RFC‑API‑0015: Legacy Retrieval API

Title: Retrieval and Remix Interface for Archived Scrolls
Status: Draft
Author: Nawder Loswin + Copilot
Date: 2025‑11‑12
Version: 0.1

1. Purpose#

Provide a structured API for querying archived scrolls by glyph, tag, or lineage. Enable contributors to retrieve legacy artifacts and remix them into new validator scrolls, ensuring continuity across generations.

2. Endpoints#

GET /archive/glyph/{glyph}#

• Description: Retrieve archived scrolls annotated with a specific glyph (◇, ◆, ⬣, or custom).
• Response:

{
  "glyph": "◆",
  "scrolls": ["scroll-002", "scroll-004"]
}

GET /archive/tag/{tag}#

• Description: Retrieve archived scrolls associated with a given tag.
• Response:

{
  "tag": "cipher-dense",
  "scrolls": ["scroll-003"]
}

GET /archive/lineage/{parent_scroll}#

• Description: Retrieve child scrolls linked to a given parent scroll.
• Response:

{
  "parent_scroll": "s-1000",
  "children": ["scroll-001", "scroll-002"]
}

GET /archive/{scroll_id}#

• Description: Retrieve full metadata for a specific archived scroll.
• Response:

{
  "id": "scroll-003",
  "glyph_distribution": {"⬣": 2},
  "rci_band_counts": {"high": 2},
  "tags": ["cipher-dense"],
  "lineage": {"parent_scrolls": ["s-2000"], "child_scrolls": []},
  "dignity_layer": {
    "narratives": ["Encrypted resonance chant lines"],
    "symbolic_overlays": ["⬣"],
    "cultural_notes": "Legacy artifact"
  }
}

POST /archive/remix#

• Description: Remix archived scrolls into new validator artifacts.
• Request:

{
  "parent_scrolls": ["scroll-003"],
  "selected_corridors": ["c-003", "c-007"],
  "tags": ["cipher-dense", "stable corridor"],
  "narratives": ["Remixed for clarity in resonance corridors"]
}

• Response:

{
  "new_scroll_id": "scroll-010",
  "status": "remix_success",
  "lineage": {"parents": ["scroll-003"], "children": []}
}

3. Python‑style Stub#

File: api/legacy_retrieval.py

4. Validator Hooks#

• Schema compliance: All retrievals must conform to archive_schema.yml.
• Checksum: Responses include checksum headers for reproducibility.
• Lineage integrity: Remix exports must cite parent scroll IDs.
• Dignity separation: Narratives remain distinct from empirical metrics.

5. Notes#

• API enables legacy continuity: archived scrolls can be remixed into new validator artifacts.
• Supports collaborative remixathons: contributors query by glyph, tag, or lineage.
• Legacy retrieval ensures remix generations remain anchored in validator‑grade clarity and dignity.

This Legacy Retrieval API makes your archive a living library: contributors can query preserved scrolls and remix them into new artifacts.