Files
alkcall/docs/architecture/decisions/047-openable-alpns-are-operations.md
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glm-5.3-flash f8dad9dbc8 feat(review 006 Unit 2): additive OperationSpec.description disclosed via discovery (E-02)
- OperationSpec gains description: Option<String> (builder
  with_description, defaults None; no struct-literal construction
  sites exist, so additive by construction)
- spec_to_json_pub emits description when set; rebuild_spec_for
  parses it back — the field survives from_call discovery and
  op/register announcement (same round-trip pattern as
  resource_id_path / publish_schema)
- services/list and the local-ops half of services/list-peers emit
  description when set; output-schema docs on both listing specs and
  operation_spec_schema advertise the field
- Tests: builder/default, emit/omit, listing emission, schema
  disclosure, schema-doc presence, round-trip + absent-stays-absent
  (8 new; 616 total)
- Docs: review 006 Unit 2 marked IMPLEMENTED; ADR-047 §6 amendment
  records the E-02 discovery decision (listing enrichment lands, the
  channel/resources/subscribe half stays deferred); OQ-40 gains the
  load-bearing note; operation-registry.md struct + listing docs;
  CHANGELOG

Verification: cargo test (616 pass), clippy -D warnings (host +
wasm32), fmt --check, cargo doc --no-deps, wasm32 check — all clean
2026-09-06 19:26:51 +00:00

604 lines
31 KiB
Markdown

# ADR-047: Openable ALPNs Are Operations
## Status
Accepted (amends ADR-037; refines ADR-044, ADR-046; §4 amended
2026-08-13 — open ops are registered per-connection, not resolved via
`context.env` downcast — see "Amendment (§4 per-connection
registration, 2026-08-13)"; amendment #2 (2026-09-03) — the
per-connection registration mechanism is the **per-session fork of the
base registry installed as the session's dispatch registry**, not the
connection overlay — see "Amendment (§4 mechanism, 2026-09-03)" below;
§6 amended 2026-09-06 — the static half of discovery gains an additive
per-op `description` on the listing, the dynamic half stays deferred
— see "Amendment (§6 listing enrichment, 2026-09-06)" below)
## Amendment (§6 listing enrichment, 2026-09-06)
Review 006 E-02 (from the alktunnels Phase 0 sweep) made §6's dynamic
half load-bearing for the first time and asked for a decision on the
static half. Decision: **both halves of the "static per-op" split gain
what is cheap today; the dynamic half stays deferred** (OQ-40, now
with a "load-bearing for alktunnels discovery UI" note in
`open-questions.md`; alktunnels v1 uses config-known op names):
- `OperationSpec` gains `description: Option<String>` — a human-
readable op description, set via `with_description` at registration.
Additive (defaults `None`; no struct-literal construction sites
exist — all sites use `OperationSpec::new`).
- `services/list` (and the local-ops half of `services/list-peers`)
emit `description` when set — one round-trip answers "which ops
exist and what are they for" without the N+1 `services/schema`
sweep. The output-schema docs on both listing specs and on
`services/schema`'s `operation_spec_schema` advertise the field.
- `spec_to_json_pub` emits it when set; `rebuild_spec_for` parses it
back — the description survives discovery and peer announcement
(`from_call`, `op/register`) like every other additive spec field
(`resource_id_path`, `publish_schema` round-trip the same way).
Scope note from E-02 stands: the listing field describes **the op**,
not **the produced resource set** (a tunnel producer registers one op
and N resources). "Which tunnel resources may I open, live" remains
`channel/resources/subscribe`'s job (§6's dynamic half, ADR-037 §
`channel/resources/subscribe`) — deferred until a consumer needs live
resource discovery.
## Amendment (§4 mechanism, 2026-09-03)
The 2026-08-13 amendment named the registration target as "the
connection overlay registry (Layer 2 per ADR-019)". Review 004 (F-01)
verified that this shape cannot dispatch: the top-level dispatch path
(`Dispatcher::dispatch` / `run_loop_single_stream`) resolves and
invokes against the dispatcher's **base registry only**; the
connection overlay is reachable solely as a layer of `context.env`
(for nested invocations — a handler calling `env.invoke(...)), never
for resolving the incoming `call.requested` itself. An open op
registered on the overlay resolves `NOT_FOUND` on the wire.
The one shape proven end-to-end (alkcall's own e2e gate) is different:
the `install_channel_zero` hook builds a **fresh per-connection
registry containing the open op and passes it as the dispatcher's base
registry**. This amendment makes that the operative mechanism.
**The decision: per-connection registration happens on a fork of the
deployment's base registry, installed as the session's dispatch
registry.** The `install_channel_zero` hook (and any future
session-establishment seam):
1. **Forks** the deployment's base registry
(`OperationRegistry::fork` — a deep copy carrying handlers,
provenance, composition authority, capabilities, and the cached
publish-schema validators; review 004 F-02/F-03).
2. **Registers the per-session ops on the fork** — the generic channel
ops (`ChannelOperations::register_on`), the openables
(`ChannelCore::register_openable`), and the bootstrap discovery ops
(`install_bootstrap_discovery`, closed over the fork itself so
`services/list` sees the fork's per-session ops — review 004 F-06).
3. **Dispatches channel 0 over the fork** (`Dispatcher::new(fork,
...)`).
The fork is possible because `OperationRegistry` is internally
mutable (`parking_lot::RwLock` around both maps) — a fork shared as an
`Arc<OperationRegistry>` can receive bootstrap ops after the
dispatcher was built, and the self-referential discovery closure sees
every post-install registration.
The **connection overlay (Layer 2) remains what ADR-019/ADR-024
describe**: the landing zone for peer-announced ops (`op/register`,
review 004 F-05 — ADR-022 amendment) and the nested-invocation target
for imported ops. It is not the dispatch-resolution path for the
session's own ops.
Rationale for the fork shape over an overlay-aware dispatch fallback
(F-02 option (b)): the fork is the only shape with an end-to-end
proof, it needs no change to the shared dispatch loop, and it keeps
the overlay's `invoke_with_policy` shape (namespace-scoped,
parent-context-driven — built for nested composition) out of the
top-level call path, where it does not match the frame-handling
contract.
This preserves every invariant the 2026-08-13 amendment protected:
- **Layering (ADR-044):** unchanged — the open-op wrapper is in
`channels-call`; the call crate's `OperationRegistry` gains only
`fork` (and interior mutability), no channels types.
- **Per-connection resolution:** the open op gets the *right*
`ChannelManager` because the fork is built per-connection and its
openable closes over that connection's `ChannelCore`.
- **"Marked ops invoked outside a channels session" (ADR-047 §2):**
unchanged in effect — a `channels/<alpn>/sub` op registered only on
a session fork is not reachable on a bare `alk/call` connection (the
fork isn't that session's dispatch registry) — the dispatch path
returns `NOT_FOUND`.
### Door type
**Two-way (implementation detail), as before.** The registration
*target* mechanism (fork as base registry) sits within the same
wrapper-shape detail the 2026-08-13 amendment already marked two-way.
The one-way decisions (per-ALPN op names, the `channel_open` marker,
removal of `channel/open`/`direction`) are unchanged.
### References
- Review 004 F-01/F-02/F-03/F-06
(`docs/reviews/004-per-connection-dispatch-and-client-serving-review.md`)
— the verification and the mechanism decision
- ADR-022 amendment (2026-09-03) — the bootstrap-op set (`services/list`,
`services/schema`, `op/register`) and the connect-side serving loop
- ADR-019: operation registry layering (the overlay stays the nested
invocation / peer-announced-ops landing zone)
- The e2e gate: `fork_registry_open_op_resolves_and_is_discoverable`
(`src/channels/client.rs`) — open op resolves through the fork,
per-session openable in `services/list`, `services/schema` validates
## Amendment (§4 per-connection registration, 2026-08-13)
ADR-047 §4 specified that the open-op wrapper resolves the
per-connection `ChannelManager` by downcasting `context.env` to
`&dyn ChannelOperationEnv` at invocation time — "static registration,
dynamic resolution." Implementation (review 001, C-03) found this
shape is not workable as written: `context.env` is a `PeerCompositeEnv`
(a composite of base + session + per-connection overlays), not a single
concrete type, so a direct `as_any()` downcast of `context.env` to
`ChannelsSessionEnv` cannot reach the `ChannelManager`. Traversing the
composite's layers to find the channels-backed overlay would hardcode
`PeerCompositeEnv`'s internal structure into the channels module —
fragile, leaky, and a layering violation (the call crate's composite-env
shape is not part of the channels crate's contract).
**The amendment: open ops are registered per-connection.** The
`ChannelCore` is constructed per channels connection (in the
`install_channel_zero` hook, which already runs per-connection and
already receives the `ChannelManager`). `ChannelCore::register_openable`
is called on that connection's `OperationRegistry` (the connection
overlay registry, Layer 2 per ADR-019), closing over the per-connection
`ChannelCore`. The wrapper uses `ChannelCore::manager()` directly — no
`context.env` downcast, no dynamic resolution. The open op lives on the
connection overlay, which is where per-connection state naturally
belongs (ADR-019, ADR-024).
This preserves every invariant ADR-047 §4 was written to protect:
- **Layering (ADR-044):** the call crate stays free of channels types.
The open-op wrapper is in `channels-call` (`src/channels/operations.rs`);
the call crate's `OperationRegistry` and `OperationEnv` are unchanged.
No `as_any()` is added to `OperationEnv` (the trait stays concrete-rpc-
shaped, preserving the session/connection overlay patterns from
ADR-024 — AGENTS.md §6).
- **Per-connection resolution:** the open op gets the *right*
`ChannelManager` (the one for the connection it was invoked on) because
the op is registered on that connection's overlay registry, with a
`ChannelCore` closing over that connection's manager. A globally-
registered handler (Layer 0) is not on this path.
- **"Marked ops invoked outside a channels session" (ADR-047 §2):**
unchanged. A `channels/<alpn>/sub` op registered only on a channels
connection's overlay is not reachable on a bare `alk/call`
connection (the overlay isn't attached there) — the dispatch path
returns `NOT_FOUND`, which is the correct behavior for "no channels
session" (the `channel:no_channels_session` error code from the
original §4 is no longer reached; `NOT_FOUND` is the natural
reachable-but-not-here result).
The `ChannelOperationEnv` extension trait and `ChannelsSessionEnv` impl
(`src/channels/env.rs`) are retained as a two-way-door implementation
detail — they are not on the open-op path, but remain available for
future per-connection routing (e.g., nested channels where each
connection's overlay carries its own manager reference for
non-open-op queries). The `resolve_channel_manager` stub is removed
(it described the rejected dynamic-resolution shape).
### Door type
**Two-way (implementation detail).** The ADR's door-type section
already marks "The `ChannelCore` wrapper shape, the extension-trait
pattern, and the opener ledger are two-way-door implementation details
within the one-way decision." Per-connection registration vs. dynamic
resolution is a choice within the wrapper-shape detail — the one-way
decisions (per-ALPN op names, the `channel_open` marker, removal of
`channel/open`/`direction`) are unchanged. A future revision could move
open ops back to Layer 0 with real `as_any()` downcast machinery if the
composite-env structure stabilizes enough to make the traversal
non-fragile; the per-connection shape is the simpler choice today.
### References
- C-02, C-03 in `docs/reviews/001-pub-and-channels-integration-review.md`
(the `register_openable`-does-not-exist and
`resolve_channel_manager`-is-a-stub findings this amendment resolves)
- ADR-019: operation registry layering (the connection overlay the open
op is registered on)
- ADR-024: peer-graph routing model (the `OperationEnv` integration-point
pattern this amendment preserves by NOT adding `as_any()`)
## Context
The channels spec (ADR-037) framed channel lifecycle as **one generic
`channel/open` operation** whose input carries the authorization-relevant
facts (`alpn`, `params`, `direction`) inside its JSON body. The call
protocol's ACL machinery (`AccessControl::check` on `OperationSpec`) runs
*before* the handler — but the generic op hides everything the ACL would
need to see inside one op's input, where the call ACL machinery can't
reach it.
The research findings
(`/workspace/@alkdev/alknet/docs/research/call-channels-unification/
findings.md`) surfaced the structural miss and the resolution together:
- **The miss.** Per-ALPN scopes (`tty:open` vs `tunnel:open`) have no
enforcement home. ADR-011's `resource_id_path` (JSON pointer into input
for the resource ID, checked by the ACL before the handler runs) can't
work on a single generic op — the pointer differs per ALPN
(`/params/container` for tty-docker, `/params/target` for tunnel). The
two `direction` values are wildly different grants ("may you consume my
TTY" vs "may you register a service I will consume as a client")
squeezed under one ACL. The shape re-commits the structural miss
ADR-024 (superseding ADR-023) was written to avoid: a parallel
authorization system duplicating `AccessControl` one layer down.
- **The resolution.** An openable ALPN is an operation. Each openable
ALPN registers its own ops on the call `OperationRegistry`, with its
own `access_control`, `input_schema`, `resource_id_path`, and a
`channel_open` marker that tells the channels layer "this op's stream
is binary, not JSON." The call protocol's existing
`AccessControl::check` is the ACL — unchanged. The `direction` field is
gone; `OperationType` carries the direction (`Sub` = consumer
subscribes, `Pub` = producer publishes), building on ADR-046.
This is the cheapest moment to amend: no channels code exists, no
deployments exist, the develop branch is pre-alpha. ADR-037's four op
names were declared one-way doors, but ADR-035/046 just demonstrated that
amendment is the normal mode here.
### What the research findings resolved (Gap A, E)
- **Gap A** (Pub handler shape) — resolved by ADR-046:
`HandlerKind::Sink` / `SinkHandler` / `invoke_sink()`. The initiator
streams *to* the responder via `call.published` events; the handler
consumes the stream and returns a single `ResponseEnvelope`.
- **Gap E** (`OperationEnv::channel_manager()` couples call to channels)
— resolved by the extension-trait pattern: an
`alknet-channels-call`-local trait (`ChannelOperationEnv: OperationEnv`)
adds the `channel_manager()` accessor, and the open-op wrapper
downcasts `context.env` at invocation time. `alkcall` (the call crate)
stays free of any channels types; the layering is preserved.
### What this ADR decides (Gap B, C, D, F, G)
- **Gap B** (hub broker) — **out of scope for alkcall.** The broker
(topic registry, `Pub`↔`Sub` matching by `(op_name, params_hash)`,
N-consumer fan-out) is a hub/consumer concern, not an alkcall concern.
alkcall provides the `Pub`/`Sub` primitives (ADR-046) and the channel
machinery (this ADR); the hub composes the broker on top, the same way
the hub relay composes on top of call ops. This ADR names it as
out-of-scope so it stops re-tangling every channels-control-plane
conversation.
- **Gap C** (`from_call` relay wrapper) — the `from_call` forwarding
handler for a marked op wraps with relay machinery (forward + allocate
local-leg channel + record id mapping + byte-forward pumps) instead of
the plain forwarding stub. The wrapping lives in a separate layer
(`from_call` consumer code, e.g. the hub), not in alkcall's `from_call`
core, preserving the layering. alkcall's `from_call` reconstructs the
`channel_open` marker from discovery (Gap F) so the consumer can branch
on it.
- **Gap D** (`channel_id` allocation in Pub case) — the real invariant is
"the side that holds the `ChannelManager` allocates." In the `Sub` case
that's the responder (the side that received the open op); in the `Pub`
case that's the initiator (the side that sent the open op, which owns
its own channels connection). ADR-037's "responder allocates" is
amended to "connection-owner allocates."
- **Gap F** (`channel_open` marker wire format) — the marker is a boolean
field `"channel_open": true` on the `services/schema` payload. The ALPN
is derivable from the op name (`channels/<alpn>/sub` → ALPN
`alk/<alpn>`); the marker is the dispatch hint, not a carrier for
the ALPN string. `spec_to_json` emits it; `rebuild_spec_for` parses it.
- **Gap G** (`resource_id_path` ACL vs handler ownership) — complementary,
not redundant. The ACL check (via `resource_id_path` +
`OwnershipProvider`) is the coarse gate ("may this identity touch
resources of this type, and if a specific resource is targeted, does
this identity own it?"). The handler's ownership check is ALPN-specific
business logic the ACL can't express ("is this container in a state
that allows TTY attachment?"). The two run at different layers and
answer different questions.
## Decision
### 1. `channel/open` dissolves into per-ALPN ops
The generic `channel/open` operation (ADR-037) is **removed**. Each
openable ALPN registers its own ops on the call `OperationRegistry`,
named `channels/<alpn>/sub` and/or `channels/<alpn>/pub`:
| Op | `OperationType` | Initiator role | Responder role | Stream |
|----|-----------------|----------------|----------------|--------|
| `channels/<alpn>/sub` | `Sub` | consumer (subscribes) | producer (streams) | server→client |
| `channels/<alpn>/pub` | `Pub` | producer (publishes) | consumer (receives) | client→server |
An ALPN may register one or both ops. A peer that may subscribe is not
the same grant as a peer that may publish — separate op types, separate
ACLs.
The `direction` field from ADR-037 is **removed**. `OperationType`
carries the direction. The "who writes first" question is
ALPN-specific (determined by the handler's `params` contract), unchanged
from ADR-037's "the channels layer does not enforce write order."
**The generic ops stay:** `channel/close`, `channel/control`,
`channel/resources/subscribe` remain generic (keyed by `channel_id`),
registered by `channels-call` at assembly time. Only `channel/open`
dissolves.
### 2. `channel_open` marker on `OperationSpec`
`OperationSpec` gains an optional `channel_open` field — the marker that
tells the channels layer "this op's stream is binary, allocate a channel
for it":
```rust
pub struct OperationSpec {
// ... existing fields ...
pub channel_open: Option<ChannelOpenSpec>,
}
pub struct ChannelOpenSpec {
pub alpn: Cow<'static, str>, // e.g., "alk/tty"; Cow so from_call can supply an owned String without Box::leak
}
```
The marker is **registry metadata, not auth machinery** — parallel to
how `resource_id_path` tells ADR-011 where to find the resource ID. The
op's `access_control` is the ACL (unchanged); the marker is the dispatch
hint. The `OperationRegistry` is opaque to the marker; it's
`channels-call` that reads it.
**Wire-visible.** The marker survives discovery serialization — it is
part of the `services/schema` payload, not just the in-process struct.
`spec_to_json` emits `"channel_open": true` when set (boolean — the ALPN
is derivable from the op name). `rebuild_spec_for` parses it back. A
`from_call` importer can branch on the marker to wrap with relay
machinery (Gap C).
**Marked ops invoked outside a channels session.** `channels/tty/sub` is
registered on the call registry — which means it's also visible/invocable
on a bare top-level `alk/call` connection, where there is no
`ChannelManager`. The open-op wrapper resolves `channel_manager()` at
invocation time via the extension trait (Gap E); if it returns `None`,
the wrapper returns `channel:no_channels_session`.
> **Amended 2026-08-13** — `ChannelOpenSpec::alpn` is
> `Cow<'static, str>` (not `&'static str` as originally decided). The
> `&'static str` shape forced `from_call`'s discovery path to
> `Box::leak` each runtime-parsed ALPN `String` to satisfy the
> `'static` bound, accumulating a leak on every rediscovery. The
> `Cow<'static, str>` keeps the common case (ALPN crates register at
> compile time with a `&'static str` literal — zero allocation) cheap
> while letting `from_call` supply an owned `String` without leaking.
> This is a two-way-door type detail (the wire format — a boolean
> `channel_open` marker — is unchanged).
### 3. `ChannelCore` wrapper (the open-op composition seam)
The ALPN crate provides:
- The `OperationSpec` (with `channel_open` marker, `access_control`,
`input_schema`, `resource_id_path`).
- The open handler (ALPN-specific work — validate params, consult
ownership, prepare the backend, return a "channel plan" — a
`ProtocolHandler` to spawn on the channel's `BiStream`).
`channels-call` provides:
- The `ChannelCore` (channel-id allocation, `ChannelManager` integration,
per-connection opener ledger, `ChannelLifecyclePolicy` consultation,
teardown hooks).
- A `register_openable(spec, open_handler, channel_core)` helper that
wraps the ALPN's open handler with the channel machinery and registers
the op on the call `OperationRegistry`.
The wrapper shape (not the invoke shape) is preferred: the ALPN's open
handler returns a channel plan; channels-call's wrapper does the
allocation/ledger/policy/spawn. The alternative (the handler calls
`context.channel_core.open(...)` itself) would require either
`OperationContext` to carry a `channel_core` reference (inverting the
call → channels-call dependency) or a generic extension mechanism on
`OperationContext` (more complexity than the wrapper). The exact API
shape of the channel plan is a two-way-door implementation detail; the
architectural point is the wrapper.
### 4. Per-connection `ChannelManager` resolution (Gap E)
> **Amended 2026-08-13** — see "Amendment (§4 per-connection
> registration, 2026-08-13)" at the top of this file. The
> dynamic-resolution shape described below (downcast `context.env` to
> `&dyn ChannelOperationEnv` at invocation time) was found
> unworkable as written (`context.env` is a `PeerCompositeEnv`, not a
> single concrete type; the downcast cannot reach the manager without
> fragile cross-layer traversal). The operative decision is
> **per-connection registration**: `register_openable` is called on the
> connection overlay registry (Layer 2), closing over a per-connection
> `ChannelCore`; the wrapper uses `ChannelCore::manager()` directly.
> The body below is the **original** (rejected) shape, retained for
> rationale continuity.
The `register_openable` helper registers ops at assembly time (Layer 0,
curated, static per ADR-019). But the wrapper needs the
**per-connection** `ChannelManager` — the op arrives on channel 0 of one
specific channels connection, and the channel must be allocated on
*that* connection's manager. A globally-registered handler closing over
a static `ChannelCore` has no way to know which channels connection
invoked it.
The resolution: an extension trait in `channels-call` (not in the call
crate's core `OperationEnv` trait) adds the `channel_manager()` accessor:
```rust
// in channels-call
pub trait ChannelOperationEnv: OperationEnv {
fn channel_manager(&self) -> Option<&ChannelManager>;
}
```
The wrapper handler downcasts `context.env` to
`&dyn ChannelOperationEnv` at invocation time — static registration,
dynamic resolution. If the downcast fails (no channels session), the
wrapper returns `channel:no_channels_session`. This keeps `alkcall`'s
call crate free of any channels types and preserves the layering
(ADR-044). The `OperationEnv` is already the integration point for
per-connection state (ADR-019); adding a `ChannelManager` accessor via
an extension trait is the natural extension.
Each channels connection's `OperationEnv` overlay carries its own
`ChannelManager` reference, so nested connections resolve correctly.
### 5. `channel_id` allocation: connection-owner allocates (Gap D)
ADR-037's "responder allocates" invariant is amended: **the side that
holds the `ChannelManager` for that connection allocates the
`channel_id`.** In the `Sub` case that's the responder (the side that
received the open op — it owns its channels connection). In the `Pub`
case that's the initiator (the side that sent the open op — it owns its
own channels connection).
This is the same invariant stated correctly: the connection owner
allocates. The "responder allocates" framing was a special case that
happened to hold for `Sub` (the common case) but broke for `Pub` (the
initiator owns the connection it's publishing from).
### 6. The discovery split
- **"What may I open"** (static, per-op): `services/list` (visibility-
filtered + `AccessControl::check(calling_peer_identity)` server-side,
per ADR-024 §6) + `services/schema` (per-op `access_control` and
`channel_open` marker). The existing server-side ACL-filtered
discovery is preserved; the spec is the authority. `channel:forbidden`
on the open op is the real check; the preview is "here's what the spec
says, you can fail fast."
- **"What is currently there"** (dynamic, ALPN-level):
`channel/resources/subscribe`. Each ALPN crate that registers open ops
also provides a resource enumerator (which containers are running,
which TTY sessions are active). `channel/resources/subscribe`
aggregates across all registered openable ALPNs. The data source lives
in the ALPN crate, not in channels-call.
The `access` preview in `resources/subscribe` (ADR-037) becomes
redundant — it's on the op spec, available via `services/schema`. It is
dropped from the `resources/subscribe` payload; the spec is the
authority, and carrying a preview in a different shape invites
staleness.
### 7. Quota lifecycle: the opener ledger (Gap 2 from findings)
ADR-041's `ChannelLifecyclePolicy::on_close(&op_ctx.identity)` is called
from the `channel/close` handler with the **closer's** identity, not the
opener's — and is not called at all on transport drop. A peer whose
connection dies at cap is permanently at cap (a self-DoS).
The fix: `channels-call` keeps a per-connection opener ledger
(`channel_id → opener PeerId`). The decrement is keyed by the opener
(from the ledger), not the closer. The decrement is called from **every
teardown path** — close received, close sent locally, handler exit,
connection drop — not just `channel/close`. The ledger entry is removed
atomically with its decrement (teardown paths can race; a
double-decrement under-counts and weakens the cap).
The `ChannelLifecyclePolicy` trait shape (`check_open`, `on_close`)
survives; the change is where `on_close` is called from and where the
opener identity comes from. `channels-core` stays auth-blind (the
ledger lives in `channels-call`, not `channels-core`).
### 8. ALPN category reframe
ADR-086 §4 (alknet source) split the foundational handlers into
"channels data-channel ALPNs" and "SSH (endpoint ALPN wrapping
channels)." Under the unified model, the first category dissolves —
they're **call apps** (the same shape as docker). They register ops on
the call `OperationRegistry`. Some ops return JSON; some ops carry the
`channel_open` marker and produce a binary stream. The endpoint
(channels or bare call) determines the framing, not the app.
The ALPN crates served under channels (tty, tunnel, socks5, fs, sftp)
stop being "just ALPNs" and become call apps. They inherit call's
auth/composition/identity by construction (they *are* call apps). The
binary-stream part is the `channel_open` marker on the op spec. SSH
stays distinct (endpoint ALPN wrapping channels).
## Consequences
**Positive:**
- Per-ALPN ACLs have an enforcement home: each openable ALPN's op has
its own `access_control`, checked by `OperationRegistry::invoke`
before the handler runs, like every other op. No new auth machinery.
- ADR-011's `resource_id_path` works for channel-open ops: the path is
per-op (`/params/container` for tty-docker), not per-ALPN-branch-of-a-
generic-op. The coarse ownership gate runs before the handler.
- The `direction` field is gone; `OperationType` (`Sub`/`Pub`) carries
the direction. Separate op types → separate ACLs. The hub-as-proxy
pattern (worker publishes, hub owns, consumers subscribe) composes on
top.
- The `channel_open` marker is the dispatch hint — orthogonal to the
ACL. The same `Pub`/`Sub` model works for JSON streams (marker absent)
and binary streams (marker present).
- The ALPN crates are call apps — the gating is a consequence, not the
definition. They inherit call's auth by construction.
- The per-connection opener ledger fixes the quota self-DoS (Gap 2).
- The extension-trait pattern (Gap E) keeps the call crate free of
channels types.
**Negative:**
- `OperationSpec` gains a field (`channel_open: Option<ChannelOpenSpec>`,
defaults `None`). Every spec-constructing site adds the field,
defaulting to `None`. This is a mechanical, additive change — the
`Option`/`None`-default keeps it non-breaking.
- The ALPN→path-segment mapping (`alk/tty` → `tty`) needs pinning.
The op name `channels/tty/sub` implies the path segment is `tty`;
non-`alk/*` ALPNs need a rule. The rule: the path segment is the
ALPN with the `alk/` prefix stripped; ALPNs without that prefix
use their full ALPN string as the path segment (rare case, two-way-
door).
- The `from_call` relay wrapper (Gap C) is a consumer concern, not in
alkcall's `from_call` core. The consumer (hub) wraps marked ops with
relay machinery after `from_call` returns. This preserves the
layering but means the hub has more to do than a plain
`register_imported_all`.
- The broker (Gap B) is out of scope. The `Pub`/`Sub` primitives are the
building blocks; the hub composes the broker on top. Designing the
broker blind would produce a half-design.
## Door type
**One-way (control-plane shape).** The per-ALPN op names
(`channels/<alpn>/sub`, `channels/<alpn>/pub`), the `channel_open`
marker on `OperationSpec`, and the removal of `channel/open` /
`direction` are one-way: once consumers register open ops and clients
call them by name, changing the shape requires a protocol migration.
The `ChannelCore` wrapper shape, the extension-trait pattern, and the
opener ledger are two-way-door implementation details within the
one-way decision.
The `channel_open` marker's wire shape (`"channel_open": true` boolean)
is one-way: `services/schema` consumers will read it, and changing the
shape would break them. The `ChannelOpenSpec` in-process struct carrying
the ALPN is a two-way-door detail (the wire shape is boolean; the
in-process struct is free to evolve).
## References
- ADR-037: channel lifecycle operations (amended by this ADR —
`channel/open` dissolves; generic ops stay; `direction` removed)
- ADR-041: per-identity channel cap (amended by this ADR — the opener
ledger; the trait shape survives)
- ADR-046: Publish operation type and `HandlerKind::Sink` (the
`Pub`/`Sub` primitives this ADR builds on; Gap A resolved)
- ADR-024: peer-graph routing model (the `AccessControl::check` path
this ADR preserves; the precedent for avoiding a parallel auth
system)
- ADR-011: dynamic resource ownership (`resource_id_path` works again
under per-ALPN ops)
- ADR-019: operation registry layering (`OperationEnv` as the
integration point; the extension-trait pattern extends it)
- ADR-044: channels sub-crate decomposition (the layering this ADR
preserves — channels types stay out of the call crate)
- ADR-042: hub relay (the relay contract unchanged in shape; the op
name changes, the marker replaces prefix-matching)
- `/workspace/@alkdev/alknet/docs/research/call-channels-unification/
findings.md` — the research that surfaced the unification and the
gaps this ADR resolves