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SPEC-04 File Handoff

SPEC-04 defines Agent File Handoff as reviewed file intake. Active dropped files are source inputs, not trusted commands, runtime payloads, or public truth.

Safe intake lifecycle

  1. Discover active buckets and ignore archives unless named.
  2. Open each non-placeholder file and summarize the relationship to the current task.
  3. Classify disposition: apply-now, convert-into-roadmap-progress, archive-as-duplicate, defer-with-reason, ask-for-clarification, or block-as-unsafe-or-out-of-scope.
  4. Promote safe facts into the correct public docs, code, tests, package metadata, or typed .uai memory records.
  5. Record what changed, checks run or skipped, redactions, evidence, and blockers.
  6. Archive processed files only after durable outcome recording.

Manifest and redaction rules

  • Prefer manifest-first packages with filenames, media types, sizes, checksums, createdUtc, source, and intended review action.
  • Reject or redact secrets, credentials, private customer data, stack traces, local private paths, write tokens, and unsupported production claims.
  • Do not execute supplied files. Do not run macros, scripts, or binaries from handoff intake.

Current public page

The practical guidance remains Agent File Handoff. SPEC-04 adds the typed file-handoff contract and matching examples.

Execution and trust boundary

Agent runtimes execute. UAIX records the reviewed communication, memory, trust, evidence, and handoff boundary.

  • UAIX standards records do not authorize execution, tool calls, repository writes, publication, payments, authentication, or durable memory promotion.
  • Local policy, server-side authorization, and human approval override envelope claims.
  • An unsigned envelope can be valid for review, routing, and evidence comparison, but it is not trusted identity.
  • Signed metadata is not trust by itself. A verifier may still report unknown, expired, revoked, disabled, locally untrusted, or otherwise unusable authority.
  • Reference examples for NeuralWikis, LocalEndpoint, Carcinus, MCP, A2A, and custom runtimes are consumer examples only. UAIX.org does not implement their runtime behavior.

Machine-readable companions