# Nextcraft — PROJECT.md

## What This Is

Nextcraft is an AI-native outcome school where graduates prove what they can build — not what they can write. It credentials verifiable skill for a post-AI labor market, rejects legacy degree structures, and trains the workforce of tomorrow through hands-on competency stacks assessed entirely by AI tutors. The marketplace is the symbiotic second surface: employers meet AI-credentialed talent through an automated, algorithmically-matched job board that runs without human headcount.

**Single guiding outcome:** ≥1,000 learners placed in AI-orchestration roles via the Nextcraft marketplace within 36 months of launch, verified by CIRR-style third-party audit.

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## Current Milestone: v0.2 — AI Tutor Architecture

**Scope:** The six AI tutor agents (Coach, Tutor, Lab, Assessor, Proctor, Mentor) as real LLM-backed services in a new `apps/ai-service` Python FastAPI application, wired into the existing v0.1 learner surface chat UI with streaming responses. Provider-agnostic LLM layer (ollama-cloud default, local endpoint + deterministic mock for tests). Lab/Assessor/Proctor operate on mock engine inputs (simulated telemetry, pre-baked artifacts) — their real engines (sandbox fabric, assessment engine, identity verification) are v0.3+.

**Status of v0.1:** Complete and shipped (v0.1.0). Founder agreement recorded (D-013).

**Tech stack:** v0.1 TS monorepo (pnpm/turborepo, Next.js) + new Python FastAPI service (`apps/ai-service`) with pydantic, SSE streaming, and an OpenAI-compatible provider client.

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## Requirements (Validated)

The following requirements have been validated during specification and are locked for milestone v0.2 (REQ-F-001..006 activated from the deferred pool):

1. AI tutor service infrastructure — `apps/ai-service` FastAPI application, provider-agnostic LLM client, SSE streaming, session/state handling
2. Agent framework — base agent contracts, prompt management, streaming pipeline, structured outputs
3. Coach agent — pacing, motivation, retrieval practice (REQ-F-001)
4. Tutor agent — concept delivery, Socratic questioning (REQ-F-002)
5. Lab agent — in-flow feedback over simulated sandbox telemetry (REQ-F-003, mock inputs)
6. Assessor agent — rubric application to pre-baked artifacts and defenses (REQ-F-004, mock inputs)
7. Proctor agent — integrity signals from mock telemetry, coaching interventions (REQ-F-005, mock inputs)
8. Mentor agent — long-horizon career narrative (REQ-F-006)
9. Learner surface integration — streaming chat UI wired to the real service, error/loading states

## v0.1 Requirements (Complete)

All 28 v0.1 requirements (REQ-001..028) are complete and shipped as v0.1.0. See REQUIREMENTS.md traceability matrix.

## Clarified Assumptions (CLARIFY stage, full autonomy — auto-resolved)

| # | Ambiguity | Resolution | Confidence |
|---|-----------|------------|-------------|
| A-001 | Where does the ai-service live in the monorepo? | `apps/ai-service` — pnpm-workspace ignores Python; it integrates via root package.json scripts (`ai:dev`, `ai:test`), not as a pnpm package. Turbo gets passthrough tasks. | 0.95 |
| A-002 | How does the Next.js client talk to ai-service? | Direct fetch to `http://localhost:8420` (configurable via `NEXT_PUBLIC_AI_SERVICE_URL`) with SSE parsing. No Next.js API-route proxy in v0.2 — client components talk straight to the service. | 0.85 |
| A-003 | Session persistence? | In-memory dict keyed by session ID (v0.2 has no DB). Sessions lost on restart — acceptable for this milestone; store interface is DB-migration-ready. | 0.9 |
| A-004 | Port for ai-service? | 8420 (avoids common dev-port collisions with 3000/8000; documented in .env.example). | 0.8 |
| A-005 | Which ollama-cloud model? | Default `gemma4:31b` (probe-verified); configurable via `AI_TUTOR_MODEL` env. Model choice is a config, not code. | 0.85 |
| A-006 | Streaming format? | SSE with `data:` JSON lines (OpenAI-compatible delta objects), terminated by `data: [DONE]`. Matches the provider contract, so the provider layer passes deltas through unchanged. | 0.9 |
| A-007 | Agent routing in the chat UI? | Explicit agent switcher (Coach/Tutor) in the learner chat; Byte viewer always uses Tutor; sandbox uses Lab; assessment uses Assessor+Proctor; dashboard Mentor panel. No autonomous routing in v0.2. | 0.9 |
| A-008 | Auth between web and ai-service? | None in v0.2 (local dev surface). CORS limited to localhost origins. Real auth is v0.3+ with identity work. | 0.85 |
| A-009 | Python tooling? | `python3 -m venv` + pip (venv is the only available mechanism in this environment; no uv). Pydantic v2, FastAPI, uvicorn, pytest — all PyPI-reachable (verified). | 0.9 |
| A-010 | What happens when the LLM provider is unreachable? | Streaming endpoints return an error event; the UI shows error states with retry. Mock provider guarantees tests never call the cloud. | 0.9 |

## Requirements (Active — Future Milestones)

The following remain deferred beyond v0.2 and will be activated in subsequent milestones:

- Competency graph engine and adaptive pathways
- Assessment engine (process-trace grading, oral defense, per-learner variant tasks) — v0.3+
- Sandbox fabric (sandboxed IDE, design tool, simulation) — v0.3+
- Identity verification and age-gating logic (16+/18+) — the real KYC backend (v0.3+; visual flow already exists in v0.1)
- Marketplace job aggregation pipeline (3M+ jobs from 120K companies)
- AI-powered tagging, semantic vector search, company enrichment
- AI resume parsing and job matching
- SEO-optimized programmatic pages
- Payment processing and subscription management
- Human tutor marketplace (third-party course creation)
- B2B employer network functionality
- CIRR-style placement tracking and audit

## Requirements (Out of Scope — Per Vision Doctrine)

- Traditional accreditation — not sought, not pursued, not revisited
- Under-16 learners — excluded; AI school floor is 16+
- Marketplace for under-18 — excluded; marketplace is 18+ with verified identity
- Human tutors in the core school — excluded; humans exist only in the open marketplace
- Graded written exams without process trace — excluded
- Legacy job titles in curriculum — excluded
- Junk advertising — excluded

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## Constraints

1. **MAJOR 0 until MVP** — all versions remain v0.x until the MVP is released and agreed upon by the founder
2. **No business logic in v0.1** — pure UI/UX prototype with mock data only
3. **High-fidelity interactive** — clickable navigation, realistic content, hover states, form inputs (non-functional), responsive breakpoints, loading states (mock)
4. **All data mocked** — no real API calls, no database, no authentication logic
5. **Shared design system** — all 4 surfaces use a unified component library with surface-specific theming via CSS variables
6. **TypeScript monorepo** — pnpm workspaces + turborepo for build orchestration
7. **Next.js App Router** — route groups for each surface: (learner), (marketplace), (employer), (admin)
8. **Solo founder constraint** — Phase 1 is build-only with no headcount; the prototype must be producible by a solo developer with AI assistance
9. **No traditional accreditation** — proprietary credential replaces degrees
10. **AI-first architecture** — AI tutors are the primary human-facing layer (in future milestones)

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## Key Decisions

| ID | Decision | Rationale | Outcome |
|----|----------|-----------|---------|
| D-001 | Milestone v0.1 = UI/UX prototype only, no business logic | Founder directive: validate UX before building backend. Prototype must be agreed upon before proceeding to business logic. | Scope locked to frontend surfaces with mock data |
| D-002 | MAJOR 0 until MVP released | Founder directive: remain on v0.x until MVP is validated. Signals pre-release status. | All tags are v0.x.y until MVP agreement |
| D-003 | TypeScript monorepo (pnpm/turborepo) + Next.js | Unified codebase for all 4 surfaces. Shared component library, types, mock data. Next.js App Router for route-based surface separation. Python AI services deferred to later milestones. | Monorepo structure with apps/web + packages/* |
| D-004 | All 4 surfaces in v0.1 (Learner, Marketplace, Employer, Admin) | Founder selected all 4 surfaces for the prototype. Complete product visualization before any backend work. | 24 REQ-IDs covering all surfaces + shared infrastructure |
| D-005 | High-fidelity interactive prototype | Founder selected high-fidelity over wireframes. Realistic mock data, navigation flows, responsive layouts, component library. No backend calls. | Clickable prototype with realistic content |
| D-006 | Release forge = Gitea @ git.cloudinit.dev, owner=coreci, repo=nextcraft | Founder-provided Gitea instance for release management. Token stored in .ciagent/.env.secrets. | Ship workflow creates tags + releases on Gitea |
| D-007 | Full autonomy for CIAgent pipeline | Founder selected full autonomy. No HITL after clarify. Auto-decide above confidence 0.60. Escalation hooks: deploy, delete_data, merge_to_main. | Rapid autonomous building with kill criteria |
| D-008 | Shared component library in packages/ui/ | All surfaces share a unified design system with surface-specific theming via CSS variables. Promotes consistency and reduces duplication. | packages/ui, packages/mock-data, packages/types |
| D-009 | AI tutor UI as chat interface mockup with pre-scripted responses | The learner surface includes an AI tutor chat UI mockup. No real AI backend — pre-scripted responses simulate the Coach and Tutor agents. | Mockup only in v0.1, real agents in future milestone |
| D-010 | Age-gating represented as visual registration flow mockup | 16+/18+ age-gating shown as a UI flow with age verification step. No actual verification logic. | Visual mockup only |
| D-011 | Competency graph viewer as interactive static visualization | Admin surface includes a competency graph viewer using react-flow or similar. Mock competency nodes and edges. No real graph data. | Static graph with mock data |
| D-012 | Tech stack: TS monorepo + Python AI services (future) | v0.1 uses TS only. Python FastAPI microservices planned for AI tutor agents and assessment engine in later milestones. | v0.1: TS only. v0.2: TS + Python (apps/ai-service) |
| D-013 | v0.1 prototype founder-agreed; D-001 business-logic gate unlocked | Founder approved starting v0.2 with AI Tutor Architecture, which constitutes agreement of the v0.1 prototype per D-001. Recorded at v0.2 SPECIFY. | Business logic authorized from v0.2 onward |
| D-014 | Provider-agnostic LLM layer; ollama-cloud as initial provider | OpenAI-compatible client abstraction with pluggable providers: ollama-cloud (https://ollama.com/v1, default), local OpenAI-compatible endpoint, deterministic mock (tests/CI). Keys in gitignored .ciagent/.env.secrets, never in code or commits. | apps/ai-service llm package with 3 providers; default=ollama-cloud |
| D-015 | All six agents implemented as real LLM services; engines mocked | Coach/Tutor/Mentor fully real. Lab/Assessor/Proctor are real LLM logic over mock inputs (simulated telemetry, pre-baked artifacts) since sandbox fabric, assessment engine, and identity verification are v0.3+. Consistent with v0.1's mock-data approach. | REQ-F-001..006 complete in v0.2; real engines deferred to v0.3+ |

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## Context

Nextcraft is being built by a solo founder using the CIAgent v0.7.0 autonomous pipeline. The vision document defines a 36-month, 3-phase roadmap to ≥1,000 placements. The first CIAgent milestone (v0.1) is intentionally scoped to UI/UX only — validating the product vision through interactive prototypes before any backend or business logic investment.

The four surfaces (Learner, Marketplace, Employer Dashboard, Admin) map directly to the four audiences in the vision: learners, employers, marketplace operators, and platform administrators. The prototype will demonstrate the complete user journey across all surfaces with realistic mock data reflecting the AI-era competency stacks, AI-orchestration job listings, and artifact+process trace+oral defense credential model.