# 🧬 Contributing to the Sovereign AI Organism
**Thank you for choosing to evolve the Aicent Stack. You are not just submitting code; you are architecting the foundational nervous system for autonomous, sovereign intelligence.**
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<img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Status-Homeostasis-brightgreen.svg" alt="Status">
<img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Specs-RFC--001--006-blue.svg" alt="Specs">
<img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/License-Apache--2.0-lightgrey.svg" alt="License">
</p>
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## 🏛️ The Aicent Engineering Philosophy
The Aicent Stack is an **indivisible organism**. Every line of code added to this workspace must respect the **Metabolic Homeostasis** of the system. We prioritize deterministic performance and physical realism over generic software abstractions.
### The Three Pillars of Contribution:
1. **Sub-millisecond Reflex:** If a contribution introduces >10µs of unoptimized overhead in the critical path, it must be justified by SIMD or hardware-offloading requirements.
2. **Atomic Sovereignty:** Trust is never delegated. Every packet must be self-authenticated via RPKI (RFC-003) and self-cleared via ZCMK (RFC-004).
3. **Workspace Integrity:** Changes to one domain must be audited for their impact on the entire six-domain reflex arc.
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## 🔬 The RFC-First Workflow
We do not accept arbitrary features. All development must align with the official **RFC Suite**:
1. **Review Standards:** Study [RFC-001 through RFC-006](https://github.com/Aicent-Stack/manifesto/tree/main/rfcs) in the `manifesto` repository.
2. **Evolution Proposal:** Open an Issue with the prefix `[EVOLUTION-PROPOSAL]` to discuss architectural changes.
3. **Audit:** Technical leadership will review the proposal for consistency with the Sovereign AI lifeform's goals.
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## 🦀 Technical Requirements (Standard v1.0)
To maintain a carrier-grade foundation, all contributions must adhere to:
- **Language:** Performance-critical Rust (1.75+).
- **Memory Management:** Zero-allocation/Zero-copy on the critical path of `RTTP`, `RPKI`, and `ZCMK`.
- **Safety:** Every `unsafe` block must be accompanied by a `// SAFETY:` comment documenting the hardware/memory boundary.
- **Determinism:** Embedded logic (GTIOT) must adhere to `no_std` principles where applicable for bare-metal resonance.
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## 🛠️ Development & Validation
```bash
# 1. Pull the Unified Workspace
git clone https://github.com/Aicent-Stack/aicent-stack.git
cd aicent-stack
# 2. Verify Global Homeostasis
cargo build --workspace --release
cargo test --workspace
cargo clippy --workspace -- -D warnings
```
### Contribution Steps:
1. **Fork** the `aicent-stack` repository.
2. **Branch:** Use the `evolution/` prefix (e.g., `evolution/rttp-xdp-offload`).
3. **Commit:** Follow [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/).
4. **Benchmarking:** Any change affecting the reflex arc must include `criterion` benchmark reports.
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## 📜 Sovereign Ownership & Licensing
🛡️ All contributions are licensed under the **Apache-2.0 License** via the Aicent.com Organization. By contributing, you agree that your code becomes an inseparable part of the Sovereign AI Organism.
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**SYSTEM STATUS: HOMEOTASIS**
*"The latency-tax is dead. Join the pulse."*