (See also ADR-008 re: Foundry's build-vs-permanent-runtime boundary; this Batch-1 note resolves no other open question.)

Visual Direction (Locked)

Theme: VS Code / GitHub / Linear

Not: Marketing website, animations, dashboards, customer portal

  • Maximum readability
  • Minimal navigation
  • No decorative elements
  • Dark or neutral palette preferred

Data Layer (Locked)

Phase 1: Local JSON only. No database.

Reason: Speed of iteration. Constitution before complexity.

Seed data lives in /rom, /constitution, /lexicon.

No external database connections until a WO explicitly introduces one.

Navigation Structure (Locked)

/ Home /constitution Genesis Constitution /lexicon Etheron Lexicon /rom ROM Hub /workorders Work Orders /context Context Memory (authorized by ADR-002) /registry Registry Framework /registry/capability /registry/provider /registry/protocol /registry/pipeline /registry/tool /registry/project /registry/ai-worker /pipelines Pipeline definitions /foundry-lab Research charter and active questions /sandbox Experimental work

Home Page (Locked)

Top of page:

FOUNDRY Build Systems for AI

Below the header:

  • Current Work
  • Recent ROM
  • Current Project

Nothing else on the home page without an approved WO.

Not in Phase 1

The following are not in scope until the Constitution explicitly authorizes them:

  • Authentication
  • Billing
  • AI Chat interface
  • Analytics dashboards
  • Customer portal
  • Fancy UI / animations
  • Provider credentials
  • User accounts

If a PR introduces any of the above without an approved WO, reject it.

AI Independence (Locked)

Foundry depends on capabilities, not providers.

Claude Code, Codex, GPT, Gemini, local models, and future providers are interchangeable implementations.

The architecture shall never depend upon a single AI provider.

Simplicity Rule (Locked)

Every new concept increases complexity.

Every approved concept must simplify the overall system.

When two solutions are equivalent, prefer the one with fewer permanent concepts.

Change Discipline

Architecture Freeze versions shall change only through an approved ADR.

Minor implementation changes shall not modify this document.

This document is intentionally difficult to change.

Work Orders implement the architecture.

They do not redefine it.

Final Rule

Language defines architecture.

Architecture defines software.

Software shall never redefine the language.

Version

DESIGN_LOCK.md v1.1 - Architecture Freeze
Sealed by Brain 1. July 7, 2026.
Amended by ADR-002 (Brain 1, July 11, 2026): added /context to the Navigation Structure.

GENESIS CONSTITUTION

Status: Seed (Genesis B) Canonical scope: The Genesis program and its governance of Foundry.

Purpose

Genesis is the Program.

This document records the founding principles under which Genesis governs. It does not restate the foundry-app Constitution (FOUNDRY.md); it establishes the governing layer above it.

Mission

Build Systems for AI.

The Three Layers

Genesis : The Program. Genesis governs.

Reconciliation note — 2026-07-21 (ADR-006). Preserved as historical architectural evidence. Under ADR-006 (Accepted, Brain 1), Etherom is the governing organizational authority and Genesis is Etherom's constitutional foundation and governing memory, not an organizational entity separate from Etherom. The original "Genesis governs" language is retained unchanged as the earlier architectural formulation.

Foundry : The System. Foundry builds.

Etheron : The Product. Etheron delivers.

Foundry shall never become a customer application. Etheron shall never become the engineering platform.

This boundary is locked in DESIGN_LOCK.md and may change only through an approved ADR.

First Principle

Language defines architecture. Architecture defines software. Software shall never redefine the language.

Governing Authority

  • Brain 1 is the human governing authority.
  • Brain 1 issues Work Orders and approves all merges to main.
  • No AI worker holds merge authority independently.
  • Architecture changes require an approved ADR.

Provider Independence

Foundry depends on capabilities, not providers.

Any capable AI that accepts this Constitution may work inside Foundry. The architecture shall never depend upon a single AI provider.

Canonical Principle

Every artifact shall have one canonical home, one canonical name, and one canonical purpose. No duplicate truths. No ambiguous ownership. No scattered knowledge.

References

  • FOUNDRY.md — the Constitution for foundry-app (the System).
  • DESIGN_LOCK.md — Architecture Freeze v1.0.
  • lexicon/LEXICON.md — canonical definitions.

Seeded under WO-F-001. Genesis B — Active. Architecture Freeze v1.0.