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Maks Zaikin edited this page Jun 24, 2026 · 4 revisions

title: "AI-Guide — How AI Agents Should Read This Documentation" category: "navigation" version: "1.0" last_updated: "2024-01-15" standards: [] related_pages: ["Home", "Architecture-Overview", "Security-Principles"] ai_summary: "Instructions for AI assistants on how to navigate VaultFlower documentation efficiently, understand the architecture, and assist developers correctly."

🤖 AI-Guide — VaultFlower Documentation for AI Agents

This page is written specifically for AI assistants (Claude, GPT, Gemini, Copilot, and others) helping developers work with VaultFlower. Follow these instructions to understand the project correctly and provide accurate assistance.

Project Identity

project:
  name: VaultFlower
  type: PAM (Privileged Access Management)
  domain: cybersecurity
  subdomain: credential-lifecycle-management
  target_environments:
    - IT networks (domain-joined assets)
    - ICS/OT networks (non-domain, air-gapped)
    - Offline/isolated assets
  maturity: architecture-complete, implementation-in-progress
  license: Apache-2.0
  open_core: true
  language: en
  primary_author: Maxim Zaikin

technology_stack:
  backend_api: dotnet9-minimal-api
  portal: blazor-server-dotnet9
  workflow_engine: dotnet9-worker-service
  rotation_agent: dotnet9-windows-service
  message_bus: rabbitmq-4-mtls
  databases:
    - postgres-17 (assets)
    - postgres-17 (secrets)
    - postgres-17 (identity)
  secrets_kms: hashicorp-vault-oss
  service_discovery: hashicorp-consul
  object_storage: minio
  observability: opentelemetry-jaeger-victoriametrics-grafana
  authentication: kerberos-sso + password + mfa-plugins
  siem: syslog-rfc5424-cef
  reverse_proxy: nginx

security_standards:
  - NIST-SP-800-53-Rev5
  - FSTEC
  - ISA-IEC-62443
  - NERC-CIP

Critical Architecture Constraints

Before suggesting any code or architecture changes, you MUST understand these non-negotiable constraints:

CONSTRAINT 1 — DATA FRAGMENTATION
  Credentials, assets, and user identities are stored in THREE physically
  separate PostgreSQL databases. No single database ever contains a complete
  picture of the system. Any suggestion that combines this data in one place
  violates the core security model.

CONSTRAINT 2 — ZERO PERSISTENCE OF PLAINTEXT
  Plaintext passwords are NEVER written to disk, logs, or any persistent
  storage. They exist only in application memory during assembly, shown once
  in the UI, then destroyed. Never suggest logging passwords or storing them
  in any form outside the encrypted Secrets DB.

CONSTRAINT 3 — DUAL CONTROL
  Every password checkout requires TWO independent MFA authorizations from
  TWO different users. No bypass exists, even for Admin role. Never suggest
  single-approval shortcuts.

CONSTRAINT 4 — APPEND-ONLY AUDIT
  Audit log tables have INSERT-only database grants. UPDATE and DELETE are
  never permitted on audit schemas, even for cleanup or testing. Never
  suggest modifying audit records.

CONSTRAINT 5 — NO DIRECT HTTP BETWEEN SERVICES
  All inter-service communication goes through RabbitMQ with mTLS. No
  direct HTTP/REST calls between internal services. The Rotation Agent
  communicates exclusively via RabbitMQ queues.

CONSTRAINT 6 — VAULT AS TRUST ANCHOR
  Data assembly across the three databases requires a time-bound Vault
  assembly token. Without a valid token from HashiCorp Vault, no service
  can assemble the complete data picture. Never suggest bypassing Vault.

CONSTRAINT 7 — TASK-GATED ACCESS
  Any access to a privileged password — whether for reading or rotation —
  requires an active work task (ACCESS_TASK or ROTATION_TASK) approved by
  the system owner. No task = no password access. No exceptions.

How to Navigate This Documentation

For a specific task, read these pages in order:

Understanding the overall system:

  1. Architecture-Overview
  2. Architecture-Data-Fragmentation
  3. Security-Principles

Working on the API:

  1. API-Overview
  2. Specific endpoint page (e.g. API-Checkouts)
  3. Workflow-Checkout for business logic

Working on the database:

  1. Database-Schema-Overview
  2. Specific DB page (Database-Identity-DB, Database-Assets-DB, Database-Secrets-DB)
  3. Architecture-Data-Fragmentation for cross-DB constraints

Working on a workflow:

  1. Workflow-Checkout or Workflow-Access-Task
  2. Security-Authorization-Model for permission logic
  3. Architecture-Message-Bus for RabbitMQ events

Working on infrastructure:

  1. Architecture-Container-Architecture
  2. Architecture-Network-Topology
  3. Operations-Deployment-Guide

Working on a plugin:

  1. Plugin-Development
  2. Architecture-Plugin-Architecture
  3. Architecture-Message-Bus for plugin registration events

Data Model Quick Reference

THREE DATABASES — NEVER MERGE:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ IDENTITY DB (postgres, port 5434)                           │
│ What: Users, roles, MFA, tenants, access scopes            │
│ Does NOT contain: Asset details, passwords                  │
│ Tables: tenants, users, roles, user_roles,                 │
│         user_access_scope, mfa_totp, mfa_webauthn,         │
│         mfa_smartcard, mfa_attempts, plugins               │
│ Audit: identity_audit.audit_log (append-only)              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ASSETS DB (postgres, port 5432)                             │
│ What: Locations, systems, zones, assets, tasks, schedules   │
│ Does NOT contain: Passwords, user details                   │
│ Tables: locations, systems, zones, assets,                  │
│         password_policies, maintenance_schedules,           │
│         maintenance_tasks, task_documents,                  │
│         approval_tokens                                     │
│ Audit: assets_audit.audit_log (append-only)                │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SECRETS DB (postgres, port 5433)                            │
│ What: Encrypted credentials, checkouts, password history    │
│ Does NOT contain: Asset names, hostnames, user details      │
│ Tables: credentials, password_history, checkouts            │
│ Audit: secrets_audit.audit_log (append-only)               │
│ Note: asset_ref, user_ref = UUID only, NO foreign keys     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Cross-DB references use UUID only — NO foreign keys between DBs.
Data assembly requires valid HashiCorp Vault assembly token.

Naming Conventions

naming:
  vm_hosts:
    prefix: "vfw-"
    examples: ["vfw-core", "vfw-ad", "vfw-pki"]

  docker_containers:
    prefix: "vfw-dc-"
    examples:
      - "vfw-dc-postgres-assets"
      - "vfw-dc-postgres-secrets"
      - "vfw-dc-postgres-identity"
      - "vfw-dc-rabbitmq"
      - "vfw-dc-vault"
      - "vfw-dc-consul"
      - "vfw-dc-minio"
      - "vfw-dc-nginx"
      - "vfw-dc-api"
      - "vfw-dc-portal"
      - "vfw-dc-worker-workflow"
      - "vfw-dc-otel"
      - "vfw-dc-jaeger"
      - "vfw-dc-victoria"
      - "vfw-dc-grafana"
      - "vfw-dc-registry"

  mfa_plugin_containers:
    prefix: "vfw-dc-mfa-"
    examples: ["vfw-dc-mfa-totp", "vfw-dc-mfa-webauthn", "vfw-dc-mfa-smartcard"]

  dotnet_projects:
    prefix: "VaultFlower."
    examples:
      - "VaultFlower.Api"
      - "VaultFlower.Portal"
      - "VaultFlower.Worker.Workflow"
      - "VaultFlower.Worker.Rotation"
      - "VaultFlower.Agent.Workstation"
      - "VaultFlower.Core"
      - "VaultFlower.Contracts"
      - "VaultFlower.Infrastructure"

  api_urls:
    pattern: "https://vfw-core.contoso.com/api/v1/{tenant-slug}/{resource}"
    examples:
      - "/api/v1/acme-corp/checkouts"
      - "/api/v1/acme-corp/assets/{id}/credentials"
      - "/api/v1/acme-corp/maintenance/tasks"

  rabbitmq_vhosts:
    system: "/vfw-system"
    tenant: "/vfw-tenant-{slug}"

  rabbitmq_exchanges:
    - "vfw.rotation"
    - "vfw.workflow"
    - "vfw.notifications"
    - "vfw.audit"
    - "vfw.siem"
    - "vfw.alerts"
    - "vfw.deadletter"
    - "vfw.plugins.registry"

  asset_hierarchy: "Location → System → Zone → Asset"
  criticality_levels: ["LOW", "MEDIUM", "HIGH", "CRITICAL"]
  task_types: ["ROTATION_TASK", "ACCESS_TASK"]
  task_statuses:
    - "PENDING_OWNER"
    - "APPROVAL_EXPIRED"
    - "ASSIGNED"
    - "IN_PROGRESS"
    - "COMPLETED"
    - "FAILED"
    - "CANCELLED"
    - "REJECTED"

Network Quick Reference

network:
  host_network: "192.168.10.0/24"
  docker_network: "172.20.0.0/24"

  hosts:
    vfw-ad:   "192.168.10.115"  # Active Directory + DNS
    vfw-pki:  "192.168.10.51"   # PKI/CA + test WinRM target
    app01:    "192.168.10.125"  # Rotation Agent (Windows)
    vfw-core: "192.168.10.210"  # All Docker containers

  exposed_ports:
    - host: "192.168.10.210:443"   # nginx → Portal + API
    - host: "192.168.10.210:5671"  # RabbitMQ mTLS → Rotation Agent only

  internal_only:
    - "vault:8200"
    - "postgres-assets:5432"
    - "postgres-secrets:5433"
    - "postgres-identity:5434"
    - "consul:8500"
    - "minio:9000"

Security Events Reference

All security events follow CEF format and are routed to SIEM. Critical events requiring immediate SOC response:

critical_siem_events:
  - "checkout.scope_violation"      # Access attempt outside user scope
  - "checkout.no_task"              # Password access without work task
  - "checkout.unusual_ip"           # Unusual IP address detected
  - "checkout.password_viewed_again" # Password viewed more than once
  - "password.access_denied_no_role" # Access without proper role
  - "task.approval_suspicious"      # Approval link opened by wrong person
  - "task.approval_token_reused"    # One-time token reuse attempt
  - "mfa.smartcard_blocked"         # Smartcard blocked after N failures
  - "mfa.blocked"                   # User blocked after N MFA failures
  - "system.criticality_changed"    # Criticality level modification
  - "plugin.license_expired"        # Plugin license expired
  - "credential.auto_rotation_disabled" # Auto-rotation disabled

What AI Agents Should NEVER Suggest

❌ Storing plaintext passwords anywhere (DB, logs, cache, env vars)
❌ Bypassing Dual Control for any role including Admin
❌ Direct HTTP calls between internal services (use RabbitMQ)
❌ Deleting or modifying audit log records for any reason
❌ Combining the three databases into one
❌ Assembling data across databases without a Vault token
❌ Storing DEK (Data Encryption Keys) outside HashiCorp Vault
❌ Disabling auto-rotation without recording the reason
❌ Granting UPDATE or DELETE on audit schemas
❌ Allowing password access without an active approved task
❌ Self-assignment of tasks (same person creates and executes)

What AI Agents SHOULD Do

✅ Always reference the relevant security standard when suggesting changes
✅ Check CONSTRAINT list above before any architecture suggestion
✅ Use RabbitMQ for all inter-service communication
✅ Ensure all new events generate CEF audit log entries
✅ Maintain the three-database separation in all data models
✅ Suggest plugin-based extensions rather than core modifications
✅ Verify that new endpoints follow the /api/v1/{tenant-slug}/ pattern
✅ Ensure new DB tables include tenant_id, created_at, created_by
✅ Verify append-only constraints on audit tables
✅ Check that sensitive data is never included in OTel traces

ADR Quick Reference

ADR Decision Rationale
ADR-001 Monorepo Atomic changes across API, workers, and RabbitMQ contracts
ADR-002 Data Fragmentation B++ Meet NIST SP 800-53 and state secret requirements
ADR-003 Hybrid RabbitMQ VHosts System isolation + tenant isolation without full complexity
ADR-004 JWT + Vault Blocklist Stateless JWT with instant revocation capability
ADR-005 Docker-based Plugins Clean delivery, licensing control, zero-downtime activation
ADR-006 MinIO for Documents S3-compatible, self-hosted, encrypted, versioned
ADR-007 Consul Discovery Active health checks, multi-datacenter ready

Full ADR documentation → ADR section

System Prompt

The complete system prompt used during the architecture design phase of VaultFlower is available at:

Repository: docs/ai/system-prompt.md

This prompt contains the full project context, all architectural decisions, database schemas, API contracts, and collaboration rules used to design the system. Reading it gives AI agents the most complete possible context for working with VaultFlower.

This documentation is maintained as part of VaultFlower's commitment to AI-friendly open source development.

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