ares_bootstrap

Responsibility

ares_bootstrap is the single composition root for the ARES server. It takes a parsed ares_config.Config plus a set of optional external dependencies (database-backed repositories, an LLM client, an event store) and assembles every subsystem the runtime needs: event store, runtime manager, memory, MCP, LLM client, experience distillation, dashboard, the legacy evolution system, the new genome/diff/coordinator evolution system, knowledge runtime, and the optional service discovery engine.

It owns the failure contract for wiring: on any partial failure the already created components are cleaned up in reverse order of creation before the error is returned. It is the only package that should know how the cross-cutting pieces fit together; api/bootstrap, cmd/ares serve, and tests all funnel through Bootstrap.

Architecture

flowchart TD
    Cfg[ares_config.Config] --> B[Bootstrap]
    Deps[BootstrapDeps<br/>EventStore / ExpRepo / LLMClient] --> B
    B --> S1[1. EventStore]
    B --> S2[2. Runtime Manager]
    B --> S3[3. Memory + RAG wiring]
    B --> S4[4. MCP Manager]
    B --> S5[5. LLM Components]
    B --> S5b[5b. Distillation + Embedding]
    B --> S6[6. Dashboard]
    B --> S7[7. Legacy Evolution]
    B --> S8[8. New Evolution<br/>Genome/Diff/Patch/Coordinator]
    B --> S8b[KnowledgeRuntime<br/>shared live]
    B --> S9[9. GA bridge + ticker]
    B --> S10[10. Service Discovery]
    S5b --> S8b
    S8b --> S3
    S8 --> S8b
    S1 --> B
    S2 --> B
    S3 --> B
    S4 --> B
    S5 --> B
    S6 --> B
    S7 --> B
    S9 --> B
    S10 --> B
    Cleanup[Reverse-order cleanups on error] -.-> B

The numbered steps mirror the order inside Bootstrap. The shared KnowledgeRuntime is created once and reused by both the new evolution system and the agent’s AKF tools, so knowledge genome patches affect the real runtime. The live memory manager is type-asserted to MemoryConfigStore and injected so memory patches mutate the agent’s actual config rather than an isolated copy.

External interfaces

// Bootstrap assembles all components from config and optional dependencies.
func Bootstrap(ctx context.Context, cfg *ares_config.Config, deps *BootstrapDeps) (*Components, error)

// ProvideNewEvolution wires Genome Registry -> Diff Registry -> Patch Registry -> Coordinator.
func ProvideNewEvolution(dag *engine.MutableDAG, rt *knowledgeruntime.KnowledgeRuntime, memoryStore aresmemory.MemoryConfigStore) (*NewEvolutionComponents, error)

// ProvideEvolution wires the legacy evolution system (adapter, scheduler, dream cycle, evaluators).
func ProvideEvolution(ctx context.Context, cfg *ares_config.EvolutionConfig, eventStore ares_events.EventStore, expRepo repositories.ExperienceRepositoryInterface, callbackReg *ares_callbacks.Registry, llmClient ares_eval.LLMClient) (*EvolutionComponents, error)

// ProvideMCP, ProvideDashboard, ProvideLLM, ProvideMemory, ProvideRuntime, ProvideDiscovery
// each construct a single subsystem and are called from Bootstrap.

// BuildKnowledgeRuntime builds a KnowledgeRuntime with memory + code providers.
func BuildKnowledgeRuntime() *knowledgeruntime.KnowledgeRuntime

// UpdateLiveDAG injects a live agent DAG into the evolution executors after bootstrap.
func (c *NewEvolutionComponents) UpdateLiveDAG(dag *engine.MutableDAG) error

// UpdateLiveKnowledgeRuntime swaps the live KnowledgeRuntime into the executor.
func (c *NewEvolutionComponents) UpdateLiveKnowledgeRuntime(rt *knowledgeruntime.KnowledgeRuntime)

func SetAllowedConfigDir(dir string) // re-exported security helper from ares_config

Key types and methods

Module collaboration

• Depends on ares_config for the parsed configuration tree.
• Consumes ares_events, ares_runtime, ares_memory, ares_mcp, ares_callbacks, ares_eval, ares_experience, ares_flight for the legacy runtime and evolution wiring.
• Drives the new evolution stack from internal/evolution (coordinator, diff, genome, patch) and internal/ares_evolution (service, scheduler, dream_cycle, genome_wiring).
• Shares internal/knowledge/runtime between the evolution system and the agent’s AKF tools, and internal/workflow/engine for the live mutable DAG.
• Optionally wires internal/evolution/deployment for safe patch promotion.

Extension points

1. Pass a custom BootstrapDeps to Bootstrap to inject a pre-built event store, experience repository, or LLM client instead of letting bootstrap construct defaults.
2. After Bootstrap returns, call comp.NewEvolution.UpdateLiveDAG(dag) with the agent’s real DAG so workflow/scheduler/recovery patches target live state instead of the synthetic placeholder.
3. Call comp.NewEvolution.UpdateLiveKnowledgeRuntime(rt) to swap the agent’s live KnowledgeRuntime into the knowledge patch executor.
4. Set cfg.Evolution.Deployment.Enabled = true in YAML to route accepted patches through the DeploymentPipeline (staging then live) instead of direct application by the Coordinator.
5. Set cfg.Discovery.Enabled = true to opt into service discovery; otherwise discovery stays unwired and prior behavior is preserved.
6. Provide a custom GuidanceProvider/LLMClient through the distillation path so the GA evolution receives experience-guided mutation hints.

Bilingual status

English source is the canonical reference. The Chinese translation mirrors the same structure, signatures, and technical content; all code identifiers, type names, and signatures remain in English in both pages.

Maturity

ares_bootstrap is covered by bootstrap_test.go, bootstrap_steps_test.go, callback_injection_test.go, strategy_adapter_test.go, and provide_new_evolution_live_memory_test.go. It is the wiring entry point used by api/bootstrap and cmd/ares serve, with no experimental markers.