operations/docs/architecture

status, last_updated

status	last_updated
draft	2026-05-09

@alkdev/operations Architecture

Typed operations registry, call protocol, and adapters (MCP, OpenAPI). Everything is an operation with TypeBox schemas, access control metadata, and a handler. The call protocol provides unified event-based invocation that works the same whether local, remote, or streamed.

Why This Exists

Extracted from @alkdev/alkhub_ts/packages/core/operations/ and packages/core/mcp/. The operations system was already self-contained within alkhub, depending only on @alkdev/typebox and @alkdev/pubsub. Extracting into a standalone package:

1. Reduces coupling — alkhub depends on operations, not the other way around
2. Enables reuse — multiple alkhub packages and external consumers can share the same operations registry and call protocol
3. Isolates peer deps — MCP SDK and other heavy dependencies are optional; consumers that don't need them shouldn't carry them
4. Standalone utility — the call protocol, validation, and schema conversion are useful outside alkhub (e.g., opencode OpenAPI import)

Core Principle

The spec is the contract; the handler is the runtime. Every API endpoint, agent action, coordination tool, and MCP tool has an OperationSpec (serializable, hashable descriptor) and optionally a handler function. The registry stores specs and handlers separately — they can be registered together with register() or independently with registerSpec() and registerHandler(). The call protocol routes invocations through specs. Adapters generate specs (and handlers) from external definitions.

All paths funnel into the same registry:

Hub HTTP API routes  → registry.execute("namespace.operation", input, ctx)
MCP server tools     → registry.execute(...)
FromOpenAPI ops      → fetch(remote REST API)
MCP client tools     → MCPClientLoader → registry.execute(...)
Agent session LLM    → tool calls with JSON Schema → registry.execute(...)

Access control, validation, and error handling are consistent regardless of entry point.

What This Package Provides

• Core types — OperationSpec, IOperationDefinition, OperationType, AccessControl, Identity, OperationContext, OperationHandler, SubscriptionHandler
• Registry — OperationRegistry with register, registerSpec, registerHandler, execute, getSpec, getHandler, spec extraction
• Call protocol — PendingRequestMap, CallHandler, call≡subscribe event semantics
• Subscribe — subscribe() for AsyncGenerator-based subscription operations
• Env builder — buildEnv() for nested operation calls (direct or call protocol mode)
• Validation — assertIsSchema, validateOrThrow, collectErrors, formatValueErrors
• Error model — CallError, InfrastructureErrorCode, mapError
• Schema conversion — FromSchema converts JSON Schema to TypeBox
• Adapters:
  • FromOpenAPI / FromOpenAPIFile / FromOpenAPIUrl — OpenAPI spec to operations
  • createMCPClient / MCPClientLoader — MCP server tools to operations (peer dep: @modelcontextprotocol/sdk)
  • scanOperations — filesystem auto-discovery of operation definitions

Consumer Context

alkhub (hub-spoke coordinator)

The hub uses the operations registry as the single execution engine for all work. Operations are registered from multiple sources (local definitions, OpenAPI imports, MCP tool connections). The call protocol routes invocations through PendingRequestMap for call graph tracking, abort cascading, and structured error handling.

opencode (agent tool use)

FromOpenAPI generates typed operation definitions from any OpenAPI spec. This provides an instant typed client without hand-writing handlers. MCP tool connections are managed through MCPClientLoader.

Spoke SDK (future)

Spokes will import @alkdev/operation for operation definitions and @alkdev/pubsub for the call protocol event transport. The buildEnv call protocol mode connects nested operations through PendingRequestMap.

Threat Model

• Schema trust — FromSchema converts arbitrary JSON Schema to TypeBox. Malformed or deeply nested schemas could cause excessive CPU or memory. Input validation (validateOrThrow) runs before handler execution, but the schemas themselves are trusted.
• Handler trust — operation handlers are arbitrary async functions. The registry runs them in the same process. No sandboxing.
• Peer dep isolation — @modelcontextprotocol/sdk is an optional peer dependency. Consumers that don't use from_mcp don't install it. The sub-path export @alkdev/operations/from-mcp makes this explicit.
• Access control enforcement — CallHandler checks AccessControl before dispatch. Direct registry.execute() calls bypass access control by design (internal trusted calls). Untrusted callers must use the call protocol.

Architecture Documents

Document	Content
api-surface.md	All public types, registry, call protocol, subscribe, env, adapters
call-protocol.md	PendingRequestMap, CallHandler, call≡subscribe, events, error model, access control
adapters.md	from_schema, from_openapi, from_mcp, scanner — how they work, how to add new adapters
build-distribution.md	Dependencies, project structure, sub-path exports, peer deps, build tooling

Document Lifecycle

Architecture documents use YAML frontmatter with status and last_updated fields:

---
status: draft | stable | deprecated
last_updated: YYYY-MM-DD
---

Status	Meaning	Transitions
draft	Under active development. Content may change.	→ stable when implementation is complete and tests verify API contract.
stable	API contracts are locked. Changes require review cycle.	→ deprecated when superseded.
deprecated	Superseded. Kept for reference.	Removed when no longer referenced.

References

• Source: src/ in this package
• Provenance: @alkdev/alkhub_ts/packages/core/operations/ and packages/core/mcp/
• Related: @alkdev/pubsub (call protocol transport), @alkdev/typebox (schema system)
• alkhub operations doc: @alkdev/alkhub_ts/docs/architecture/operations.md
• alkhub call protocol doc: @alkdev/alkhub_ts/docs/architecture/call-graph.md