docs/kernel_import_plan.md

# Kernel Import Plan

Clean product one-liner: import the kernel in 6 slices, not as a 5.6G blob.

Layman version: move the engine, gearbox, and gauges first; leave the spare tires and posters behind.

## How many slices?

Best read: **6 kernel slices total** for the first honest standalone runtime.

| Slice | Status | Why | Real-world analog |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| receipt schema | imported | stable proof format | receipt template |
| receipt model | imported | effect vocabulary + hashing | logbook |
| UTIR vocabulary | imported | bounded operation language | work-order language |
| guarded executor | imported | sandbox and allowlist logic | safety interlock |
| graph core | imported | graph/ops packet execution surface | engine block |
| module spine | imported, partial | shows upstream kernel surface and what is still missing | wiring diagram |

## Can we work more aggressively?

Yes, but the aggressive version should be:

1. import the minimal slices quickly
2. expose them through one local runtime loop
3. benchmark them immediately
4. only then widen the imported surface

Not:
1. vendor the entire upstream tree
2. hope the product boundary appears later

## Next two aggressive moves

| Move | Why it wins |
| --- | --- |
| add policy allowlist over local `exec` | turns execution from env toggle into real control policy |
| bind local runtime runner to vendored UTIR vocabulary | closes the gap between current shell runner and imported kernel language |

## Frontier read

| Strategy | Read |
| --- | --- |
| big-bang kernel import | loses |
| tiny placeholder-only repo | loses |
| 6-slice kernel import with immediate runtime use | wins |