06 Runtime View | CX Documentation

Table of Contents

Canonical runtime flows
Key Scenarios
Failure Semantics

The core runtime story is the Friday-to-Monday transition:

Friday MCP and notes work produce hypotheses and preserved reasoning
Track A bundling freezes the real handoff
Monday validation, verification, and extraction prove the artifact rather than trusting it by habit

Canonical runtime flows

These workflows show how live exploration, durable notes, and proof artifacts hand work to each other over time.

Key Scenarios

Scenario Trigger Main interaction Trust result

Scenario	Trigger	Main interaction	Trust result
Live investigation	An operator or agent needs current workspace context.	`cx mcp` exposes bounded read, inspect, bundle-preview, doctor, and notes tools according to MCP policy.	Track B hypotheses and optional note updates; no proof-grade artifact claim.
Bundle materialization	A clean source tree needs a reproducible handoff.	`cx inspect` previews the plan, then `cx bundle` selects tracked files, renders sections, writes manifest truth, lock data, checksums, and assets.	Track A snapshot with explicit provenance and trust metadata.
Artifact verification	A human or CI runner receives a bundle.	`cx validate` checks bundle structure; `cx verify` checks manifest, hashes, render plan evidence, and optionally source-tree agreement.	Trusted artifact only when the proof checks pass.
Extraction and recovery	A bundle must reconstruct files for review or downstream work.	`cx extract` reads manifest truth, verifies when requested, and refuses unsafe recovery unless degraded extraction is explicitly allowed.	Recovered files remain tied to manifest and checksum evidence.
Safe note mutation	A trusted local session intentionally changes durable repository memory.	MCP mutation requires explicit policy and mutation enablement, followed by note governance review.	Conditional cognition updated with auditability; still not artifact proof.

Live investigation

An operator or agent needs current workspace context.

cx mcp exposes bounded read, inspect, bundle-preview, doctor, and notes tools according to MCP policy.

Track B hypotheses and optional note updates; no proof-grade artifact claim.

Bundle materialization

A clean source tree needs a reproducible handoff.

cx inspect previews the plan, then cx bundle selects tracked files, renders sections, writes manifest truth, lock data, checksums, and assets.

Track A snapshot with explicit provenance and trust metadata.

Artifact verification

A human or CI runner receives a bundle.

cx validate checks bundle structure; cx verify checks manifest, hashes, render plan evidence, and optionally source-tree agreement.

Trusted artifact only when the proof checks pass.

Extraction and recovery

A bundle must reconstruct files for review or downstream work.

cx extract reads manifest truth, verifies when requested, and refuses unsafe recovery unless degraded extraction is explicitly allowed.

Recovered files remain tied to manifest and checksum evidence.

Safe note mutation

A trusted local session intentionally changes durable repository memory.

MCP mutation requires explicit policy and mutation enablement, followed by note governance review.

Conditional cognition updated with auditability; still not artifact proof.

Failure Semantics

Dirty tracked files stop promotable bundling unless the operator records an explicit local override. Checksum drift means the artifact no longer matches manifest truth. Degraded extraction means deterministic recovery could not be proven and must stay opt-in. MCP denials are expected when the active policy does not authorize mutation.