Project-Kiln/docs/spec/00_SPEC_INDEX.md

CLI-First Arch Gaming OS — Specification Index

This directory is the starting point for project planning and later implementation.

Source-of-truth rules

• The numbered topic files collectively contain the complete specification.
• They began as a structural split of the original specification and have since evolved through later numbered revisions recorded in the change log.
• 99_FULL_SPEC_ARCHIVE.md remains the preserved monolithic v0.4 reference and historical source. It is not updated in lockstep with later numbered revisions.
• When updating the project, edit the relevant topic file and keep this index current. Avoid adding a second statement of the same decision elsewhere.
• Open questions must remain explicitly marked as open; proposals are not confirmed requirements.
• Before saving any planning change, apply the mandatory cross-spec integrity procedure in 01_PROJECT_FOUNDATION.md. Do not guess when a conflict would change scope, release boundaries, architecture, or user-visible behavior; ask the project owner for clarification first.

Quick navigation

File	Use it for
01_PROJECT_FOUNDATION.md	Document usage, vision, goals, non-goals, principles, and confirmed requirements
02_ARCHITECTURE_AND_BACKEND.md	System layers, components, process model, unified launcher API/CLI, records, launch plans, and external-client contract
03_PROVIDERS_SESSIONS_AND_INPUT.md	Steam/Heroic/Lutris/provider strategy, graphical session behavior, runtime profiles, launcher lifecycle, fallbacks, and controllers
04_BASE_PERFORMANCE_RELIABILITY.md	Arch base system, performance policy and benchmarking, recovery, privacy, and security
05_FRONTENDS_AND_SESSION_POLICIES.md	Graphical policies, Pegasus integration, fork/custom-frontend policy, and provider-interface behavior
06_DEVELOPMENT_ROADMAP_AND_ACCEPTANCE.md	Development environments, validation, delivery phases, and version 1 acceptance criteria
07_RISKS_DECISIONS_AND_HISTORY.md	Risks, open questions, decision log, change log, and reference notes

Suggested agent reading order

1. Read this index.
2. Read 01_PROJECT_FOUNDATION.md for scope and confirmed constraints.
3. Read only the topic files relevant to the current task.
4. Before changing architecture or scope, also read 07_RISKS_DECISIONS_AND_HISTORY.md to avoid reviving rejected or deferred ideas.
5. Use the monolithic reference only for integrity checks or when cross-topic context is genuinely needed.

Integrity note

The numbered topic files are the current v0.23 source of truth. 99_FULL_SPEC_ARCHIVE.md preserves the complete monolithic v0.4 specification for historical and integrity checks, so it no longer matches the evolving numbered files byte-for-byte.