Project Brief

Summary

Próx OS is a cloud-first, AI-native Web OS and workspace platform for developers, creators, teams, and communities.

It started as a browser-native personal operating environment and now converges on a Runtime-first platform where Desktop Runtime is the primary OS-grade host and AI can help create user-owned Studios rendered by Atlas, Grid, and Ops. Local-only development engines live under /dev/studios/*.

Strategic analogy:

GitHub: where code lives.
Hugging Face: where models, datasets, and demos live.
Prox OS: where personal AI-native Studios, apps, datasets, connectors, and AI contexts live.

Core Thesis

A personal website should not only present identity. It should become a user-owned Studio graph: workspaces, apps, datasets, connectors, AI context, permissions, and shareable public surfaces.

The project combines these platform threads:

Thread	Direction
Personal publishing	Let users present identity, work, apps, datasets, and context through owner-controlled surfaces.
Cloud-first source integration	Treat external tools, repositories, datasets, and SaaS dashboards as sources that can be organized before they are replaced.
Personal data ownership	Keep user-owned context, permissions, and source provenance explicit.
Structured knowledge	Promote notes, datasets, connectors, workflows, and app context into queryable platform resources.
Desktop Runtime and Studio UI	Use Desktop Runtime for OS-grade app work and Studios for workspace/composition surfaces.
Local and cloud apps	Support bundled apps, proxied apps, iframe apps, and future remote modules through manifests.
AI context and permissions	Make AI assistance permission-aware, reviewable, and grounded in the current workspace.
Public Studios, templates, clone, and remix	Let user-owned work become shareable and reusable without making Desktop Runtime the only product shape.
AI-readable architecture	Keep docs and registries structured enough for coding agents to route themselves.
Future MCP exposure	Prepare platform resources for controlled tool, connector, and agent access.

The long-term platform object model centers Desktop Runtime, Studio, Studio Engine, App, App Adapter, Dataset, Connector, Permission, AI Context, and Workflow. This is not a current schema contract. It is the direction that guides app registry, App Store, Prox Studio, Dataset Hub, Connectors Hub, Permission Center, and MCP Gateway decisions.

Current / Planned / Exploration

Label	Scope
`Current`	Browser Shell, Desktop Runtime, Studio registry, app registry, bundled apps, public page routes, Dataset Hub, App Store catalog, docs, static Pricing app.
`Planned`	Owner-scoped Studio URLs, local Studio Blueprints, Awesome GitHub Radar, RSS Knowledge Inbox, profile previews, GitHub-backed publishing.
`Exploration`	Connectors Hub, Launcher Hub, Design System Hub, Permission Center, MCP Gateway, social graph, commercial OS apps, high-ticket launch packs.
`Long-term Vision`	AI-native workspace platform where Studios, Apps, Datasets, Connectors, AI Contexts, Permissions, and Workflows become platform objects.

What Prox OS Is Not

Prox OS should not be framed as:

A Web OS visual shell only.
An iframe bookmark launcher.
A direct replacement for GitHub, Hugging Face, Notion, Google Drive, Nextcloud, Eagle, or Apple Photos from day one.
A simple App Store.
A single Desktop Runtime with every capability forced into windows.
A heavyweight platform that immediately hosts every user's code, files, models, AI inference, database, and static assets.

App Route Groups

The OS Shell classifies app surfaces by route group:

Route group	Purpose
`/app/*`	General personal work, data, and creative apps.
`/app-edu/*`	Learning, study mode, practice labs, notes, reviews, and long-term personal growth surfaces.
`/app-health/*`	Health, sleep, dreams, body, mood, mindfulness, and sensitive personal tracking surfaces.
`/app-user/*`	Profile, visitor, notifications, shortcuts, display, and other user-specific surfaces.
`/app-connectors/*`	Connector-first personal apps that normalize user-owned context for Alma, Data Vault direction, and future MCP tools.
`/app-spaces/home`	Proxied Space management of third-party web apps, compatibility, install destinations, and fallback settings.
`/app-spaces/slidepad`	Quick corner panel for Proxied Spaces.
`/app-spaces`	Root/folder entry for Proxied Spaces.
`/app-game/*`	Browser-native games and future sandboxed game experiments.
`/app-shell/*`	Target group for shell-coupled apps that remain inside `apps/os-shell`.
`/app-admin/*`	Internal admin operations, growth, product intelligence, real OS data readiness, users, waitlist, feedback, audit, permissions, jobs, storage, and billing.
`/app-dev/*`	Local development tools, API docs, contracts, mock scenarios, Storybook, Scalar, architecture graphs, route maps, and debugging surfaces.
`/app-iframe/*`	External and standalone iframe apps.
`/app-os/*`	Reusable OS, official team, community, and platform operations apps.
`/app-hub/*`	Productized vertical Hub cockpits with internal modules and bundle semantics.

These groups should stay registry-driven so Desktop Runtime folders, route handling, page presentations, and developer metrics can expand together.

First Milestone

Create a working cloud-first OS Shell and App Store with:

Capability	Milestone intent
Top bar	Establish shell-level identity, actions, and status.
Dock	Provide a compact launcher and running-app affordance.
Desktop surface	Make app and workspace organization spatial.
Window frame	Support managed app windows with shared chrome.
Local mock apps	Incubate product directions without backend dependency.
App manifest contract	Keep launch, route, icon, and placement metadata registry-driven.
App Store / App Incubator / Space Gallery	Present installable, incubating, and shareable surfaces clearly.
Featured app direction	Validate Awesome GitHub Radar, RSS Knowledge Inbox, GitHub Workspace, and AI Context Builder.
Initial data model documentation	Keep future data and permission work AI-readable.

The newer platform narrative is:

Open Desktop Runtime for OS-grade app work. Describe the Studio you need when a workspace, composition, or specialized creation surface should be drafted around apps, datasets, permissions, and AI context.

The older GitHub-first wedge remains useful, but the product center is now the relationship between Desktop Runtime, Studio resources, apps, datasets, and AI context rather than a single desktop or Space metaphor.

Non-goals for the First Milestone

Non-goal	Reason
Full auth system	Authentication should wait for clearer product and security boundaries.
Production database migration	Early work remains mock-first and docs-first where possible.
Payment system	Commercial experiments should not precede platform safety and value clarity.
Community app store	Curated internal catalog comes before public submission mechanics.
Full MCP server	MCP exposure depends on permissions, registry, and audit boundaries.
Complex object storage workflow	Storage should follow proven data and app workflows.
Full cloud drive, Notion replacement, or local archive suite	Cloud-first workflows need validation before broad replacement ambitions.

Guiding Principle

Runtime-first AI-native workspace platform: Desktop Runtime for OS-grade app
work, with user-owned Studios, datasets, connectors, permissions, and AI context
as platform resources.

Updated strategic judgment:

GitHub lets people publish code. Hugging Face lets people publish models,
datasets, and demos. Prox OS explores letting people publish their own Desktop
Runtime experiences, Studios, apps, datasets, connector combinations, and AI
context. The App Store is only the curated storefront; the real platform core is
Desktop Runtime + Studio + Dataset + Connector + Permission + AI Control Plane +
MCP Gateway.