docs: add agent runtime primer

docs/getting-started/agent-runtime-primer.md

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+<!--
+SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2026, NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved.
+SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+-->
+
+# Agent Runtime Primer
+
+NeMo Relay is a portable runtime layer for agent systems that already have an
+application, framework, or model provider. Use this primer when you need to
+understand what NeMo Relay adds before running [Quick Start](quick-start.md).
+
+Agent applications usually cross several boundaries in one request: an entry
+point starts work, the agent calls a model, the model asks for tools, tools call
+services, and tracing or policy systems need to understand the result. Without a
+shared runtime layer, each boundary tends to grow its own wrappers, callback
+shape, trace vocabulary, and cleanup rules.
+
+NeMo Relay gives those boundaries one execution model.
+
+## What NeMo Relay Adds
+
+NeMo Relay does not decide what your agent should do. It describes and manages
+what happens when your agent crosses runtime boundaries.
+
+The core runtime model has five parts:
+
+- **Scopes** describe where work belongs. They preserve parent-child
+  relationships across requests, agent runs, tools, LLM calls, background work,
+  and nested functions.
+- **Managed tool and LLM calls** attach work to the active scope, run middleware
+  in a consistent order, and emit lifecycle events. The application result is
+  preserved unless registered intercepts or guardrails intentionally change the
+  execution path.
+- **Middleware** runs around managed execution. Intercepts can transform or wrap
+  real calls. Guardrails can block execution or sanitize emitted observability
+  payloads.
+- **Events** record what happened. NeMo Relay emits Agent Trajectory
+  Observability Format (ATOF) lifecycle records that subscribers and exporters
+  can consume.
+- **Plugins** package reusable runtime behavior so teams can install middleware,
+  subscribers, exporters, or adaptive behavior from configuration instead of
+  repeating setup code in every application.
+
+The simplest mental model is:
+
+```text
+app or framework boundary
+  -> NeMo Relay scope
+  -> managed tool or LLM call
+  -> middleware
+  -> lifecycle event
+  -> subscriber or exporter
+```
+
+## What NeMo Relay Does Not Replace
+
+NeMo Relay sits below the choices your application already makes.
+
+It does not replace:
+
+- your agent framework or orchestration logic
+- your model provider or provider SDK
+- your application business logic
+- your production observability backend
+- NeMo Agent Toolkit
+
+Instead, it gives those systems a shared runtime contract for call boundaries,
+policy hooks, event emission, and export.
+
+## Choose The Boundary You Own
+
+Where you start depends on who owns the call boundary.
+
+If your application directly calls tools or model providers, start by
+instrumenting the application boundary. Add scopes first, then wrap the tool and
+LLM calls your code owns.
+
+If a framework owns scheduling, retries, callbacks, or provider payloads, use a
+framework integration. The integration should preserve framework behavior while
+adding NeMo Relay scopes, managed calls, codecs, middleware, and events at stable
+framework boundaries.
+
+If you need the same behavior across multiple services or teams, package it as a
+plugin. Plugins are the configuration-driven path for reusable middleware,
+subscribers, exporters, and adaptive components.
+
+## Read Next
+
+The following pages help you choose the next step for your integration.
+
+- Use [Quick Start](quick-start.md) for the smallest binding-specific example.
+- Use [Instrument Applications](../instrument-applications/about.md) when you
+  own the tool or LLM call site.
+- Use [Integrate into Frameworks](../integrate-frameworks/about.md) when a
+  framework owns invocation, scheduling, retries, callbacks, or provider
+  payloads.
+- Use [Build Plugins](../build-plugins/about.md) when behavior should be
+  reusable and activated from configuration.
+- Use [Observability](../plugins/observability/about.md) when you need to export
+  runtime events to ATIF, OpenTelemetry, or OpenInference.
+- Use [Adaptive](../plugins/adaptive/about.md) after baseline instrumentation is
+  working and you want to tune behavior from observed runtime signals.

docs/index.md

@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ Use the reading path that matches your task:
 
 | Task | Start With |
 |---|---|
+| Understand what NeMo Relay adds | [Agent Runtime Primer](getting-started/agent-runtime-primer.md) |
 | Run a minimal example | [Quick Start](getting-started/quick-start.md) |
 | Install packages | [Installation](getting-started/installation.md) |
 | Develop from source | [Development Setup](contribute/development-setup.md) |
@@ -143,6 +144,7 @@ about/release-notes/index
 :caption: Getting Started
 :maxdepth: 2
 
+Agent Runtime Primer <getting-started/agent-runtime-primer>
 getting-started/prerequisites
 getting-started/installation
 Configuration / Setup <getting-started/configuration>