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Aegis

License: Apache 2.0 Core Rules Agent Skills Architecture Version Zero Runtime Dependencies Blog Post M8ven Score

Production-grade governance framework making AI coding agents trustworthy through observable, self-evolving constraints.

Aegis (formerly Soma) replaces static, unverified prompt rules (.cursorrules, CLAUDE.md) with a closed-loop governance engine: JIT context injection, deterministic AST verification, and Wilson-bounded rule evolution. Rules prove their value or decay to zero.

flowchart LR
    A["Agent Action"] --> B["1. JIT Rule Injection<br/><i>Relevant constraints & traps</i>"]
    B --> C["Code Generation"]
    C --> D["2. Two-Layer Verification<br/><i>Deterministic AST + Adversarial Arbiter</i>"]
    D --> E["3. Ambient Telemetry<br/><i>Trigger & outcome signals</i>"]
    E --> F["Self-Evolving Lifecycle<br/><i>Rules promote or decay</i>"]
    F -.-> B

📖 Documentation Portal & Guides

Explore deep-dive guides for production architecture, workflows, and specifications:

Guide Description Key Focus
MCP Gateway Dual-Plane Gateway Architecture Control vs Execution Plane, receipt security, opt-in projection
Verification Pipeline Two-Layer Verification Engine Layer 1 AST checks, Layer 2 Adversarial Rebuttal, Gate 4.5
Rule Lifecycle Evolutionary Rule Management 5 rule types, Wilson scoring, promotion/demotion, zero-touch decay
Skill Graph Horizontal Agent Collaboration 15 skills, typed envelopes (<150 tokens), file-buffered handoffs
Compatibility SemVer 2.0 Guarantee Formal backwards compatibility contracts starting at v1.0.0
Security Policy Vulnerability Reporting & Scopes Security tiering, isolation, and responsible disclosure

Quick Start

pip install aegis-guardrails   # Pure Python (3.9+), zero runtime dependencies
aegis init                     # Auto-detects Gemini, Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot
aegis status                   # View active rules and fitness stats
aegis check                    # Run Layer 1 deterministic AST checks

Add Aegis to your agent's configuration (AEGIS_WORKSPACE points to your project):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aegis": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": ["-m", "aegis_mcp"],
      "env": {
        "AEGIS_WORKSPACE": "/path/to/project",
        "AEGIS_EXECUTION_ENABLED": "1"
      }
    }
  }
}
Tier Available tools
Read (default) soma_request_receipt, soma_scan, soma_list_cells, soma_grade, soma_coverage, soma_fitness, soma_audit_security, soma_audit_performance, soma_poll_verification, soma_list_rules, soma_rule_fitness
Write (default; receipt required) soma_report_outcome, soma_capture_insight, soma_create_cell, soma_create_rule, soma_handoff
Execute (opt-in; receipt required) soma_propose_change, soma_verify_changes, soma_checkpoint, soma_generate_manifest

Receipt flow: Call soma_request_receipt with the operation and arguments to obtain a single-use, state-bound token (300s TTL). See MCP Gateway Guide.

SDK

from aegis_sdk import Governance

gov = Governance(project_root='.')
print(gov.grade(), gov.fitness_landscape(bayesian=True))

📐 Core Rules

The system's foundational rules — 19 inherited behavioral defaults:

Rule Trigger Purpose
providence always_on Codebase grounding, no hallucinations, diagnose-before-repair
cost-optimization always_on Token efficiency, diffs-only edits, FPSR metric (>80%)
subagent-delegation always_on Context protection, concurrency limits, delegation floor
architectural-tenets model_decision Pragmatism, trade-off analysis, scale-to-zero
atomic-workstream-protocol model_decision Atomic 2-5 file micro-step decomposition and verification gates
polyglot-standards model_decision Unified entrypoints (Makefiles), containerization
feature-specs model_decision PRD structure, acceptance criteria, documentation
testing model_decision Behavioral testing, sad paths, ast.parse ban
documentation model_decision ADRs, actionable READMEs, Mermaid diagrams
destructive-ops model_decision Dry-run mandates for IaC, database mutations, bulk git
git-workflow model_decision Conventional commits, .gitignore verification
desktop-automation model_decision PyAutoGUI/xdotool safety, focus verification
core-change-protocol model_decision Approval gates for core modifications
tdd-protocol model_decision Test-driven development with sequential phase gates
optional-import-guard model_decision try/except guards on optional dependencies
ci-green-before-release model_decision Requires green CI before release or deployment
gitflow-review-gate model_decision Enforces reviewed Gitflow branch transitions
no-pre-existing-excuse model_decision Requires fixing relevant pre-existing failures instead of dismissing them

🔧 Agent Skills

15 specialized skills coordinate complex behaviors via typed envelopes and file-buffered handoffs. See the Skill Graph Guide for schemas and coordination workflows.

Skills Description
adaptive-reviewer, staff-review, spec-synthesizer Multi-lens adversarial review and actionable plan synthesis
security-audit, performance-audit, governance-auditor Specialized audits for AppSec (OWASP), latency/GC, and invariant compliance
genesis, incident-debug, post-mortem Codebase reconnaissance, systematic incident debugging, blameless post-mortems
refactoring-pilot, readme-writer, visual-analyst Mikado Method refactoring, documentation generation, UI/screen analysis
session-monitor, session-preflight, domain-researcher Real-time waste tracking, environment pre-flight probes, external research

📋 Adaptive Rules & Verification

Adaptive rules live in .aegis/rules/ (invariant, boundary, trap, persona, contract). Rules evolve using Wilson-bounded fitness intervals and decay to zero when unreinforced. See the Rule Lifecycle Guide.

All changes are gated by aegis check:

  • Layer 1: Deterministic AST analysis (call graph reachability, mutation testing, import guards, branch coverage).
  • Layer 2: Adversarial Rebuttal Protocol with Spec Agent prosecution, Code Agent defense, and binding Arbiter verdict (SHIP / REVISE / BLOCK). See the Verification Pipeline Guide.

⚙️ Core Architecture

  • Zero Runtime Dependencies: Pure Python standard library (dependencies = []).
  • Scale-to-Zero: Zero daemons, zero background threads, zero persistent idle consumption.
  • Local Privacy: Telemetry and evidence remain strictly local in .aegis/evidence/.
  • Complete script, tool, and module reference catalog is available in SCRIPTS.md.

License & Privacy

Apache 2.0 — Copyright 2026 Nicholas Seney. See NOTICE, PRIVACY.md, and SECURITY.md.

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