cto/.sot/03-PROTOCOLS/CTO-CASE-PROVIDER-ADMISSION-PRD.md

title	status	lifecycle_classification	owner	created	last_reviewed	core_promotion_status	route
CTO Case Provider Admission PRD	draft	sot	jp	2026-05-31	2026-05-31	not-promoted	cto

CTO Case Provider Admission PRD

Local planning SOT only. Not a Core Protocol. Not active Core authority.

Purpose

Unblock Stage 2 by admitting a real WorkOS Case executable through a governed provider route, without treating Case as Cortex authority and without mutating any target repository.

Current Evidence

• Source repo: https://github.com/workos/case.git.
• Pinned source commit: 7959ac917cdeb0983b4aaa20bb9f42021747fed8.
• Package name: case.
• Package status: private: true.
• Public npm package case is not WorkOS Case.
• Case CLI binary name is ca, because case is a shell reserved word.
• Case setup requires Bun.
• Case standalone executable is produced by bun run build:binary as dist/ca.
• Case task execution uses ca run --task <task-file> or ca session <repo-path> --task <task-file>.

Problem

The Hermes CTO harness has a provider-unavailable failure path, but it does not yet have an admitted durable Case provider. CTO_HARNESS_CASE_BIN alone is insufficient if the adapter passes a raw prompt as argv. WorkOS Case expects a task file and a Case command shape, not an arbitrary prompt string.

Product Requirement

Create a provider admission route that proves the exact executable, command contract, and task contract before Stage 2 can pass.

Required Contract

• The provider path must be explicit and durable; /tmp clones are discovery evidence only.
• The provider must be pinned to 7959ac917cdeb0983b4aaa20bb9f42021747fed8 or a later recorded pin.
• The provider must identify itself as WorkOS Case, not the unrelated npm package.
• The adapter must call ca run --task <task-file> for Stage 2 artificial fixture work.
• The adapter must not pass the task brief as a raw positional prompt.
• The task file must contain no Target Repository path for Stage 2.
• The run must preserve Stage 2 allowed mutation scope is copied artificial case only.
• Missing Bun, missing dist/ca, wrong commit, wrong command shape, or wrong task file means blocked.
• Case may execute only inside the Harness Evidence Interface.
• Case may recommend. Case must not approve itself.

Acceptance Evidence

• Provider admission report records executable path, source URL, pinned commit, build command, binary digest, and command shape.
• Stage 2 pass report exists only after a real ca run --task <task-file> execution.
• Provider-unavailable report remains available and fail-closed.
• Fake remains the default validation lane.
• No Cortex Core, Case source, vendor source, or Target Repository file is mutated.

Explicit Non-Goals

• Do not vendor Case source into Cortex OS Core.
• Do not install or use the unrelated npm case package.
• Do not skip Stage 2.
• Do not authorize copied repo, sandbox repo, owned repo, default backend, WebUI product, or Core promotion behavior.
• Do not treat Case as CTO authority.