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: active
owner: codex
topic_slug: custodian
planning_priority: high
planning_order: 29
created: "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`) that answers and scorecards
   reference.
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.

## Tasks

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

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

New command: `warden plan "<need>" [--actor agt-...] [--domain ...]`.
Resolves the routing catalog + posture + policy gates and returns a typed
verdict: `autonomous` (with the exec-capable command sequence),
`founder_required` (with the minimal founder act, e.g. "OIDC login role X" or
"Red-lane approval Y"), or `unroutable` (with a CCR proposal stub). JSON
output for agents. Every plan call audited (metadata only).

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

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

Add `organization_posture: build` to the posture/registry configuration
(alongside env posture dev/test/prod and workload maturity M0–M3), with the
build-phase policy relaxations spelled out (workstation OIDC acceptable,
per-repo deploy keys, advisory flex-auth) and the graduation triggers (first
customer data, first non-founder operator, prod tier). `warden plan` and
scorecard must state the posture in their output.

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

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

`warden desk` (working name): serves a localhost, short-lived page when a
plan needs a founder act — renders the exact action in plain language
(approve/deny, launch OIDC login, or paste-once secret capture that writes
straight to the OpenBao path and never echoes). No values in terminal
scrollback, shell history, or files. Metadata-only audit per interaction.
Build-phase scope: localhost only, no auth beyond OS session; hardening
graduates with posture.

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

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

Sweep wiki/playbooks (starting with
`forgejo-admin-api-token.md` `/tmp/forgejo-tegwick-api-token` steady-state
remnants) and replace file drops with `warden access --exec` / `--fetch`
lanes or T03 paste-once capture. Update the two live consumers:
railiance-platform `forgejo_package_prune` docs and binky-control cutover
runbook.

### T05 — Catalog freshness + agent guidance

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

The stale-CLI failure mode: `warden` resolved an old catalog and hid an
existing lane. Add a catalog version/freshness check (warn when installed
catalog is older than repo/registry head; `warden route list` shows catalog
date) and update AGENTS/CLAUDE guidance in ops-warden + consuming repos:
agents must run `warden plan` before ever drafting a founder credential
step.

## Acceptance

- `warden plan "forgejo deploy key for binky-control"` returns `autonomous`
  with the admin-lane command sequence; `warden plan` for a new tenant
  secret returns `founder_required` with exactly one founder act.
- Posture `build` visible in plan output and scorecard.
- One real founder act completed through the web surface with zero secret
  values in CLI/files.
- No playbook instructs a founder file drop.

## 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)
- binky-control DEC-2026-003 (first consumer: cutover without founder
  mechanics)