First Principles for AI Architecture
Core architectural principles for autonomous AI systems.
The Principles
1. Explicit State Over Implicit Memory
AI agents should not rely on conversation context for critical state. Store state in databases, files, or tickets.
2. Audit Everything
Every action should create an audit trail via devlogs, tickets, or console events.
3. Human Approval Gates
High-stakes actions require explicit human consent via Hancock.
4. Fail Loudly
Errors should be visible and create tickets, not silently swallowed.
5. AI-Observable Infrastructure
Health checks, logs, and metrics should be machine-readable.