Architecture
RiCo defines the boundary where decisions become actions — and where invalid execution is stopped before it occurs.
RiCo operates at the moment an action transitions from decision to effect.
Action: transfer_funds($80)
Authority: valid at decision-time
State: balance changed before execution
RiCo Decision: STOP
Reason: support basis no longer holds
Outcome: action blocked at execution
RiCo does not rely on prior validation. It re-establishes whether the action is still admissible at execution.
RiCo sits between the decision layer and execution layer.
Decision Layer → (Agents, orchestration, planning)
Execution Boundary (RiCo)
Execution Layer → (APIs, databases, external systems)
It does not replace orchestration. It enforces whether execution remains valid at the moment of action.
The execution boundary is where RiCo validates authority continuity, current state consistency, and delegation integrity. It is also where authority resolution must become explicit under pressure.
Continuity ensures the path has not degraded. Resolution determines which admissible authority becomes binding under current conditions. They are related, but not the same function.
Reversible actions proceed inside a safe envelope through pre-validated execution and continuous monitoring.
Irreversible actions require elevated confirmation, a pending commit window, and explicit execution-bound validation before action.
Allow, redirect, block, or refuse. Refuse is a first-class execution outcome, not an exception state.
If authority cannot validly converge, execution should not proceed.