refactor slash command onto shared client + llm-client-integration doc
Codex's review caught that the Claude Code slash command shipped in Session 2 was a parallel reimplementation of routing logic the existing scripts/atocore_client.py already had. That client was introduced via the codex/port-atocore-ops-client merge and is already a comprehensive operator client (auto-context, detect-project, refresh-project, project-state, audit-query, etc.). The slash command should have been a thin wrapper from the start. This commit fixes the shape without expanding scope. .claude/commands/atocore-context.md ----------------------------------- Rewritten as a thin Claude Code-specific frontend that shells out to the shared client: - explicit project hint -> calls `python scripts/atocore_client.py context-build "<prompt>" "<project>"` - no explicit hint -> calls `python scripts/atocore_client.py auto-context "<prompt>"` which runs the client's detect-project routing first and falls through to context-build with the match Inherits the client's stable behaviour for free: - ATOCORE_BASE_URL env var (default http://dalidou:8100) - fail-open on network errors via ATOCORE_FAIL_OPEN - consistent JSON output shape - the same project alias matching the OpenClaw helper uses Removes the speculative `--capture` capture path that was in the original draft. Capture/extract/queue/promote/reject are intentionally NOT in the shared client yet (memory-review workflow not exercised in real use), so the slash command can't expose them either. docs/architecture/llm-client-integration.md ------------------------------------------- New planning doc that defines the layering rule for AtoCore's relationship with LLM client contexts: Three layers: 1. AtoCore HTTP API (universal, src/atocore/api/routes.py) 2. Shared operator client (scripts/atocore_client.py) — the canonical Python backbone for stable AtoCore operations 3. Per-agent thin frontends (Claude Code slash command, OpenClaw helper, future Codex skill, future MCP server) that shell out to the shared client Three non-negotiable rules: - every per-agent frontend is a thin wrapper (translate the agent's command format and render the JSON; nothing else) - the shared client never duplicates the API (it composes endpoints; new logic goes in the API first) - the shared client only exposes stable operations (subcommands land only after the API has been exercised in a real workflow) Doc covers: - the full table of subcommands currently in scope (project lifecycle, ingestion, project-state, retrieval, context build, audit-query, debug-context, health/stats) - the three deferred families with rationale: memory review queue (workflow not exercised), backup admin (fail-open default would hide errors), engineering layer entities (V1 not yet implemented) - the integration recipe for new agent platforms - explicit acknowledgement that the OpenClaw helper currently duplicates routing logic and that the refactor to the shared client is a queued cross-repo follow-up - how the layering connects to phase 8 (OpenClaw) and phase 11 (multi-model) - versioning and stability rules for the shared client surface - open follow-ups: OpenClaw refactor, memory-review subcommands when ready, optional backup admin subcommands, engineering entity subcommands during V1 implementation master-plan-status.md updated ----------------------------- - New "LLM Client Integration" subsection that points to the layering doc and explicitly notes the deferral of memory-review and engineering-entity subcommands - Frames the layering as sitting between phase 8 and phase 11 Scope is intentionally narrow per codex's framing: promote the existing client to canonical status, refactor the slash command to use it, document the layering. No new client subcommands added in this commit. The OpenClaw helper refactor is a separate cross-repo follow-up. Memory-review and engineering- entity work stay deferred. Full suite: 160 passing, no behavior changes.
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docs/architecture/llm-client-integration.md
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# LLM Client Integration (the layering)
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## Why this document exists
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AtoCore must be reachable from many different LLM client contexts:
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- **OpenClaw** on the T420 (already integrated via the read-only
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helper skill at `/home/papa/clawd/skills/atocore-context/`)
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- **Claude Code** on the laptop (via the slash command shipped in
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this repo at `.claude/commands/atocore-context.md`)
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- **Codex** sessions (future)
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- **Direct API consumers** — scripts, Python code, ad-hoc curl
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- **The eventual MCP server** when it's worth building
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Without an explicit layering rule, every new client tends to
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reimplement the same routing logic (project detection, context
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build, retrieval audit, project-state inspection) in slightly
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different ways. That is exactly what almost happened in the first
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draft of the Claude Code slash command, which started as a curl +
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jq script that duplicated capabilities the existing operator client
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already had.
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This document defines the layering so future clients don't repeat
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that mistake.
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## The layering
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Three layers, top to bottom:
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```
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+----------------------------------------------------+
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| Per-agent thin frontends |
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| |
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| - Claude Code slash command |
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| (.claude/commands/atocore-context.md) |
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| - OpenClaw helper skill |
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| (/home/papa/clawd/skills/atocore-context/) |
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| - Codex skill (future) |
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| - MCP server (future) |
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+----------------------------------------------------+
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|
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| shells out to / imports
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v
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+----------------------------------------------------+
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| Shared operator client |
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| scripts/atocore_client.py |
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| |
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| - subcommands for stable AtoCore operations |
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| - fail-open on network errors |
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| - consistent JSON output across all subcommands |
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| - environment-driven configuration |
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| (ATOCORE_BASE_URL, ATOCORE_TIMEOUT_SECONDS, |
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| ATOCORE_REFRESH_TIMEOUT_SECONDS, |
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| ATOCORE_FAIL_OPEN) |
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+----------------------------------------------------+
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|
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| HTTP
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v
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+----------------------------------------------------+
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| AtoCore HTTP API |
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| src/atocore/api/routes.py |
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| |
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| - the universal interface to AtoCore |
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| - everything else above is glue |
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+----------------------------------------------------+
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```
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## The non-negotiable rules
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These rules are what make the layering work.
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### Rule 1 — every per-agent frontend is a thin wrapper
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A per-agent frontend exists to do exactly two things:
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1. **Translate the agent platform's command/skill format** into an
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invocation of the shared client (or a small sequence of them)
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2. **Render the JSON response** into whatever shape the agent
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platform wants (markdown for Claude Code, plaintext for
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OpenClaw, MCP tool result for an MCP server, etc.)
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Everything else — talking to AtoCore, project detection, retrieval
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audit, fail-open behavior, configuration — is the **shared
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client's** job.
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If a per-agent frontend grows logic beyond the two responsibilities
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above, that logic is in the wrong place. It belongs in the shared
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client where every other frontend gets to use it.
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### Rule 2 — the shared client never duplicates the API
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The shared client is allowed to **compose** API calls (e.g.
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`auto-context` calls `detect-project` then `context-build`), but
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it never reimplements API logic. If a useful operation can't be
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expressed via the existing API endpoints, the right fix is to
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extend the API, not to embed the logic in the client.
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This rule keeps the API as the single source of truth for what
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AtoCore can do.
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### Rule 3 — the shared client only exposes stable operations
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A subcommand only makes it into the shared client when:
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- the API endpoint behind it has been exercised by at least one
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real workflow
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- the request and response shapes are unlikely to change
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- the operation is one that more than one frontend will plausibly
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want
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This rule keeps the client surface stable so frontends don't have
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to chase changes. New endpoints land in the API first, get
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exercised in real use, and only then get a client subcommand.
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## What's in scope for the shared client today
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The currently shipped scope (per `scripts/atocore_client.py`):
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| Subcommand | Purpose | API endpoint(s) |
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|---|---|---|
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| `health` | service status, mount + source readiness | `GET /health` |
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| `sources` | enabled source roots and their existence | `GET /sources` |
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| `stats` | document/chunk/vector counts | `GET /stats` |
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| `projects` | registered projects | `GET /projects` |
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| `project-template` | starter shape for a new project | `GET /projects/template` |
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| `propose-project` | preview a registration | `POST /projects/proposal` |
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| `register-project` | persist a registration | `POST /projects/register` |
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| `update-project` | update an existing registration | `PUT /projects/{name}` |
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| `refresh-project` | re-ingest a project's roots | `POST /projects/{name}/refresh` |
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| `project-state` | list trusted state for a project | `GET /project/state/{name}` |
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| `project-state-set` | curate trusted state | `POST /project/state` |
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| `project-state-invalidate` | supersede trusted state | `DELETE /project/state` |
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| `query` | raw retrieval | `POST /query` |
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| `context-build` | full context pack | `POST /context/build` |
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| `auto-context` | detect-project then context-build | composes `/projects` + `/context/build` |
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| `detect-project` | match a prompt to a registered project | composes `/projects` + local regex |
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| `audit-query` | retrieval-quality audit with classification | composes `/query` + local labelling |
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| `debug-context` | last context pack inspection | `GET /debug/context` |
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| `ingest-sources` | ingest configured source dirs | `POST /ingest/sources` |
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That covers everything in the "stable operations" set today:
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project lifecycle, ingestion, project-state curation, retrieval and
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context build, retrieval-quality audit, health and stats inspection.
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## What's intentionally NOT in scope today
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Three families of operations are explicitly **deferred** until
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their workflows have been exercised in real use:
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### 1. Memory review queue and reflection loop
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Phase 9 Commit C shipped these endpoints:
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- `POST /interactions` (capture)
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- `POST /interactions/{id}/reinforce`
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- `POST /interactions/{id}/extract`
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- `GET /memory?status=candidate`
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- `POST /memory/{id}/promote`
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- `POST /memory/{id}/reject`
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The contracts are stable, but the **workflow ergonomics** are not.
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Until a real human has actually exercised the capture → extract →
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review → promote/reject loop a few times and we know what feels
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right, exposing those operations through the shared client would
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prematurely freeze a UX that's still being designed.
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When the loop has been exercised in real use and we know what
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the right subcommand shapes are, the shared client gains:
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- `capture <prompt> <response> [--project P] [--client C]`
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- `extract <interaction-id> [--persist]`
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- `queue` (list candidate review queue)
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- `promote <memory-id>`
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- `reject <memory-id>`
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At that point the Claude Code slash command can grow a companion
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`/atocore-record-response` command and the OpenClaw helper can be
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extended with the same flow.
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### 2. Backup and restore admin operations
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Phase 9 Commit B shipped these endpoints:
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- `POST /admin/backup` (with `include_chroma`)
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- `GET /admin/backup` (list)
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- `GET /admin/backup/{stamp}/validate`
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The backup endpoints are stable, but the documented operational
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procedure (`docs/backup-restore-procedure.md`) intentionally uses
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direct curl rather than the shared client. The reason is that
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backup operations are *administrative* and benefit from being
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explicit about which instance they're targeting, with no
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fail-open behavior. The shared client's fail-open default would
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hide a real backup failure.
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If we later decide to add backup commands to the shared client,
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they would set `ATOCORE_FAIL_OPEN=false` for the duration of the
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call so the operator gets a real error on failure rather than a
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silent fail-open envelope.
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### 3. Engineering layer entity operations
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The engineering layer is in planning, not implementation. When
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V1 ships per `engineering-v1-acceptance.md`, the shared client
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will gain entity, relationship, conflict, and Mirror commands.
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None of those exist as stable contracts yet, so they are not in
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the shared client today.
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## How a new agent platform integrates
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When a new LLM client needs AtoCore (e.g. Codex, ChatGPT custom
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GPT, a Cursor extension), the integration recipe is:
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1. **Don't reimplement.** Don't write a new HTTP client. Use the
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shared client.
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2. **Write a thin frontend** that translates the platform's
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command/skill format into a shell call to
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`python scripts/atocore_client.py <subcommand> <args...>`.
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3. **Render the JSON response** in the platform's preferred shape.
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4. **Inherit fail-open and env-var behavior** from the shared
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client. Don't override unless the platform explicitly needs
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to (e.g. an admin tool that wants to see real errors).
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5. **If a needed capability is missing**, propose adding it to
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the shared client. If the underlying API endpoint also
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doesn't exist, propose adding it to the API first. Don't
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add the logic to your frontend.
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The Claude Code slash command in this repo is a worked example:
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~50 lines of markdown that does argument parsing, calls the
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shared client, and renders the result. It contains zero AtoCore
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business logic of its own.
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## How OpenClaw fits
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OpenClaw's helper skill at `/home/papa/clawd/skills/atocore-context/`
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on the T420 currently has its own implementation of `auto-context`,
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`detect-project`, and the project lifecycle commands. It predates
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this layering doc.
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The right long-term shape is to **refactor the OpenClaw helper to
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shell out to the shared client** instead of duplicating the
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routing logic. This isn't urgent because:
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- OpenClaw's helper works today and is in active use
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- The duplication is on the OpenClaw side; AtoCore itself is not
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affected
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- The shared client and the OpenClaw helper are in different
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repos (AtoCore vs OpenClaw clawd), so the refactor is a
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cross-repo coordination
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The refactor is queued as a follow-up. Until then, **the OpenClaw
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helper and the Claude Code slash command are parallel
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implementations** of the same idea. The shared client is the
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canonical backbone going forward; new clients should follow the
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new pattern even though the existing OpenClaw helper still has
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its own.
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## How this connects to the master plan
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| Layer | Phase home | Status |
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|---|---|---|
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| AtoCore HTTP API | Phases 0/0.5/1/2/3/5/7/9 | shipped |
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| Shared operator client (`scripts/atocore_client.py`) | implicitly Phase 8 (OpenClaw integration) infrastructure | shipped via codex/port-atocore-ops-client merge |
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| OpenClaw helper skill (T420) | Phase 8 — partial | shipped (own implementation, refactor queued) |
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| Claude Code slash command (this repo) | precursor to Phase 11 (multi-model) | shipped (refactored to use the shared client) |
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| Codex skill | Phase 11 | future |
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| MCP server | Phase 11 | future |
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| Web UI / dashboard | Phase 11+ | future |
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The shared client is the **substrate Phase 11 will build on**.
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Every new client added in Phase 11 should be a thin frontend on
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the shared client, not a fresh reimplementation.
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## Versioning and stability
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The shared client's subcommand surface is **stable**. Adding new
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subcommands is non-breaking. Changing or removing existing
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subcommands is breaking and would require a coordinated update
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of every frontend that depends on them.
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The current shared client has no explicit version constant; the
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implicit contract is "the subcommands and JSON shapes documented
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in this file". When the client surface meaningfully changes,
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add a `CLIENT_VERSION = "x.y.z"` constant to
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`scripts/atocore_client.py` and bump it per semver:
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- patch: bug fixes, no surface change
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- minor: new subcommands or new optional fields
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- major: removed subcommands, renamed fields, changed defaults
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## Open follow-ups
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1. **Refactor the OpenClaw helper** to shell out to the shared
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client. Cross-repo coordination, not blocking anything in
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AtoCore itself.
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2. **Add memory-review subcommands** when the Phase 9 review
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workflow has been exercised in real use.
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3. **Add backup admin subcommands** if and when we decide the
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shared client should be the canonical backup operator
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interface (with fail-open disabled for admin commands).
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4. **Add engineering-layer entity subcommands** as part of the
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engineering V1 implementation sprint, per
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`engineering-v1-acceptance.md`.
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5. **Tag a `CLIENT_VERSION` constant** the next time the shared
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client surface meaningfully changes. Today's surface is the
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v0.1.0 baseline.
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## TL;DR
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- AtoCore HTTP API is the universal interface
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- `scripts/atocore_client.py` is the canonical shared Python
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backbone for stable AtoCore operations
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- Per-agent frontends (Claude Code slash command, OpenClaw
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helper, future Codex skill, future MCP server) are thin
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wrappers that shell out to the shared client
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- The shared client today covers project lifecycle, ingestion,
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retrieval, context build, project-state, and retrieval audit
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- Memory-review and engineering-entity commands are deferred
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until their workflows are exercised
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- The OpenClaw helper is currently a parallel implementation and
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the refactor to the shared client is a queued follow-up
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- New LLM clients should never reimplement HTTP calls — they
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follow the shell-out pattern documented here
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@@ -72,6 +72,22 @@ active project set.
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The next concrete next step is the V1 implementation sprint, which
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should follow engineering-v1-acceptance.md as its checklist.
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### LLM Client Integration
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A separate but related architectural concern: how AtoCore is reachable
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from many different LLM client contexts (OpenClaw, Claude Code, future
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Codex skills, future MCP server). The layering rule is documented in:
|
||||
|
||||
- [llm-client-integration.md](architecture/llm-client-integration.md) —
|
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three-layer shape: HTTP API → shared operator client
|
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(`scripts/atocore_client.py`) → per-agent thin frontends; the
|
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shared client is the canonical backbone every new client should
|
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shell out to instead of reimplementing HTTP calls
|
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|
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This sits implicitly between Phase 8 (OpenClaw) and Phase 11
|
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(multi-model). Memory-review and engineering-entity commands are
|
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deferred from the shared client until their workflows are exercised.
|
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|
||||
## What Is Real Today
|
||||
|
||||
- canonical AtoCore runtime on Dalidou
|
||||
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||||
Reference in New Issue
Block a user