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Architecture

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System Overview

Figure 1 — Chronicle System Overview. The Next.js frontend connects to the Relay service over WebSocket. The Relay broadcasts operations to three protocol nodes: fork-node (CRDT merge), vest-node (audit proofs), and tnp-node (temporal queries). This separation ensures conflict-free editing, verifiable history, and time-travel navigation.

Trace ID	Requirement	Rationale	Test Case
CHRON-ARCH-001	All document edits shall be processed as CRDT operations through fork-node	Guarantees conflict-free merging without a central authority	TC-CHRON-ARCH-001
CHRON-ARCH-002	Every operation shall generate a cryptographic proof via vest-node	Provides tamper-evident auditability for all document changes	TC-CHRON-ARCH-002
CHRON-ARCH-003	tnp-node shall reconstruct any document state from an arbitrary past timestamp	Enables time-travel navigation for review and compliance	TC-CHRON-ARCH-003

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Core Components

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Editor Package (@chronicle-hq/editor)

• EditorState - Immutable document state
• EditorView - DOM rendering and events
• Transaction - State change representation
• Selection - Cursor/selection management
• Schema - Document structure definition

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Plugins

• TimelinePlugin - Temporal navigation UI
• HistoryPlugin - Local undo/redo

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Adapters

• TimechainAdapter - CRDT operations via fork-node
• PresenceAdapter - Real-time presence via relay

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Relay Service

1. WebSocket Connections - Client connection management
2. Operation Relay - Broadcasting CRDT operations
3. Presence - Cursor and user status
4. Session Management - Connection lifecycle

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Protocol Integration

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fork-node (CRDT)

• Insert, delete, format operations
• Automatic conflict resolution
• Deterministic merge

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vest-node (Audit)

• Cryptographic proofs for each operation
• Immutable history
• Verification endpoints

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tnp-node (Temporal)

• Point-in-time document reconstruction
• History range queries
• Diff generation

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Data Flow

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Edit Operation

1. User types in editor
2. Editor creates Transaction
3. Transaction converted to CRDTOperation
4. Operation sent to Relay via WebSocket
5. Relay broadcasts to other clients
6. Relay forwards to fork-node for CRDT merge
7. vest-node records proof
8. Other clients receive and apply operation

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Timeline Navigation

1. User drags timeline slider
2. TimelinePlugin captures timestamp
3. Request sent to tnp-node
4. tnp-node reconstructs document state
5. Editor displays historical view
6. User can return to present

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Security

• aegis-node handles all authorization
• Document permissions: view, comment, edit, admin
• All operations include user identity
• Audit trail provides accountability

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Scalability

• Relay instances are stateless (can scale horizontally)
• CRDT operations are order-independent
• Protocol nodes handle persistence