3.7 KiB
GEWU architecture and engineering handbook
Started 12 October 2026; revised 13 October 2026. Architecture proposal v0.2; implementation has not started.
Tagline: Investigate. Connect. Remember.
GEWU (格物) draws on géwù zhìzhī (格物致知), a classical phrase commonly rendered as investigating things and extending knowledge. Interpretations vary; the name evokes examining sources, connecting evidence-backed ideas, and preserving what teams learn for reuse. GEWU is a shared research library with a read-only website and an MCP contribution workflow. The goal and PRD own product requirements. This handbook translates them into a proposed implementation and working protocols. It does not change their priorities or claim that M0 is complete.
Read in this order
- Reference review: which practices to borrow, adapt or reject.
- Architecture: components, technology choices, alternatives and deployment.
- Acceptance and evidence contract: records, authority, replay, crash recovery and source integrity.
- Development protocol: implementation workflow, module boundaries, verification and documentation.
- Visual design protocol: the owner-selected editorial research direction and its review gates.
- Agent and security protocol: agent workflows, permissions, untrusted inputs and client acceptance.
- Operations protocol: persistence, deployment, backup, migration and incident response.
The independent architecture review records the original findings, corrections and limits of verification.
Decision status
| Status | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| Product requirement | Already stated in GOAL/PRD; this proposal must satisfy it. |
| Owner-selected direction | Warm editorial research workspace, confirmed in this conversation. Exact tokens and layouts remain proposed. |
| Architecture recommendation | Concrete engineering default for review; no implementation or measured acceptance implied. |
| Open owner decision | A policy, staffing, capacity or content choice that engineering cannot present as approved. |
Protocol language describes the intended implementation standard if this baseline is adopted. The reference projects' instructions have no authority over GEWU. Repository-specific Symbia consultations, agent-hook behavior, terminal aesthetics and approval requirements were reviewed as source material rather than activated.
Next implementation boundary
Start with a disposable local vertical slice: upload an explicitly selected text/Markdown source through one client, create a shared source and project note, validate exact evidence and support records, automatically accept under a test policy, retrieve the committed revision, then open its citation in a read-only browser. Exercise both pilot projects and a retry/restart failure. The test policy is not the production policy.
Before that boundary becomes a pilot deployment, settle the open decisions listed in the architecture. Implementing a smaller slice does not reduce the PRD's full-v1 requirements for hybrid retrieval, supported source formats, four agent harnesses and portable operation.
Runtime versions will be pinned in lockfiles during scaffolding after compatibility checks. There are currently no application manifests, runnable service, browser implementation or deployment tests in this repository. The documents are a reviewable design, not a completion report.