Clarify operating model and project corpus state

docs/operating-model.md

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+# AtoCore Operating Model
+
+## Purpose
+
+This document makes the intended day-to-day operating model explicit.
+
+The goal is not to replace how work already happens. The goal is to make that
+existing workflow stronger by adding a durable context engine.
+
+## Core Idea
+
+Normal work continues in:
+
+- PKM project notes
+- Gitea repositories
+- Discord and OpenClaw workflows
+
+OpenClaw keeps:
+
+- its own memory
+- its own runtime and orchestration behavior
+- its own workspace and direct file/repo tooling
+
+AtoCore adds:
+
+- trusted project state
+- retrievable cross-source context
+- durable machine memory
+- context assembly that improves prompt quality and robustness
+
+## Layer Responsibilities
+
+- PKM and repos
+  - human-authoritative project sources
+  - where knowledge is created, edited, reviewed, and maintained
+- OpenClaw
+  - active operating environment
+  - orchestration, direct repo work, messaging, agent workflows, local memory
+- AtoCore
+  - compiled context engine
+  - durable machine-memory host
+  - retrieval and context assembly layer
+
+## Why This Architecture Works
+
+Each layer has different strengths and weaknesses.
+
+- PKM and repos are rich but noisy and manual to search
+- OpenClaw memory is useful but session-shaped and not the whole project record
+- raw LLM repo work is powerful but can miss trusted broader context
+- AtoCore can compile context across sources and provide a better prompt input
+
+The result should be:
+
+- stronger prompts
+- more robust outputs
+- less manual reconstruction
+- better continuity across sessions and models
+
+## What AtoCore Should Not Replace
+
+AtoCore should not replace:
+
+- normal file reads
+- direct repo search
+- direct PKM work
+- OpenClaw's own memory
+- OpenClaw's runtime and tool behavior
+
+It should supplement those systems.
+
+## What Healthy Usage Looks Like
+
+When working on a project:
+
+1. OpenClaw still uses local workspace/repo context
+2. OpenClaw still uses its own memory
+3. AtoCore adds:
+   - trusted current project state
+   - retrieved project documents
+   - cross-source project context
+   - context assembly for more robust model prompts
+
+## Practical Rule
+
+Think of AtoCore as the durable external context hard drive for LLM work:
+
+- fast machine-readable context
+- persistent project understanding
+- stronger prompt inputs
+- no need to replace the normal project workflow
+
+That is the architecture target.