This directory contains design rationale documents — the reasoning behind how specific APME subsystems were built.
design/ vs architecture/: Design docs explain why a subsystem was built the way it was — alternatives considered, trade-offs, and rationale. Architecture docs (in
../architecture/) describe how the system works at runtime — what happens, in what order, and how data flows.
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| DESIGN_REMEDIATION.md | Transform registry, convergence loop, AI escalation strategy |
| DESIGN_AI_ESCALATION.md | Abbenay provider, hybrid validation loop, prompt engineering |
| DESIGN_VALIDATORS.md | Validator abstraction, unified contract, fan-out model |
Add a design doc when a subsystem requires explanation beyond what the architecture pipeline docs cover — especially design alternatives that were rejected, constraints that shaped the design, or rationale that would otherwise be lost. For one-off architectural decisions, use an ADR instead.