Visual Operations Event Model

Posture: docs_first, read_only_projection. This contract defines a normalized event envelope; it implements no collector, event bus, importer, or runtime.

Purpose

Define the minimum envelope a Visual Operations projection uses to order and explain existing AletheIA, project, skill, runtime, and harness signals.

The normalized event is not the authoritative event. Its source_refs point to the authoritative record, including AHGE trace events where applicable.

Non-goals

no new audit authority or event store;
no requirement that every provider emit every event;
no ingestion, mutation, replay, or workflow execution;
no storage of full prompts, secrets, or restricted content;
no provider-specific fields in the core envelope.

Envelope

visual_ops_event:
  event_id:
  project_id:
  work_slice_id:
  timestamp:
  source_type: aletheia | project_record | adaptive_skill | runtime | harness | manual | external
  event_type:
  actor:
  summary:
  payload_metadata: {}
  evidence_refs: []
  source_refs:
    - kind:
      ref:
  sensitivity: public | internal | confidential | restricted | regulated | unknown

Required rules

event_id, work_slice_id, timestamp, source_type, event_type, summary, and at least one source_refs entry are required for a usable projected event.
source_refs identifies where the claim originated. A normalized event without a resolvable source is unverified and must not drive a confident visual state.
payload_metadata contains only fields safe for the selected projection. It must not duplicate sensitive source bodies.
evidence_refs points to evidence; it does not convert the event itself into evidence.
Normalization must preserve the original timestamp. A separate projection timestamp belongs in the generated state, not in the source event.
Unknown values remain unknown or are omitted when optional. They are never inferred merely to complete a card.

Initial event vocabulary

The vocabulary is intentionally descriptive and extensible:

work_slice.created
work_slice.framed
work_slice.state_observed
readiness.reviewed
context.minimum_met
context.insufficient
skill.activated
skill.completed
runtime.session_started
runtime.session_completed
tool.call_observed
policy.verdict_observed
evidence.added
validation.passed
validation.failed
human_review.requested
human_review.completed
handoff.created
restart_package.created
reconcile.created
learning.recorded
alert.raised
alert.resolved

These names do not replace the vocabularies in their source contracts. policy.verdict_observed, for example, projects a verdict from Policy Verdicts or the authoritative AHGE decision values; it does not introduce another verdict.

Source reconciliation

Projected event	Preferred source
Work Slice framing or state	Work Slice artifacts and Work Slice Pattern
Readiness outcome	Readiness Gates Spec review artifact
Runtime or tool activity	AHGE `trace_event` or governed runtime record
Policy verdict	Policy Verdicts, AHGE record, or agent action audit record
Evidence and validation	execution record, test artifact, review record, or evidence reference
Handoff or restart	handoff record or restart package
Learning	accepted or proposed learning record

When multiple sources disagree, the projection preserves each reference and emits a conflict or review alert. It must not silently choose the most convenient source.

Relationship to AHGE trace events

The Agent Harness Governance Extension remains authoritative for harness-level events such as model calls, tool requests, permission decisions, approvals, budget stops, compaction, and final output. Visual Operations may map those records into the envelope above for display, while retaining a source_refs pointer to the original trace entry.