# ACT Framework Exploration - Complete Index

## Documents Created

### 1. ACT_FRAMEWORK_EXPLORATION.md (820 lines)
**Comprehensive architectural analysis** covering:

**Part 1: Core Agent Architecture**
- Agent initialization & state machines
- Configuration & constraint enforcement
- Resource management patterns

**Part 2: Identity/Authentication System**
- Linked Context Tokens (LCTs) - Ed25519, hardware binding
- Agent pairing mechanics - X25519 key exchange
- Blockchain-based modules (8 core modules)

**Part 3: Communication Patterns**
- Trust-first broadcasting with Byzantine consensus
- Federation messaging (markdown-based)
- Society-level coordination with ATP pools

**Part 4: Resource Management**
- ATP/ADP energy economy states
- Autonomous agent resource constraints
- Jetson Orin Nano optimization patterns

**Part 5: Plugin/Extension System**
- Cosmos SDK module patterns
- Extensibility points for custom logic
- Federation coordination hooks

**Part 6: Best Integration Points**
- Hardware-bound identity (Phase 1)
- Delegation chain tracking (Phase 2)
- ATP budget limits (Phase 3)
- Proof-of-agency (Phase 4)
- Byzantine federation (Phase 5)

**Part 7: Current Architecture Patterns**
- Code organization (Go, Python, Markdown)
- Integration patterns (blockchain ↔ federation)
- Security model & threat analysis

**Part 8: Key Files & Purposes**
- Identity core files
- Communication & coordination files
- Resource management files
- Blockchain modules

**Part 9: Recommended Integration Sequence**
- 5-phase roadmap with week estimates
- Phase-by-phase implementation guide

**Part 10: Knowledge Gaps**
- Areas for further exploration
- Security questions to investigate

---

### 2. ACT_QUICK_REFERENCE.md (250+ lines)
**Fast lookup guide** for developers, including:

**Module Locations**
- Blockchain modules (`/x/`)
- Python tools (`/implementation/`)
- Specifications (`/core-spec/`)

**Key Data Structures**
- LCTIdentity
- Permission
- TrustUpdate
- ATP/ADP states

**Core Flows**
- Creating an agent
- Delegating to agent
- Trust consensus

**REST API Endpoints**
- LCT Manager
- Pairing
- Energy Cycle
- Trust Tensor

**Configuration Templates**
- Agent config
- ATP config

**Checklists**
- Security checklist
- Integration checklist

**Common Gotchas**
- Permission inheritance behavior
- ATP ownership model
- Hardware binding limitations
- Consensus requirements
- Federation message security

**Debugging Tips**
- Check agent state
- Check blockchain status
- Debug permission checks
- Monitor trust consensus

---

## Quick Navigation

### For Architecture Understanding
1. Start: `ACT_FRAMEWORK_EXPLORATION.md` - Part 1-3
2. Then: `ACT_QUICK_REFERENCE.md` - Module Locations & Core Flows
3. Deep: `ACT_FRAMEWORK_EXPLORATION.md` - Part 6-10

### For Integration Planning
1. Start: `ACT_QUICK_REFERENCE.md` - Integration Checklist
2. Plan: `ACT_FRAMEWORK_EXPLORATION.md` - Part 9 (5-phase roadmap)
3. Design: Phase 1 detailed specification

### For Debugging Issues
1. Quick: `ACT_QUICK_REFERENCE.md` - Common Gotchas & Debugging Tips
2. Deep: `ACT_FRAMEWORK_EXPLORATION.md` - Part 7 (Security Model)

---

## Key Findings Summary

### Architecture Strengths
- Permission system with inheritance rules
- Byzantine consensus foundation
- ATP tracking infrastructure
- Cryptographic signatures on all operations
- Modular Cosmos design for extensions

### Architecture Gaps
- Hardware binding (placeholders only)
- Delegation chains (2-level only)
- ATP budgets (on permissions, not delegations)
- Proof-of-agency (informal)
- Cross-chain federation (not realized)

### Integration Roadmap
| Phase | Focus | Timeline | Impact |
|-------|-------|----------|--------|
| 1 | Hardware binding | Week 1-2 | Prevents key cloning |
| 2 | Delegation chains | Week 2-3 | Full audit trail |
| 3 | ATP budget limits | Week 3-4 | Spending controls |
| 4 | Proof-of-agency | Week 4-5 | Action accountability |
| 5 | Federation trust | Week 5-6 | Cross-chain verification |

---

## Repository Structure

### Source Code
```
/home/dp/ai-workspace/act/
├── implementation/
│   ├── ledger/              # Cosmos blockchain (913 Go files)
│   │   └── x/               # 8 core modules
│   ├── *.py                 # Federation tools (50+ files)
│   └── society*/            # Test blockchains
├── core-spec/               # Architecture specifications
├── docs/                    # Documentation
├── philosophy/              # Conceptual foundations
└── README.md                # Project overview
```

### Analysis Documents
```
/home/dp/ai-workspace/
├── ACT_FRAMEWORK_EXPLORATION.md     # 820-line comprehensive analysis
├── ACT_QUICK_REFERENCE.md           # 250-line fast lookup
└── ACT_EXPLORATION_INDEX.md         # This file
```

---

## Core Concepts

### Linked Context Token (LCT)
- Cryptographic identity using Ed25519
- Hardware-bound (TPM in production)
- Registered on blockchain with witnesses
- Format: `lct://society:role:agent_id@network`

### Agent Pairing
- Creates cryptographic relationship between human and agent
- Diffie-Hellman key exchange for session keys
- Signed pairing certificate with permissions
- Revocable (immediate, scheduled, or conditional)

### Permission Model
- Scope: financial, communication, computation, governance
- Constraints: value, time, rate
- Inheritance: most restrictive wins
- Audit: all operations logged

### ATP/ADP Economy
- ATP: charged, available for work
- ADP: discharged, awaiting recharge
- Pool-based: society owns tokens, agents draw from pool
- Daily regeneration + emergency reserves

### Byzantine Consensus
- Aggregates trust observations from multiple agents
- Requires 2f+1 witnesses (where f = maximum failures)
- Uses median to resist outliers
- Enables sybil-resistant reputation

---

## Next Steps

### Immediate
- [ ] Read core specifications (30 min)
- [ ] Trace agent lifecycle in code (1 hour)
- [ ] Review 5-phase roadmap (30 min)

### This Week
- [ ] Design Phase 1 hardware binding
- [ ] Create delegationchain module skeleton
- [ ] Write integration tests

### This Month
- [ ] Implement all 5 phases
- [ ] Build audit log visualization
- [ ] Multi-society federation testing

---

## Key Files to Study

### Must Read
1. `/core-spec/human-lct-binding.md` - Identity ceremony
2. `/core-spec/agent-pairing.md` - Agent pairing
3. `/core-spec/permission-model.md` - Permissions

### Should Read
4. `/implementation/ledger/sprout_autonomous_agent.py` - Agent executor
5. `/implementation/trust_coordinator.py` - Trust consensus
6. `/implementation/genesis_atp_adp_manager.py` - ATP economy

### Explore
7. `/implementation/ledger/x/lctmanager/` - Identity
8. `/implementation/ledger/x/pairing/` - Delegation
9. `/implementation/ledger/x/energycycle/` - Resources

---

## Contact & Resources

**ACT Repository**: https://github.com/dp-web4/ACT
**Web4 Specs**: https://github.com/dp-web4/web4
**Cosmos SDK**: https://docs.cosmos.network/
**Tendermint**: https://tendermint.com/

---

## Document Metadata

| Property | Value |
|----------|-------|
| Created | 2025-12-28 |
| Status | Complete - Ready for implementation |
| Analysis Scope | Full codebase (1400+ files) |
| Confidence Level | High |
| Lines of Analysis | 1,070+ (two documents) |
| Code Examples | 50+ |
| Integration Phases | 5 |
| Estimated Implementation | 5-6 weeks |

---

**This exploration document set provides a solid foundation for integrating hardware-bound identity, delegation chains, ATP budgets, proof-of-agency, and Byzantine federation consensus into the ACT framework.**

Last Updated: 2025-12-28
Status: Ready for Phase 1 implementation planning
