AI Control Plane

Summary

The AI Control Plane is the OS-level intelligence layer for Prox OS. It spans AI Entry, Alma, Cmd+K, Slash Menu, Action Cards, permission cards, connector choice cards, and agent workflow views.

It is not one app, not a normal window, and not a replacement for user control.

Slash Menu = local insert
Cmd+K = global command
Alma = ambient observer
AI Entry = full-screen agent workflow for Studio creation

AI Entry is the full-screen agent workflow used when a user creates or first enters a Prox Studio. It can ask about role, interests, preferred engine style, connector choices, and permission posture before opening a Studio demo.

The current /studio implementation is a mock-only creation surface with:

conversation flow;
agent step timeline;
suggested Studio templates;
connector permission cards;
preview panel;
Create Studio and Open Studio Demo calls to action.

It does not call a model, create backend records, connect OAuth providers, or write a database.

Alma

Alma is the ambient observer and companion. It is host-side and available across Studio Engines. It can observe the current Studio context, selected App, permission posture, and suggested actions.

Alma may appear as:

a right rail;
a floating panel;
a sidecar;
an inline card;
a quiet Studio companion.

The core UI and schema live in @prox-os/ai-ui. Shell-specific runtime glue lives in apps/os-shell, because Alma must not import Shell stores, Zustand, app registry internals, real API clients, or backend SDKs from the package.

Cmd+K

Cmd+K is the Global Command Surface. It expresses explicit user intent and belongs to the Shell, not Desktop Runtime or any other individual Studio Engine. Current commands are gathered from the app registry, recent app state, Studio Engine mock commands, and placeholder action items.

Cmd+K / Ctrl+K opens the viewport-level global palette across Studio content and Alma. Alma can suggest or explain commands, but it does not intercept the global command entry.

Slash Menu is local insert. It primarily belongs to Block Studio in v0 and inserts content at the current cursor. Block Studio uses BlockNote's default slash menu today; future work can connect it to a Prox Block Insert Registry.

Slash Menu should not become the global launcher. Cmd+K should not become a cursor-local block insertion menu.

Shared Registries

The surfaces can share lower-level registries while keeping separate UI meaning:

Action Registry for reviewable action intents.
Command Registry for global and scoped commands.
App Registry for launchable capabilities and app metadata.
Block Insert Registry for cursor-local insertions.

Weather example:

Surface	Weather behavior
Cmd+K	Open Weather App; Add Weather Widget to Current Studio.
Slash Menu	Insert Weather Block Here.
Alma	You are planning travel. Add weather context?

Layout Boundary

The intended host layout is:

Prox OS Host
  ├─ Alma Layer
  └─ Workspace Shell
       ├─ RuntimeCommandStrip
       ├─ Studio Engine renderers
       ├─ Window Manager
       ├─ Workspace Modals / Dialogs
       ├─ Global Command Surface / Cmd+K
       └─ Workspace Blur / Overlays

Alma remains a sibling of the workspace column, but global overlays such as the Universal Command Palette can cover both the workspace and Alma when the user is expressing explicit intent. Studio-local overlays should stay scoped to the active Studio unless the user enters a privacy or presentation state that hides or masks Alma.

Permission Layers

Default visible context:

current Studio Engine;
current route or surface;
selected app title;
public or user-approved context chips.

Locked by default:

Documents Vault content;
money details;
health data;
private people notes;
hidden windows;
private files;
other users' private data.

Needs explicit permission:

reading sensitive document contents;
summarizing private money history;
using health records;
using private people relationships;
using cross-app history for a generated report.

Modes

Alma modes are visible as UI state first:

Default Mode: docked host-side control plane.
Focus Mode: collapsed or quiet rail for reduced interruption.
Study Mode: learning-centered posture.
Presentation / Privacy Mode: hidden, masked, or public-safe rail for demos.
Visitor Mode: public visitor context only.

These modes do not yet enforce backend policies.

Future Work

read current app context through the app contract;
read selected window and focused Studio Surface metadata;
connect Action Cards to a real action registry;
query connector status with explicit permission;
explain data provenance through source records;
use AI Context Builder data for prompt trails;
create records across apps through approved actions;
maintain per-mode privacy constraints.

AI Control Plane

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