Minimum Viable Offering · 2026-04

Execution
fabric for
distributed
workloads.

One artifact, without code changes, executes across laptop, edge, and cloud — with predictable state and observable telemetry.

vyr — control API v0
$ vyr artifact put ./event-transform.wasm digest: sha256:a3f9c2... signature: verified ✓   $ vyr task submit --artifact sha256:a3f9c2 task_id: tsk_2hX9pQ env: laptop → edge → cloud   $ vyr traces stream --task tsk_2hX9pQ [submit] → [execute] → [complete] cold start P50: 67ms · P99: 312ms   # H1 portability: ✓ no code changes
Central thesis
One artifact, without code changes, executes across different environments with predictable state and observable telemetry.
Every component in the MVO either directly proves this thesis or is a precondition for proving it. Anything else is out of scope.
Platform

Two layers. One substrate.

VYR is not another orchestrator. It occupies the execution fabric layer — portable, vendor-neutral, offline-tolerant. KYX sits above it as the systemic intelligence plane.

Wasm/WASI runtime

Artifacts execute as Wasm/WASI by default — portable across laptop, edge VM, and cloud without OS or vendor runtime dependencies.

VYR Node Runtime

Digest-addressed artifacts

Every artifact is addressed by content digest with signature verification. Reproducibility and provenance from the first line of code.

Artifact Model

Ephemeral state

Task-scoped ephemeral state with explicit binding model. Workloads declare state class — no implicit shared memory.

State Kernel

OTel-native telemetry

Traces and metrics flow via OTLP on the critical path from the first iteration. Instrumentation is not retrofitted — it is structural.

Telemetry Plane

KYX context graph phase 3

Topology model built from accumulated VYR telemetry. KYX requires real history — it does not start until VYR is operational.

KYX — post-MVO

Causal engine phase 4

Structural Causal Model with intervention and counterfactual evaluation. Advisory first — automation is staged after measured precision.

KYX — post-MVO
MVO Scope

What is — and is not — in MVO

The exclusion list is as important as the inclusion list. Both appear in Whitepaper v0.1. Explicit non-goals prevent scope drift and establish trust with technical readers.

Included in MVO

Artifact model

Digest addressing + signature verification. Local storage only; no registry service.

Single-node Wasm/WASI runtime

No multi-node, no placement engine. Submit, execute, terminate.

Ephemeral state

Single consistency class. No eventual, no strong state.

Control API v0

submit_task, cancel_task, create_state, bind_state, stream_traces, stream_metrics.

OTel instrumentation

OTLP traces and metrics on critical paths.

CLI / SDK alpha

First adopter can run a full cycle without source access.

Reference workloads × 3 environments

event transform + disconnected collector across laptop / edge / cloud.

Comparative benchmark + whitepaper v0.1

Numbers vs K8s baseline. Technical document with explicit non-goals.

Explicitly excluded

KYX — all components

Requires accumulated telemetry history that does not exist at MVO stage.

Multi-node fabric

Adds coordination complexity without new proof for the portability thesis.

Eventual and strong state

Require Raft and CRDT implementation — separate phase.

Service mesh functions

No sidecar proxies, no L7 routing, no inter-service mTLS.

Kubernetes API compatibility

Dilutes positioning; increases surface without strategic gain.

Production hardening

HA, automatic failover, SLA guarantees — phase 24–30 months.

OCI runtime (full path)

Compatibility stub only; not a supported execution path at MVO.

Architecture

Assembly order

Each layer has a single exit criterion. Development of the next layer begins only when the criterion is met. The critical risk: OTel hooks must be embedded during runtime development, not retrofitted.

L1
Artifact Model
Digest addressing + signature verification. Foundation — all subsequent interfaces depend on this contract.
first
L2
Single-node Wasm/WASI Runtime
Accept artifact by digest, execute, return status. No placement, no policy.
runtime
L3
Ephemeral State + OTel Instrumentation parallel
Independent of each other, both depend on runtime. OTel hooks must be present from L2 — retrofitting is a refactor.
⚠ risk
L4
Control API v0 — freeze point
Interface formalisation. Changes after this point are expensive. Explicitly omits apply_policy, simulate_action, explain_decision.
freeze
L5
CLI / SDK alpha
Thin wrapper. Exit criterion: engineer without source access completes full submit → observe → cancel.
adopter
L6
Reference Workloads × 3 Environments
event transform + disconnected collector across laptop / simulated edge / cloud VM. No code changes between environments.
H1
L7
Comparative Benchmark
Same workloads on K8s + job runner baseline. Results table with numbers, not assertions.
H2
L8
Whitepaper v0.1
Documents what was built and measured. Written after benchmark results exist. Includes explicit non-goals section.
publish
KPIs

Falsifiable targets

Pre-production targets. All results will appear as raw numbers in Whitepaper v0.1 — not as assertions.

Cold start P50
<100
ms · Wasm · pre-prod
Cold start P99
<400
ms · Wasm · pre-prod
Portability H1
≥80%
workloads without changes
Simplicity H2
≥50%
fewer mandatory components
Bootstrap time
<30
min · single node
Trace coverage
>80%
critical paths · OTel
OCI fallback
>90%
success rate · compat path
Hypotheses validated
H1+H2
of 6 total · H3–H6 deferred
Roadmap

2026 – 2029

T0 = May 2026. MVO covers Phase 1. Subsequent phases are referenced here — each has a separate architecture document.

0–6 mo
May 2026
MVO · This document
Single-node runtime + Whitepaper v0.1
VYR runtime kernel, artifact model, ephemeral state, Control API v0, OTel, CLI/SDK alpha, reference workloads × 3 environments, comparative benchmark.
whitepaper v0.1 H1 portability H2 simplicity
6–12 mo
Oct 2026
VYR
Multi-node fabric + state kernel
3-node fabric, eventual and strong state (CRDT + Raft), OCI runtime path, fault harness.
engineering report v0.2 H3 partition resilience H4 state continuity
12–18 mo
Apr 2027
KYX begins
KYX context graph + advisory mode
Topology model from accumulated VYR telemetry. Advisory-only — no automation. Event replay, decision explanations.
systems preprint on VYR context graph v0
18–24 mo
Oct 2027
KYX
Simulator + controlled action loop
simulate/apply API, rollback logic, audit trail, fault injection. Intervention precision measurement begins.
paper on causal orchestration H5 decision quality H6 safety
30–36 mo
Apr 2029
Spec
Spec v1 + conformance suite
Spec freeze, certification tests, operator handbook, external partner nodes. VYR becomes a standard surface, not an internal system.
whitepaper v1 conformance paper spec v1.0

Read the architecture document

The full MVO specification — dependency graph, assembly layers, KPI targets, and explicit non-goals — is in the docs.