ATOCore/docs/next-steps.md

# AtoCore Next Steps

## Current Position

AtoCore now has:

- canonical runtime and machine storage on Dalidou
- separated source and machine-data boundaries
- initial self-knowledge ingested into the live instance
- trusted project-state entries for AtoCore itself
- a first read-only OpenClaw integration path on the T420
- a first real active-project corpus batch for:
  - `p04-gigabit`
  - `p05-interferometer`
  - `p06-polisher`

This working list should be read alongside:

- [master-plan-status.md](C:/Users/antoi/ATOCore/docs/master-plan-status.md)

## Immediate Next Steps

1. ~~Re-run the backup/restore drill~~ — DONE 2026-04-11, full pass
2. ~~Turn on auto-capture of Claude Code sessions~~ — DONE 2026-04-11,
   Stop hook via `deploy/hooks/capture_stop.py` → `POST /interactions`
   with `reinforce=false`; kill switch: `ATOCORE_CAPTURE_DISABLED=1`
2a. Run a short real-use pilot with auto-capture on
   - verify interactions are landing in Dalidou
   - check prompt/response quality and truncation
   - confirm fail-open: no user-visible impact when Dalidou is down
3. Use the T420 `atocore-context` skill and the new organic routing layer in
   real OpenClaw workflows
   - confirm `auto-context` feels natural
   - confirm project inference is good enough in practice
   - confirm the fail-open behavior remains acceptable in practice
4. Review retrieval quality after the first real project ingestion batch
   - check whether the top hits are useful
   - check whether trusted project state remains dominant
   - reduce cross-project competition and prompt ambiguity where needed
   - use `debug-context` to inspect the exact last AtoCore supplement
5. Treat the active-project full markdown/text wave as complete
   - `p04-gigabit`
   - `p05-interferometer`
   - `p06-polisher`
6. Define a cleaner source refresh model
   - make the difference between source truth, staged inputs, and machine store
     explicit
   - move toward a project source registry and refresh workflow
   - foundation now exists via project registry + per-project refresh API
   - registration policy + template + proposal + approved registration are now
     the normal path for new projects
7. Move to Wave 2 trusted-operational ingestion
   - curated dashboards
   - decision logs
   - milestone/current-status views
   - operational truth, not just raw project notes
8. Integrate the new engineering architecture docs into active planning, not immediate schema code
   - keep `docs/architecture/engineering-knowledge-hybrid-architecture.md` as the target layer model
   - keep `docs/architecture/engineering-ontology-v1.md` as the V1 structured-domain target
   - do not start entity/relationship persistence until the ingestion, retrieval, registry, and backup baseline feels boring and stable
9. Finish the boring operations baseline around backup
   - retention policy cleanup script (snapshots dir grows
     monotonically today)
   - off-Dalidou backup target (at minimum an rsync to laptop or
     another host so a single-disk failure isn't terminal)
   - automatic post-backup validation (have `create_runtime_backup`
     call `validate_backup` on its own output and refuse to
     declare success if validation fails)
   - DONE in commits be40994 / 0382238 / 3362080 / this one:
     - `create_runtime_backup` + `list_runtime_backups` +
       `validate_backup` + `restore_runtime_backup` with CLI
     - `POST /admin/backup` with `include_chroma=true` under
       the ingestion lock
     - `/health` build_sha / build_time / build_branch provenance
     - `deploy.sh` self-update re-exec guard + build_sha drift
       verification
     - live drill procedure in `docs/backup-restore-procedure.md`
       with failure-mode table and the memory_type=episodic
       marker pattern from the 2026-04-09 drill
10. Keep deeper automatic runtime integration modest until the organic read-only
    model has proven value

## Trusted State Status

The first conservative trusted-state promotion pass is now complete for:

- `p04-gigabit`
- `p05-interferometer`
- `p06-polisher`

Each project now has a small set of stable entries covering:

- summary
- architecture or boundary decision
- key constraints
- current next focus

This materially improves `context/build` quality for project-hinted prompts.

## Recommended Near-Term Project Work

The active-project full markdown/text wave is now in.

The near-term work is now:

1. strengthen retrieval quality
2. promote or refine trusted operational truth where the broad corpus is now too noisy
3. keep trusted project state concise and high-confidence
4. widen only through named ingestion waves

## Recommended Next Wave Inputs

Wave 2 should emphasize trusted operational truth, not bulk historical notes.

P04:

- current status dashboard
- current selected design path
- current frame interface truth
- current next-step milestone view

P05:

- selected vendor path
- current error-budget baseline
- current architecture freeze or open decisions
- current procurement / next-action view

P06:

- current system map
- current shared contracts baseline
- current calibration procedure truth
- current July / proving roadmap view

## Deferred On Purpose

- automatic write-back from OpenClaw into AtoCore
- automatic memory promotion
- reflection loop integration
- replacing OpenClaw's own memory system
- syncing the live machine DB between machines

## Success Criteria For The Next Batch

The next batch is successful if:

- OpenClaw can use AtoCore naturally when context is needed
- OpenClaw can infer registered projects and call AtoCore organically for
  project-knowledge questions
- the active-project full corpus wave can be inspected and used concretely
  through `auto-context`, `context-build`, and `debug-context`
- OpenClaw can also register a new project cleanly before refreshing it
- existing project registrations can be refined safely before refresh when the
  staged source set evolves
- AtoCore answers correctly for the active project set
- retrieval surfaces the seeded project docs instead of mostly AtoCore meta-docs
- trusted project state remains concise and high confidence
- project ingestion remains controlled rather than noisy
- the canonical Dalidou instance stays stable

## Long-Run Goal

The long-run target is:

- continue working normally inside PKM project stacks and Gitea repos
- let OpenClaw keep its own memory and runtime behavior
- let AtoCore supplement LLM work with stronger trusted context, retrieval, and
  context assembly

That means AtoCore should behave like a durable external context engine and
machine-memory layer, not a replacement for normal repo work or OpenClaw memory.