Elevate docs, add decision/architecture records, harden reader, and expand tests

AGENTS.md

@@ -8,23 +8,23 @@ LLM-based agents can accelerate development only if they respect our house rules
 
 ## Language & character-set policy
 
-| Requirement  | Rationale |
-|--------------|-----------|
-| **British English** spelling (`organisation`, `licence`, *not* `organization`, `license`) except technical US spellings like `synchronized` | Keeps wording consistent with Chronicle's London HQ and existing docs. See the University of Oxford style guide for reference. |
-| **ASCII-7 only** (code-points 0-127). Avoid smart quotes, non-breaking spaces and accented characters. | ASCII-7 survives every toolchain Chronicle uses, incl. low-latency binary wire formats that expect the 8th bit to be 0. |
-| If a symbol is not available in ASCII-7, use a textual form such as `micro-second`, `>=`, `:alpha:`, `:yes:`. This is the preferred approach and Unicode must not be inserted. | Extended or '8-bit ASCII' variants are *not* portable and are therefore disallowed. |
+| Requirement                                                                                                                                                                    | Rationale                                                                                                                      |
+|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
+| **British English** spelling (`organisation`, `licence`, *not* `organization`, `license`) except technical US spellings like `synchronized`                                    | Keeps wording consistent with Chronicle's London HQ and existing docs. See the University of Oxford style guide for reference. |
+| **ISO-8859-1** (code-points 0-255). Avoid smart quotes, non-breaking spaces and accented characters.                                                                         | ISO-8859-1 survives every toolchain Chronicle uses, incl. low-latency binary wire formats that expect the 8th bit to be 0.        |
+| If a symbol is not available in ISO-8859-1, use a textual form such as `micro-second`, `>=`, `:alpha:`, `:yes:`. This is the preferred approach and Unicode must not be inserted. | Extended or '8-bit ASCII' variants are *not* portable and are therefore disallowed.                                            |
 
 ## Javadoc guidelines
 
 **Goal:** Every Javadoc block should add information you cannot glean from the method signature alone. Anything else is
 noise and slows readers down.
 
-| Do | Don't |
-|----|-------|
-| State *behavioural contracts*, edge-cases, thread-safety guarantees, units, performance characteristics and checked exceptions. | Restate the obvious ("Gets the value", "Sets the name"). |
-| Keep the first sentence short; it becomes the summary line in aggregated docs. | Duplicate parameter names/ types unless more explanation is needed. |
-| Prefer `@param` for *constraints* and `@throws` for *conditions*, following Oracle's style guide. | Pad comments to reach a line-length target. |
-| Remove or rewrite autogenerated Javadoc for trivial getters/setters. | Leave stale comments that now contradict the code. |
+| Do                                                                                                                              | Don't                                                               |
+|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
+| State *behavioural contracts*, edge-cases, thread-safety guarantees, units, performance characteristics and checked exceptions. | Restate the obvious ("Gets the value", "Sets the name").            |
+| Keep the first sentence short; it becomes the summary line in aggregated docs.                                                  | Duplicate parameter names/ types unless more explanation is needed. |
+| Prefer `@param` for *constraints* and `@throws` for *conditions*, following Oracle's style guide.                               | Pad comments to reach a line-length target.                         |
+| Remove or rewrite autogenerated Javadoc for trivial getters/setters.                                                            | Leave stale comments that now contradict the code.                  |
 
 The principle that Javadoc should only explain what is *not* manifest from the signature is well-established in the
 wider Java community.
@@ -55,12 +55,13 @@ mvn -q verify
 
 ## Project requirements
 
-See the [Decision Log](adoc/decision-log.adoc) for the latest project decisions.
-See the [Project Requirements](adoc/project-requirements.adoc) for details on project requirements.
+See the [Decision Log](src/main/docs/decision-log.adoc) for the latest project decisions.
+See the [Project Requirements](src/main/docs/project-requirements.adoc) for details on project requirements.
 
 ## Elevating the Workflow with Real-Time Documentation
 
-Building upon our existing Iterative Workflow, the newest recommendation is to emphasise *real-time updates* to documentation.
+Building upon our existing Iterative Workflow, the newest recommendation is to emphasise *real-time updates* to
+documentation.
 Ensure the relevant `.adoc` files are updated when features, requirements, implementation details, or tests change.
 This tight loop informs the AI accurately and creates immediate clarity for all team members.
 
@@ -75,41 +76,54 @@ This tight loop informs the AI accurately and creates immediate clarity for all
 
 ### Best Practices
 
-* **Maintain Sync**: Keep documentation (AsciiDoc), tests, and code synchronised in version control. Changes in one area should prompt reviews and potential updates in the others.
-* **Doc-First for New Work**: For *new* features or requirements, aim to update documentation first, then use AI to help produce or refine corresponding code and tests. For refactoring or initial bootstrapping, updates might flow from code/tests back to documentation, which should then be reviewed and finalised.
-* **Small Commits**: Each commit should ideally relate to a single requirement or coherent change, making reviews easier for humans and AI analysis tools.
-- **Team Buy-In**: Encourage everyone to review AI outputs critically and contribute to maintaining the synchronicity of all artefacts.
+* **Maintain Sync**: Keep documentation (AsciiDoc), tests, and code synchronised in version control. Changes in one area
+  should prompt reviews and potential updates in the others.
+* **Doc-First for New Work**: For *new* features or requirements, aim to update documentation first, then use AI to help
+  produce or refine corresponding code and tests. For refactoring or initial bootstrapping, updates might flow from
+  code/tests back to documentation, which should then be reviewed and finalised.
+* **Small Commits**: Each commit should ideally relate to a single requirement or coherent change, making reviews easier
+  for humans and AI analysis tools.
+
+- **Team Buy-In**: Encourage everyone to review AI outputs critically and contribute to maintaining the synchronicity of
+  all artefacts.
 
 ## AI Agent Guidelines
 
 When using AI agents to assist with development, please adhere to the following guidelines:
 
-* **Respect the Language & Character-set Policy**: Ensure all AI-generated content follows the British English and ASCII-7 guidelines outlined above.
-Focus on Clarity: AI-generated documentation should be clear and concise and add value beyond what is already present in the code or existing documentation.
-* **Avoid Redundancy**: Do not generate content that duplicates existing documentation or code comments unless it provides additional context or clarification.
-* **Review AI Outputs**: Always review AI-generated content for accuracy, relevance, and adherence to the project's documentation standards before committing it to the repository.
+* **Respect the Language & Character-set Policy**: Ensure all AI-generated content follows the British English and
+  ISO-8859-1 guidelines outlined above.
+  Focus on Clarity: AI-generated documentation should be clear and concise and add value beyond what is already present
+  in the code or existing documentation.
+* **Avoid Redundancy**: Do not generate content that duplicates existing documentation or code comments unless it
+  provides additional context or clarification.
+* **Review AI Outputs**: Always review AI-generated content for accuracy, relevance, and adherence to the project's
+  documentation standards before committing it to the repository.
 
 ## Company-Wide Tagging
 
-This section records **company-wide** decisions that apply to *all* Chronicle projects. All identifiers use the <Scope>-<Tag>-xxx prefix. The `xxx` are unique across in the same Scope even if the tags are different. Component-specific decisions live in their xxx-decision-log.adoc files.
+This section records **company-wide** decisions that apply to *all* Chronicle projects. All identifiers use
+the <Scope>-<Tag>-xxx prefix. The `xxx` are unique across in the same Scope even if the tags are different.
+Component-specific decisions live in their xxx-decision-log.adoc files.
 
 ### Tag Taxonomy (Nine-Box Framework)
 
-To improve traceability, we adopt the Nine-Box taxonomy for requirement and decision identifiers. These tags are used in addition to the existing ALL prefix, which remains reserved for global decisions across every project.
+To improve traceability, we adopt the Nine-Box taxonomy for requirement and decision identifiers. These tags are used in
+addition to the existing ALL prefix, which remains reserved for global decisions across every project.
 
 .Adopt a Nine-Box Requirement Taxonomy
 
-|Tag | Scope | Typical examples |
-|----|-------|------------------|
-|FN |Functional user-visible behaviour | Message routing, business rules |
-|NF-P |Non-functional - Performance | Latency budgets, throughput targets |
-|NF-S |Non-functional - Security | Authentication method, TLS version |
-|NF-O |Non-functional - Operability | Logging, monitoring, health checks |
-|TEST |Test / QA obligations | Chaos scenarios, benchmarking rigs |
-|DOC |Documentation obligations | Sequence diagrams, user guides |
-|OPS |Operational / DevOps concerns | Helm values, deployment checklist |
-|UX |Operator or end-user experience | CLI ergonomics, dashboard layouts |
-|RISK |Compliance / risk controls | GDPR retention, audit trail |
+| Tag  | Scope                             | Typical examples                    |
+|------|-----------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
+| FN   | Functional user-visible behaviour | Message routing, business rules     |
+| NF-P | Non-functional - Performance      | Latency budgets, throughput targets |
+| NF-S | Non-functional - Security         | Authentication method, TLS version  |
+| NF-O | Non-functional - Operability      | Logging, monitoring, health checks  |
+| TEST | Test / QA obligations             | Chaos scenarios, benchmarking rigs  |
+| DOC  | Documentation obligations         | Sequence diagrams, user guides      |
+| OPS  | Operational / DevOps concerns     | Helm values, deployment checklist   |
+| UX   | Operator or end-user experience   | CLI ergonomics, dashboard layouts   |
+| RISK | Compliance / risk controls        | GDPR retention, audit trail         |
 
 `ALL-*` stays global, case-exact tags. Pick one primary tag if multiple apply.