---
type: "Concept"
title: "The discovery-to-governance lifecycle"
description: "Intent → retrieve → select/bind → authorise → execute → record evidence."
tags: [theme, architecture]
generated: { by: human:crpage, at: 2026-07-09T09:44:00Z }
status: stable
---

The architecture that emerges: users express intent; the runtime retrieves current capability descriptions; the model selects tools and binds arguments against formal schemas; the authorisation layer establishes who/what is acting and with which limits; an execution substrate handles retries and compensation; and an evidence layer records provenance, traces, policy decisions and consents. See the [control plane](../../stack/control-plane.md).

# Terms
Glossary terms used here: [Compensation](../../glossary/compensation.md), [Provenance](../../glossary/provenance.md).