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The ORBIT Methodology

ORBIT is the opinionated kernel underneath Jorv. It's a small set of rules about how AI-assisted software development should work — visible, contract-driven, auditable, and human-piloted.

The contract is two markdown files

PRODUCT.md says what the product is and who it is for. ARCHITECTURE.md says how it is built. Together they are the contract.

  • The AI builds against the contract.
  • Changes that violate the contract get flagged.
  • Updates to the contract require human approval.

The contract is plain markdown that lives in the repo, diffable in PRs and readable by anyone — engineering, design, leadership, regulators.

See AppSpec for the open-standard format that codifies this two-file contract.

Brainstorm before build

Every non-trivial change starts with a Brainstorm artefact:

  • Approaches considered (2-4 typically)
  • Risks surfaced (existing patterns, dependencies, security, compliance)
  • Architecture proposed (which files change, in what order, with what dependencies)
  • The human picks one before any code is written

The Brainstorm is the evidence of considered design — the "why" you can show your future self or your auditor months later. See Brainstorm First for the rationale.

Glass Box, not Black Box

You see what the Brain is thinking, what tools it is using, and what it is about to change. Nothing happens you can't see.

  • Every tool call is logged with inputs and outputs.
  • Every code edit is staged in the Diff View before it lands.
  • Every prompt + completion is preserved in the PROV chain.

The Glass Box principle is what makes the rest of the methodology defensible.

PROV on every step

Provenance is not an afterthought — it's a primitive. Every brainstorm, plan, code edit, test run, deploy step, audit finding, and human approval lands as a typed PROV node. You can replay any decision months later.

The Enterprise tier hardens this with WORM-style storage and Merkle-rooted checkpoints. See Compliance.

Human pilot, AI amplifier

The Centaur model. The human pilots the mission and owns the call. The AI amplifies — proposes, executes, audits, reports — but never lands a regulated merge without human approval. The cockpit metaphor is literal: the pilot is in charge.

BYOK + BYOI architectural commitment

The methodology assumes you bring your own keys and your own infrastructure. The contract docs are local. The PROV chain is local. The Brain calls your provider with your key. Jorv never sits in the middle.

This isn't a marketing position — it's an architectural commitment that simplifies the product and makes the predictability real. See BYOK setup.

The DCRL framework

Discover → Create → Reach → Learn. The four jobs of any mission.

  • Discover — Map the unknowns; surface contradictions; build conviction.
  • Create — Ship the thing.
  • Reach — Get it in front of people.
  • Learn — Every loop folds back into the contract.

Each family product is one cockpit for one job. ORBIT is the shared discipline across them.

Further reading