operation-system-contract

name	operation-system-contract
description	Read this when changing runtime-owned dispatch, source-aware operationRef, step-completion transport, prompt composition boundaries, or live versus debug prompt differences.

Operation System Contract

Purpose

This document organizes the stable runtime and prompt-composition contract of the operation system in this repository.

Refer to it when changing workflow routing, runtime dispatch ownership, report handling, or prompt composition boundaries.

Non-Negotiable Invariants

• Dispatch is runtime-mediated, not direct agent chaining.
• The runtime decides the next actor and owns worker dispatch.
• The canonical workflow key in runtime state is operationRef, and operationName is for display only.
• Workflows with the same name across builtin and project sources are treated as separate catalog entries.
• Auto activation from a free-form message succeeds only when there is a unique catalog match.
• The canonical transport for step completion is taskId + next + message.
• Routing depends on runtime state, not standalone body tags or [STEP:N] tokens.
• Noctis steps and worker steps share the same completion contract.
• A delegated child task does not change parent step ownership; after reporting, it returns to the same Noctis-owned step.