Files
alkcall/docs/architecture/README.md
T
glm-5.3-flash 7b8a3e7558 docs: spec-level sync with the single-publish fix + port-debt repair
The spec docs had not caught up with the stub-sweep fix commits
(4eae18f..3317ea0), and the ported docs still carried alknet
numbering that now collides with alkcall's own ADR range.

Spec sync with the landed code:
- call-protocol.md: register_imported/register_imported_all return
  Result and refuse marked specs; marked-spec registration refusal
  contract spelled out (ADR-047 am. 4 §4.8, ADR-022 am. 2026-10-13)
- client-and-adapters.md: from_call flow gains the Pub sink-forwarding
  branch and the marked-op refusal (resolves OQ-37 — no from_call
  relay wrapper; sanctioned compositions are
  ChannelRelay::register_relay_openable / ChannelClient)
- ADR-051: "channel/control is not implemented" stale sentence
  replaced with the ADR-052 per-leg control contract
- OQ-37 resolved; OQ-22 split (primitive resolved; broker placement
  out of scope) with new OQ-42 for the downstream hub broker
  (deferred(scope), concretely blocked); OQ-24 resolved by the shipped
  add/strip surface; OQ-41 → deferred(scope) with blocking condition
- README: OQ bullets renumbered to tracker IDs; alknet-collision note
  rewritten (range 001..053, alknet prefix convention); new principle
  11 (implement-or-stop-advertising); AGENTS.md ADR range 001..053

Port-debt repair:
- 149 broken decision links across 17 docs — ported with alknet
  numbers/paths, most now remapped to alkcall files by slug; the
  rest link the alknet repo per the README convention
- stale OQ numbering rewritten to tracker IDs in call-protocol.md,
  call-README.md, operation-registry.md, client-and-adapters.md,
  ADR-025, channels-overview/README/wire, channel-client
- unambiguous "alknet ADR-NNN" labels where an alknet number collides
  with an alkcall ADR (052 TTY vs channel/control, 033 storage vs
  rust-canonical, 025/026/027+020 vault vs PeerEntry/auth ADRs)

Verified: cargo test (697 + guard), fmt, clippy --all-targets -D
warnings; full markdown link scan clean.
2026-10-13 09:34:37 +00:00

315 lines
22 KiB
Markdown

---
status: draft
last_updated: 2026-10-13
---
# alkcall
The call + channels RPC crate. Structured JSON RPC (operations, streaming
subscriptions, service discovery) and N-channel multiplexing over one
transport stream (channel 0 pre-negotiated as `alk/call`).
This crate unifies `alknet-call` and `alknet-channels` from the alknet
mono-repo, plus the vendored core types formerly in `alknet-core`. The
source architecture docs were ported from
`/workspace/@alkdev/alknet/docs/architecture/` and renumbered as alkcall
ADRs (ADR-001..053). The ALPN strings (`alk/call`, `alk/channels`)
are wire-stable and unchanged — see ADR-004.
## Documents
| Document | Status | Description |
|----------|--------|-------------|
| [call-README.md](call-README.md) | draft | Call protocol index — adapter, stream model, registry, client (ported from alknet call/README.md) |
| [call-protocol.md](call-protocol.md) | draft | CallAdapter, hand-rolled EventEnvelope framing (ADR-014), stream model, PendingRequestMap, bidirectional calls |
| [operation-registry.md](operation-registry.md) | draft | OperationSpec, Handler, OperationRegistry, AccessControl, service discovery |
| [client-and-adapters.md](client-and-adapters.md) | draft | CallClient (transport-agnostic spawn_dispatch), from_call, OperationAdapter trait, no-env-vars invariant |
| [channels-README.md](channels-README.md) | draft | Channels protocol index — wire format, adapter, lifecycle, client (ported from alknet channels/README.md) |
| [channels-overview.md](channels-overview.md) | draft | The multiplexing collapse, crate dependencies, transport agnosticism, WASM |
| [channels-wire.md](channels-wire.md) | draft | The 8-byte chunk format, sentinels, wire-level invariants (REQ-CH-01..05) |
| [channels-connection.md](channels-connection.md) | draft | ChannelBidiStreamSource, accept_bi yields one BiStream per channel |
| [channels-adapter.md](channels-adapter.md) | draft | ChannelsAdapter, ChannelManager, demux/mux contracts |
| [channel-operations.md](channel-operations.md) | draft | channel/open, channel/close, channel/control, channel/resources/subscribe |
| [channel-client.md](channel-client.md) | draft | ChannelClient — transport-agnostic from_connection primary |
## Applicable ADRs
### Core (vendored types) — ADR-001..012
| ADR | Title | Relevance |
|-----|-------|-----------|
| [001](decisions/001-alpn-protocol-dispatch.md) | ALPN-Based Protocol Dispatch | HandlerRegistry, ALPN routing |
| [002](decisions/002-protocol-handler-trait.md) | ProtocolHandler Trait | The trait every handler implements |
| [003](decisions/003-auth-as-shared-core.md) | Auth as Shared Core | IdentityProvider, Identity, AuthToken |
| [004](decisions/004-alpn-convention-and-connection-model.md) | ALPN String Convention | `alk/` prefix, one ALPN per connection |
| [005](decisions/005-bistream-type-definition.md) | BiStream Type Definition | BiStream, handlers receive Connection |
| [006](decisions/006-authcontext-structure.md) | AuthContext Structure | AuthContext fields, hybrid resolution |
| [007](decisions/007-connection-from-stream-generic-single-stream.md) | Connection::from_stream | Generic single-stream connections |
| [008](decisions/008-bidistreamsource-trait.md) | BidiStreamSource Trait | Connection extension point |
| [009](decisions/009-bistream-as-the-handler-leaf.md) | BiStream as the Handler Leaf | accept_bi returns BiStream (concrete) |
| [010](decisions/010-secret-material-flow-and-capability-injection.md) | Secret Material Flow | No secrets on wire; Capabilities |
| [011](decisions/011-dynamic-resource-ownership-for-runtime-spawned-resources.md) | Dynamic Resource Ownership | OwnershipProvider, resource_id_path |
| [012](decisions/012-connectioncredentials-decouple-dial-from-call.md) | ConnectionCredentials | Transport-level credentials, auth_token is per-request |
### Call protocol — ADR-013..030
| ADR | Title | Relevance |
|-----|-------|-----------|
| [013](decisions/013-irpc-as-call-protocol-foundation.md) | ~~irpc as Call Protocol Foundation~~ | **Superseded** by ADR-014 |
| [014](decisions/014-irpc-never-integrated-hand-rolled-framing.md) | Hand-Rolled EventEnvelope Framing | The call wire format ADR; supersedes ADR-013 |
| [015](decisions/015-call-protocol-stream-model.md) | Call Protocol Stream Model | Bidi streams, EventEnvelope, ID correlation |
| [016](decisions/016-operation-error-schemas.md) | Operation Error Schemas | call.error with typed details |
| [017](decisions/017-privilege-model-and-authority-context.md) | Privilege Model | internal = authority switch; Visibility |
| [018](decisions/018-handler-registration-provenance-and-composition-authority.md) | Handler Registration | Registration bundle, provenance, composition authority |
| [019](decisions/019-operation-registry-layering.md) | Operation Registry Layering | Curated + session + connection overlays; OperationEnv trait |
| [020](decisions/020-abort-cascade-for-nested-calls.md) | Abort Cascade | call.aborted cascades; abort-dependents default |
| [021](decisions/021-streaming-handler-for-subscriptions.md) | Streaming Handler | StreamingHandler, invoke_streaming() |
| [022](decisions/022-call-protocol-client-and-adapter-contract.md) | Client and Adapter Contract | CallClient, from_call, OperationAdapter |
| [023](decisions/023-callclient-peer-scoped-registry-filtering.md) | ~~Peer-Scoped Registry Filtering~~ | **Superseded** by ADR-024 |
| [024](decisions/024-peer-graph-routing-model.md) | Peer-Graph Routing Model | PeerCompositeEnv, PeerRef, AccessControl peer auth |
| [025](decisions/025-peerentry-and-identity-id-decoupling.md) | PeerEntry and Identity.id Decoupling | PeerId = Identity.id (stable) |
| [026](decisions/026-forwarded-for-identity.md) | Forwarded-For Identity | Metadata only, never used by ACL |
| [027](decisions/027-from-jsonschema-as-http-adapter.md) | from_jsonschema as HTTP Adapter | FromJsonSchema provenance stays; impl in alknet-http |
| [028](decisions/028-from-call-manual-free-function.md) | from_call Is a Manual Free Function | Assembly layer calls it after dial |
| [029](decisions/029-aggregated-peer-env-wiring.md) | Aggregated Peer-Environment Wiring | Dispatcher hub wiring |
| [030](decisions/030-peer-composite-env-peer-operations.md) | PeerCompositeEnv::peer_operations | OperationEnv::peer_operations override |
### Shared — ADR-031..033
| ADR | Title | Relevance |
|-----|-------|-----------|
| [031](decisions/031-crate-decomposition.md) | Crate Decomposition | alkcall unifies core+call+channels |
| [032](decisions/032-one-way-door-decision-framework.md) | One-Way Door Decision Framework | Reversal cost classification |
| [033](decisions/033-rust-canonical-implementation.md) | Rust as Canonical Implementation Language | Rust canonical, TS reference |
### Channels — ADR-034..045
| ADR | Title | Relevance |
|-----|-------|-----------|
| [034](decisions/034-channels-wire-format.md) | Channels Wire Format | 8-byte chunk header; one-way door |
| [035](decisions/035-channels-pure-channel-multiplexing.md) | Pure Channel Multiplexing | No stream_type; BiStream-only; handler owns sub-mux |
| [036](decisions/036-channel-0-pre-negotiated-call.md) | Channel 0 Pre-Negotiated | Channel 0 = alk/call |
| [037](decisions/037-channel-lifecycle-operations.md) | Channel Lifecycle Operations | channel/open, close, control, resources/subscribe |
| [038](decisions/038-channelconnection-bidistreamsource.md) | ChannelConnection | Per-channel BidiStreamSource; yield-once accept_bi |
| [039](decisions/039-channelsadapter-and-channelmanager.md) | ChannelsAdapter and ChannelManager | Demux/mux; ALPN-blind, auth-blind |
| [040](decisions/040-backpressure-channel-limits-id-reuse.md) | Backpressure, Limits, ID Reuse | Bounded-buffer; 256-channel memory bound |
| [041](decisions/041-per-identity-channel-cap.md) | Per-Identity Channel Cap | ChannelLifecyclePolicy; 256 per PeerId |
| [042](decisions/042-hub-relay-translate-not-forward.md) | Hub Relay | Translate channel 0, byte-forward data channels |
| [043](decisions/043-channelclient.md) | ChannelClient | Transport-agnostic from_connection |
| [044](decisions/044-channels-subcrate-decomposition.md) | Channels Sub-Crate Decomposition | channels-core / channels-call (modules in alkcall) |
| [045](decisions/045-alknetclient-native-dial-seam.md) | AlknetClient Dial Seam | spawn_dispatch / from_connection take-over; dial in consumer |
| [046](decisions/046-publish-operation-type-and-handler-kind-sink.md) | Publish Operation Type and HandlerKind::Sink | `OperationType::Pub` (producer→consumer streaming); `SinkHandler` + `HandlerKind::Sink`; `call.published` wire event; `invoke_sink()` dispatch; `Subscription` renamed to `Sub` |
| [047](decisions/047-openable-alpns-are-operations.md) | Openable ALPNs Are Operations | `channel/open` dissolves into per-ALPN ops `channels/<alpn>/sub`/`pub`; `channel_open` marker on `OperationSpec`; `ChannelCore` wrapper; extension-trait `ChannelOperationEnv`; connection-owner allocates `channel_id`; opener ledger (Gap 2 fix); ALPNs are call apps |
| [048](decisions/048-dispatch-spine-gateway-module.md) | Dispatch Spine (feature-gated `gateway` module) | `alkcall::gateway` behind the `gateway` feature; `GatewayDispatch` invoke spine (deadline knob, re-rooted context) + `schema_disclosure_denial` (FORBIDDEN for ACL deny, spec-404 for Internal); promoted from alkhttp for hub/spoke reuse |
| [049](decisions/049-channel-open-establishment-phase.md) | Channel-Open Establishment Phase | `OpenEstablisher` + `register_openable_with_establisher` (awaited, bounded); typed `channel:open_failed` with `details.reason`; `Establishment.plan` (`ChannelPlan`) threaded to the `OpenHandler` (amendment 2); the `JoinHandle` data-plane lifetime contract |
| [050](decisions/050-pump-bidi-two-pump-helper.md) | `pump_bidi` Two-Pump Helper | `channels::pump_bidi` — shutdown-on-completion two-pump data plane pinned in one place (alknet ADR-078) |
| [051](decisions/051-channel-relay-and-hub-leg.md) | In-Tree Channel Relay (`ChannelRelay`) and the Hub-Leg Assembly | ADR-042 amended — the relay implementation is an alkcall export; translate hop = ADR-049 establisher (`register_relay_openable`), byte-forward hop = `pump_bidi`; implicit per-channel id mapping; two-phase registration (discover/stash → fork-register); hub-leg install template; ACL layering note |
| [052](decisions/052-channel-control-surface.md) | `channel/control` Control-Handle Surface | Establisher-contributed `ChannelControl` (`Establishment::with_control`), wrapper-installed/teardown-removed in the manager; `channel:no_control_handle` capability answer; resolves OQ-39 |
| [053](decisions/053-resource-enumerators.md) | Live Resource Enumerators | `ResourceEnumerators` (peer-shared registry); snapshot-then-changes enumerator contract; scan-once aggregation; empty seed; resolves OQ-40 |
## Relevant Open Questions
See [open-questions.md](open-questions.md) for the full tracker. Key
questions affecting this crate:
- **OQ-22** (resolved) / **OQ-42** (deferred(scope)): The call-protocol
pub/sub primitive is delivered (ADR-046); the fan-out/message broker
is placed out of scope for alkcall — the hub composes it on the
`Pub`/`Sub` primitives — and its design remains deferred downstream,
blocked on a concrete producing-crate consumer (Gap B in ADR-047).
- **OQ-23** (deferred(scope)): Full channel-level flow-control windowing
— bounded-buffer is decided (ADR-040); full windowing blocked on a real
HOL-blocking deployment observation.
- **OQ-24** (resolved): Channels add/strip API shape — integral to the
read/write path (handlers never see headers); low-level header
primitives stay in `channels::wire` for tooling.
- **OQ-37** (resolved): No `from_call` relay wrapper for marked ops —
marked announcements and marked-spec imports are refused (ADR-022
amendment 2026-10-13, ADR-047 amendment 4 §4.8); the sanctioned
compositions are `ChannelRelay::register_relay_openable` (ADR-051) and
`ChannelClient`.
## Key Design Principles
1. **One connection, full access**: An `alk/call` connection gives
access to the entire operation registry.
2. **Protocol is symmetric**: Both sides can initiate calls. Producer/
consumer, not server/client.
3. **Hand-rolled framing (no irpc)**: EventEnvelope is hand-rolled
length-prefixed JSON. See ADR-014.
4. **Operation registry is layered**: Curated (static) + session +
connection overlays. OperationEnv is a trait. See ADR-019.
5. **No secret material on the wire**: Capabilities injected at assembly
layer. See ADR-010.
6. **Abort cascades to descendants**: Default abort-dependents.
See ADR-020.
7. **Peer authorization via AccessControl**: No remote_safe flag.
See ADR-024.
8. **Streams are streams**: Every channel is a BiStream. The handler
owns its sub-stream multiplexing. See ADR-035.
9. **Channel 0 is alk/call**: Channel lifecycle is call operations on
channel 0. See ADR-036, ADR-037.
10. **Wire formats are stable**: EventEnvelope shape and the 8-byte chunk
header are one-way doors. See ADR-014, ADR-034.
11. **Implement-or-stop-advertising**: every registration on a
discoverable surface must be capable of succeeding — no
advertised-always-failing bodies, no deferral buckets ("not this
session" is the only permitted deferral statement). Marked
(`channel_open`) specs refuse the generic registration paths
(ADR-047 amendment 4 §4.8); the `not_implemented` guard test is
release-blocking (`tests/stub_guard.rs`). See reviews 010/011 for
the incident that pinned this.
## Roles and Composition
alkcall is a pure protocol crate — no networking, no transport
dependencies. It provides the call and channels protocols as a library.
Downstream crates compose on top of it in a layered dependency chain.
### The four roles
| Role | Definition | Call protocol | Channels protocol |
|------|-----------|---------------|-------------------|
| **Producer** | Provides a resource consumers can use (often called "server") | Registers ops on an `OperationRegistry`, runs a `Dispatcher` to handle incoming `call.requested` | Runs a `ChannelsAdapter`, registers openable ALPNs via `ChannelCore::register_openable` |
| **Consumer** | Consumes a resource from a producer (often called "client") | Uses `CallConnection` to call ops, uses `from_call` to discover/import remote ops | Uses `ChannelClient` to open channels via `call_open_op` + `open_channel` |
| **Hub** | Central location spokes connect to; relays and routes between them | Both: runs a `Dispatcher` for ops it produces, holds `CallConnection`s to spokes for ops it consumes. Relays calls via `OperationEnv` peer routing | Both: runs a `ChannelsAdapter` for inbound connections, holds `ChannelClient`s to spokes. Relays data channels with `channel_id` rewrite (ADR-042) |
| **Spoke / Worker** | Connects to a hub; provides and consumes resources | Both: produces ops (its own services), consumes hub ops (e.g. `services/list` to discover peers) | Both: produces channels (TTY, tunnel), may consume hub channels |
A single process can be a producer of some ops, a consumer of others, a
channel opener for TTY, and a channel acceptor for tunnels — all on the
same `alk/channels` connection. The types don't encode the system
role; they just don't prevent any combination.
Within a single connection, direction is independent of role:
- **Call initiator** / **call responder** — who sent `call.requested` vs
who handles it. Either side can initiate on any connection.
- **Channel opener** / **channel acceptor** — who called the per-ALPN
open op vs who allocated the `channel_id`. The connection owner
allocates (ADR-047 §5); either side can open.
### Dependency layering
```
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ alknet / alknode │
│ (networking + composition) │
│ │
│ • QUIC / TCP+TLS dial and accept │
│ • Hub: ChannelsAdapter + Dispatcher + │
│ peer routing (PeerCompositeEnv) │
│ • Spoke: ChannelClient + CallConnection + │
│ from_call │
│ • Wires protocol crates' producers into │
│ registries, consumers into clients │
└──────────────────┬───────────────────────────┘
│ depends on
┌──────────────┼──────────────┐
│ │ │
┌───┴───────┐ ┌────┴─────┐ ┌─────┴──────────┐
│ alktty │ │alktunnels│ │ alktrader │
│ (protocol)│ │(protocol)│ │ (protocol) │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ • Session │ │ • Tunnel │ │ • Backend trait │
│ • Backend │ │ • Backend│ │ • register_ops()│
│ • 5-byte │ │ • bytes │ │ • TypedClient │
│ wire │ │ • OpenH. │ │ │
│ • OpenH. │ │ • reg_*()│ │ │
│ • reg_*() │ │ │ │ │
└───┬───────┘ └────┬─────┘ └─────┬───────────┘
│ │ │
└──────────────┼──────────────┘
│ depends on
┌──────────────────┴───────────────────────────┐
│ alkcall │
│ (call + channels protocols, no networking) │
│ │
│ • Connection, BiStream, ProtocolHandler │
│ • OperationRegistry, OperationSpec, Handler │
│ • CallConnection, Dispatcher, from_call │
│ • ChannelClient, ChannelsAdapter, │
│ ChannelManager, ChannelCore │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
**Protocol crates** (alktty, alktunnels, alktrader) depend only on
alkcall. They provide two halves:
1. **Producer half** — a `register_*()` function that takes an
`&mut OperationRegistry` and registers ops with their handlers. For
channels-based protocols, an `OpenHandler` factory. The crate doesn't
know whether it's running on a hub, a spoke, or a standalone process.
2. **Consumer half** — a typed client wrapper around `CallConnection`
(or `ChannelClient`) that exposes the crate's ops as async methods
(e.g. `trader_client.status().await` instead of
`call_connection.call("trader/status", ...).await`).
**alk/alknode** depends on alkcall + whichever protocol crates are
needed. It's the composition layer — the only place that knows about
network topology, peer routing, and which protocol crates are wired in.
Protocol crates never import a QUIC or TLS dependency.
### Pattern for protocol crates
A protocol crate that uses channels (e.g. alktty) follows this pattern:
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ alktty (protocol crate, no network) │
│ │
│ TtySession { │
│ drive(send, recv, backend) -> ExitCode │ ← pure protocol, takes
│ } │ AsyncRead + AsyncWrite
│ │
│ TtyBackend trait │
│ NegotiateRequest / ControlMessage │
│ ChunkReader / ChunkWriter (5-byte) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
▲ ▲
│ │
┌────────┴────────┐ ┌───────┴──────────────┐
│ Direct ALPN │ │ Through channels │
│ (alk/tty) │ │ (alk/channels) │
│ │ │ │
│ TtyAdapter │ │ OpenHandler │
│ impl Protocol │ │ (registered via │
│ Handler │ │ ChannelCore:: │
│ │ │ register_openable) │
│ Gets Connection │ │ │
│ loops accept_bi │ │ Gets BiStream per │
│ │ │ session │
└─────────────────┘ └───────────────────────┘
```
The protocol crate doesn't know which path it's on. It takes a
`BiStream` (or `AsyncRead + AsyncWrite`) and drives the session. The
two adapters are thin and live either in the protocol crate (behind
feature flags) or in the downstream alknet crate.
## References
- `@alkdev/alknet: docs/architecture/` — the source architecture docs
these were ported from (renumbered from alknet ADR-001..094 to alkcall
ADR-001..048; ADR-049 and later were authored in this crate)
- `@alkdev/alktype` — the binary struct engine; compiles BAST documents
(e.g. `chunk-header.bast.json`) into readers/writers/validators
- `@alkdev/pubsub` — the TypeScript EventEnvelope prior art the call
wire format was derived from
> **Note**: The source ADRs and spec docs were ported from the parent
> `@alkdev/alknet` workspace where this crate originated. They are
> preserved here as the authoritative spec for alkcall; the alknet
> mono-repo will consume alkcall's versions when it is reworked.
>
> **Cross-references to non-ported ADRs**: alkcall's own ADRs are
> `decisions/001..053` in this directory. Some ported docs also cite
> sibling-crate ADRs that were **not** ported (e.g., alknet ADR-052 for
> TTY's wire format, alknet ADR-034 for outgoing-only X.509, alknet
> ADR-082 for alknet-tls, alknet ADR-086 for endpoint types). The alknet
> number space collides with alkcall's (alknet ADR-052 has nothing to do
> with alkcall's `channel/control` ADR-052), so unambiguous references
> carry the `alknet` prefix (e.g., "alknet ADR-052") and link to the
> alknet repo: `/workspace/@alkdev/alknet/docs/architecture/decisions/`
> (a few legacy cites without the prefix still mean the alknet ADR —
> check the link target).