📚 OriGen Glossary¶
A reference list of all core terms and concepts used across the OriGen documentation. This glossary is domain-agnostic and reflects the finalized terminology model: Maps → Route → Guide, supported by Navigators and Backpacks.
A¶
Adapter¶
See Guide. A component that translates a Route into native execution artifacts for a specific runtime or platform.
B¶
Backpack¶
An immutable, versioned, read-only resource bundle carried into execution. Contains static dependencies such as templates, datasets, fonts, configs, metadata, or any other deterministic material. Backpacks are pinned by digest, never mutated, and never produced by Steps.
Cargo¶
Any output produced by a Step — files, directories, images, binaries, datasets, or generated artifacts. Cargo is mutable and may be consumed by later Steps.
C¶
Compass¶
OriGen’s core planning engine. Loads Maps, Navigators, and Backpacks; resolves dependencies; validates structure; and compiles the workflow into a deterministic Route. The Compass performs pure planning only: no execution, discovery, or environment interaction.
Commit Reference¶
A Git commit hash recorded in a Map or manifest to bind a workflow to a specific version of a Navigator, Backpack, or build manifest. Used heavily in ADP and downsweep.
D¶
Determinism¶
A first-class architectural constraint. Identical inputs must produce identical outputs and identical failures across all backends and environments.
Digest¶
A content-addressed identifier (typically OCI-style) used to pin toolchains, Backpacks, or other resources. Provides immutability and guarantees that upstream drift cannot alter execution.
Downsweep¶
An organizational-scale capability enabled by ADP. Triggered when a vulnerable or outdated digest is found. Locates every Map referencing the corresponding commit, enumerates dependent workflows, and generates automated updates or remediation reports.
E¶
Execution Boundary¶
The point where OriGen stops. Beyond this boundary, external runtimes (CI systems, orchestrators, VMs, embedded platforms, etc.) execute the artifacts emitted by Guides.
G¶
Guide¶
A backend adapter that converts a Route into native execution artifacts (Kubernetes manifests, CI jobs, Podman commands, VM task files, embedded-runner scripts, etc.). Guides translate, never execute.
I¶
Immutable Intent¶
The complete, backend-neutral representation of a workflow as encoded in the Route. Once produced, intent cannot mutate downstream.
Intermediate Representation (IR)¶
See Route.
M¶
Map¶
A declarative specification of workflow intent. Defines Steps, tools, modes, I/O relationships, and dependencies. Maps contain no imperative code and serve as the human-authored source of truth.
N¶
Navigator¶
A pinned tool definition describing how a tool behaves: container/VM image (or other runnable form), entrypoint, modes, argument templates, and required Backpacks. Navigators decouple tool definitions from workflow logic.
O¶
OriGen¶
A deterministic workflow compiler. Produces a stable, reviewable, platform-agnostic Route from declarative Maps. OriGen does not run workflows — it plans them.
P¶
Pure Planning¶
A hard guarantee that OriGen performs no execution, no discovery, and no I/O during planning. All behavior is explicit and determined by Maps + Navigators + Backpacks.
Provenance (Automatic Digital Provenance, ADP)¶
The structural property where toolchain lineage, workflow definitions, and execution intent can be reconstructed mechanically from Git and digests, without additional instrumentation. ADP emerges naturally from OriGen’s determinism and immutability.
R¶
Route¶
OriGen’s canonical Intermediate Representation (IR) — a deterministic, platform-neutral execution graph compiled from a Map. Encodes workflow structure, dependencies, toolchains, and immutable intent. Consumed by Guides.
S¶
Schema¶
The formal definition that validates Maps, Navigators, Backpacks, and Route structures. Ensures that workflow intent is unambiguous and stable.
Sidecar (Deprecated Term)¶
A legacy term referring to what are now called Backpacks. Remains in older discussions or prototypes but should not appear in current documentation.
Step¶
The smallest unit of execution in a workflow. Each Step invokes a Navigator in a specific mode with defined inputs and outputs.
T¶
Topology¶
The dependency structure of a workflow: ordering, fan-in, fan-out, and graph shape. The Compass resolves topology strictly and deterministically.
U¶
Upstream Drift¶
Changes introduced by external systems (toolchain upgrades, default changes, environment mutations) that normally cause inconsistent workflows. OriGen prevents drift through digest pinning and immutable artifact definitions.
W¶
Workflow Intent¶
The high-level description of what should happen in a workflow — steps, tools, dependencies, outcomes — independent of environment or runtime. Captured in Maps and frozen into the Route.
End of glossary.