🏗️ Cortex Workstation — Architectural Overview¶
This hub centralizes the technical specifications, data structures, Windows NT kernel integration interfaces, and invariant authorities across Cortex Workstation.
🏛️ Core Architectural Principles: One Authority Per Invariant¶
To ensure fail-closed safety and eliminate technical debt across destructive operations and configuration, Cortex Workstation adheres to strict authority boundaries:
| Concern | Authoritative Subsystem | Implementation File | Invariants Enforced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Destructive File Operations | Engine PathGuard & SecureDeleter | cortex_unified.engine.guard & secure_delete |
Mandatory path vetting, reparse point & directory junction rejection, dual-phase TOCTOU reduction, non-rotational media honesty. |
| Destructive Registry Mutations | RegistryCleaner Rollback Engine | cortex_unified.system_tools.registry_cleaner |
Protected subsystem key blacklist (Winlogon, Services, Lsa), fail-closed pre-mutation .reg export verification, transactional restoration via restore_backup. |
| Configuration | Modern Config Layer | cortex_unified.engine.config |
Single source of truth for runtime settings, thresholds, and engine parameters. |
| Version & Packaging | Package Metadata & Dynamic Specs | cortex_unified.__version__ & cortex.spec |
Canonical version source driving PyInstaller bundles, setup installer, and release checksums. |
| Inventory & Auditing | Machine-Generated Artifacts | scripts/check_all_structure_files.py |
Generates docs/audit/program_files_inventory.json directly from repository AST parse, preventing documentation drift. |
📚 Architectural Guides & Specifications¶
- Windows NT Kernel & Low-Level Spec: Deep dive into NTFS/ReFS filesystems, USN Change Journal, kernel memory management, and Win32 tokens.
- Repository Architecture Map: Layered breakdown from PySide6 presentation to low-level hardware adapters.
- State Management & Thread Safety: Concurrency models, QThreadPool workers, mutex boundaries, and PathGuard policies.
- Symbol & Function Inventory: Index of exported classes, methods, and dataclass schemas.
- Audit & Verification Hub: Exhaustive AST syntax, compilation, and import audit reports for all program files.