ops-warden/workplans/WARDEN-WP-0029-policy-front-door-and-founder-surface.md

---
id: WARDEN-WP-0029
type: workplan
title: "Policy front door: posture-aware access planning + founder interaction surface"
domain: infotech
repo: ops-warden
status: finished
owner: codex
topic_slug: custodian
planning_priority: high
planning_order: 29
created: "2026-07-18"
updated: "2026-07-18"
state_hub_workstream_id: "6e396e7e-99c5-43aa-98a0-27f157de12a3"
---

# WARDEN-WP-0029 — Policy front door + founder interaction surface

## Origin

Founder directive 2026-07-18 (binky-control cutover prep): agents proposed
raw credential mechanics to the founder ("attach the deploy key in the
forgejo UI", "save the PAT to /tmp/...") although a catalogued lane
(`forgejo-admin-api-token`, WARDEN-WP-0025) already covered the need — the
installed CLI's catalog was stale, and nothing forced the ask-warden-first
step. Directive: **ops-warden is the service to ask what can and needs to be
done** per NetKingdom policy; the founder is bothered only when policy makes
it absolutely necessary, and then preferably via a purpose-built interaction
surface, not CLI/file handoffs. The organization is in **build phase** and
ops-warden must know that posture. INTENT.md principles 7 and 8 (added with
this workplan) capture the direction.

## Goal

1. `warden plan "<need>"` — a policy decision front door: given a need, answer
   *autonomous / founder-act-required / unroutable*, with the exact commands
   or the exact founder act, posture-stated.
2. Declared **organization posture** (`build`) as a **third axis** beside env
   posture (dev/test/prod) and workload maturity (M0–M3).
3. A **founder interaction surface**: local web page for the rare founder
   acts (approve, OIDC-login prompt, paste-once secret capture straight into
   OpenBao) — no values through CLI history or files.
4. Catalog freshness + agent guidance so ask-warden-first is the enforced
   default.

## Design constraints (optimized 2026-07-18)

- **Compose, do not fork:** `warden plan` must call the routing catalog +
  `expand_handoff` / `resolvable`; it must not re-implement keyword matching
  or invent a second catalog.
- **Org posture is a third axis:** do not overload env posture or maturity.
- **Desk MVP is build-phase only:** localhost, OS-session trust, stdlib HTTP
  server (pattern: net-kingdom `security-bootstrap-console`). No core-hub /
  whynot dependency for v1.
- **Reuse map (reuse.coulomb.social):** flex-auth (policy-evaluate), key-cape
  (OIDC act), net-kingdom bootstrap console (localhost desk shape),
  railiance-platform (OpenBao custody). Do not rebuild those owners.

## Delivery sequence

```text
T02 (org posture)  ─┐
T05 (catalog freshness) ─┼─→ T01 (warden plan composes both)
T04 (playbook sweep) ───┘   (parallel once plan shape known)
T03 (desk)  ← after T01 can emit founder_required with a typed act
```

T05 is high priority: catalog staleness was the incident root cause.

## Tasks

### T02 — Declared organization posture (build phase)

```task
id: WARDEN-WP-0029-T02
status: done
priority: high
state_hub_task_id: "73ae528c-384d-43dd-a62a-455a32ec1ea5"
```

Added `organization_posture: build` as axis C in
`registry/policy/security-posture.yaml` (relaxations + graduation triggers).
Surfaced in `warden policy list/show`, scorecard, and `warden plan` output.

### T05 — Catalog freshness + agent guidance

```task
id: WARDEN-WP-0029-T05
status: done
priority: high
state_hub_task_id: "2121d102-806a-424a-8b62-bd25d7a9324e"
```

`Catalog.freshness()` reports source (repo/bundled/override), content hash,
mtime, package version, stale entry count, and warnings for bundled fallback.
Human `warden route list` prints catalog line; plan JSON embeds `catalog`.
Scorecard check `catalog_freshness`. AGENTS.md + credential-routing rules
require `warden plan` before founder credential steps.

### T01 — `warden plan` decision front door

```task
id: WARDEN-WP-0029-T01
status: done
priority: high
state_hub_task_id: "32e4a755-fb74-4979-920f-32d44888df9d"
```

`warden plan "<need>" [--actor] [--domain] [--json]` composes catalog find +
handoff + org posture + policy gate. Verdicts: `autonomous` /
`founder_required` (`oidc_login` | `approve` | `paste_once_provision`) /
`unroutable` (CCR stub). Metadata-only audit. Module: `src/warden/plan.py`.

### T04 — Retire file-drop patterns from playbooks

```task
id: WARDEN-WP-0029-T04
status: done
priority: medium
state_hub_task_id: "61d25118-14ec-4846-8d53-3e09d437cac3"
```

`wiki/playbooks/forgejo-admin-api-token.md` rewritten: plan-first, sanctioned
transports (`--exec`/`--out`/`--wrap`), desk paste-once for provision; `/tmp`
file drops marked retired. Consumer follow-ups noted for railiance-platform
and binky-control docs.

### T03 — Founder interaction surface (local web approval page)

```task
id: WARDEN-WP-0029-T03
status: done
priority: medium
state_hub_task_id: "2ea768b7-d756-4c45-ac65-1670e069fafb"
```

`warden desk` — loopback `ThreadingHTTPServer`, short-lived token URL, acts
approve / oidc_login / paste_once_provision (bao kv put via stdin, dry-run
supported). Metadata-only audit open/close. Module: `src/warden/desk.py`.

## Acceptance

- [x] `warden plan "forgejo deploy key for binky-control"` → `autonomous` /
  `agent-harness-forgejo-deploy` with access commands
- [x] Provision-style needs → `founder_required` with typed founder act
- [x] Posture `build` in plan + policy + scorecard
- [x] Desk approve flow (unit) with zero secrets in audit
- [x] No in-repo playbook instructs founder file drop as steady state
- [x] Catalog freshness on `warden route list` / plan JSON

## See also

- INTENT.md §7 (founder escalated, never tasked) and §8 (build-phase posture)
- WARDEN-WP-0025 (forgejo admin token lane), WARDEN-WP-0026/0027 (disclosure
  hygiene, governance lockdown)
- reuse.coulomb.social: `capability.authorization.policy-evaluate`,
  `capability.iam.key-cape`, `capability.security.iam-tooling-suite`
- binky-control DEC-2026-003 (first consumer: cutover without founder
  mechanics)