rivet-dev · MasterPtato · Nov 13, 2025
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -40,9 +40,6 @@ cargo test -- --nocapture
 
 # Check for linting issues
 cargo clippy -- -W warnings
-
-# When adding a new package to the workspace
-deno run -A scripts/cargo/update_workspace.ts
 ```
 
 ### Docker Development Environment

diff --git a/docs/engine/ACTOR_KV.md b/docs/engine/ACTOR_KV.md
diff --git a/docs/engine/ACTOR_LIFECYCLE.md b/docs/engine/ACTOR_LIFECYCLE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+# Actor Lifecycle Flow Diagram
+
+```mermaid
+---
+config:
+  theme: mc
+  look: classic
+---
+sequenceDiagram
+  participant A as API
+  participant U as User
+  participant G as Gateway
+
+  participant R as Runner
+  participant RWS as Runner WS
+  participant RWF as Runner Workflow
+  participant AWF as Actor Workflow
+
+  critical runner connection
+    R->>RWS: Connect
+    RWS->>RWF: Create runner workflow
+  end
+
+  critical actor creation
+    U->>A: POST /actors
+
+    A->>AWF: Create actor workflow
+    A->>U:
+  end
+
+  critical initial request
+    U->>G: Request to actor
+    note over G: Await actor ready
+
+    critical actor allocation
+      note over AWF: Allocate
+
+      AWF->>RWF: Send StartActor
+
+      RWF->>RWS:
+      RWS->>R:
+      note over R: Start actor
+      R->>RWS: Actor state update: Running
+      RWS->>RWF:
+      RWF->>AWF:
+      note over AWF: Publish Ready msg
+    end
+    AWF->>G: Receive runner ID
+
+    G->>RWS: Tunnel ToClientRequestStart
+    RWS->>R:
+    note over R: Handle request
+    R->>RWS: ToServerResponseStart
+    RWS->>G:
+    G->>U:
+  end
+
+  critical second request
+    U->>G: Request to actor
+    note over G: Actor already connectable
+    G->>RWS: Tunnel ToClientRequestStart
+    RWS->>R:
+    note over R: Handle request
+    R->>RWS: ToServerResponseStart
+    RWS->>G:
+    G->>U:
+  end
+
+  note over A, AWF: Time passes
+
+  critical actor sleep
+    R->>RWS: Actor intent: Sleep
+    RWS->>RWF:
+    RWF->>AWF:
+    note over AWF: Mark as sleeping
+    AWF->>RWF: Send StopActor
+    RWF->>RWS:
+    RWS->>R:
+    note over R: Stop actor
+    R->>RWS: Actor state update: Stopped
+    RWS->>RWF:
+    RWF->>AWF:
+    note over AWF: Sleep
+  end
+
+  critical request to sleeping actor
+    U->>G: Request to actor
+    note over G: Actor sleeping
+    G->>AWF: Wake
+    note over G: Await actor ready
+    critical actor allocation
+      note over AWF: Allocate
+      AWF->>RWF: Send StartActor
+      RWF->>RWS:
+      RWS->>R:
+      note over R: Start actor
+      R->>RWS: Actor state update: Running
+      RWS->>RWF:
+      RWF->>AWF:
+      note over AWF: Publish Ready msg
+    end
+    AWF->>G: Receive runner ID
+
+    G->>RWS: Tunnel ToClientRequestStart
+    RWS->>R:
+    note over R: Handle request
+    R->>RWS: ToServerResponseStart
+    RWS->>G:
+    G->>U:
+  end
+```
diff --git a/docs/engine/GASOLINE.md b/docs/engine/GASOLINE.md
diff --git a/docs/engine/GATEWAY.md b/docs/engine/GATEWAY.md
diff --git a/docs/engine/GUARD.md b/docs/engine/GUARD.md
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+# Rivet Guard
+
+Guard facilitates HTTP communication between the public internet and various internal rivet services, as well as tunnelling connections to actors.
+
+## Routing
+
+Guard uses request path and/or headers to route requests.
+
+### Actors
+
+Guard routes requests to actors when:
+- the path matches `/gateway/{actor_id}/{...path}`
+- the path matches `/gateway/{actor_id}@{token}/{...path}`
+- when connecting a websocket, `Sec-Websocket-Protocol` consists of comma delimited dot separated pairs like `rivet_target.actor,rivet_actor.{actor_id}`
+- otherwise, when the `X-Rivet-Target` header is set to `actor` and `X-Rivet-Actor` header is set to the actor id
+
+### Runners
+
+Guard accepts runner websocket connections when:
+- the path matches `/runners/connect`
+- `Sec-Websocket-Protocol` consists of comma delimited dot separated pairs like `rivet_target.runner`
+
+### API Requests
+
+Guard routes requests to the API layer when the `X-Rivet-Target` header is set to `api-public` or is unset.
+
+## Proxying
+
+Guard acts as a proxy for requests and websockets to actors:
+
+- Internally, the websocket connects to a websocket listener running on the Rivet Engine
+- Rivet Engine transmits HTTP requests and websocket messages via the runner protocol to the actor's corresponding runner's websocket
+	- The runner has a single websocket connection open to Guard which is independent from any client websocket connection
+	- This single connection multiplexes all actor requests and websocket connections
+- The runner delegates requests and websockets to actors
+- The runner sends HTTP responses and websocket messages back to Rivet through is websocket via the runner protocol
+- Rivet transforms the runner protocol messages into HTTP responses and websocket messages
+
+### Websocket Hibernation
+
+This proxy/tunnel approach allows us to implement hibernatable websockets (see HIBERNATING_WS.md) for actors. We can keep a client's websocket connection open while simultaneously allowing for actors to sleep, resulting in 0 usage when there is no traffic over the websocket. The actor is automatically awoken when a websocket message is transmitted to Guard.
diff --git a/docs/engine/HIBERNATING_WS.md b/docs/engine/HIBERNATING_WS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+# Hibernating Websockets
+
+## Lifecycle
+
+1. Client establishes a websocket connection to an actor via Rivet, which is managed by Guard (see GUARD.md)
+2. Guard checks to see if the actor is awake. If it is, skip step 3
+3. If the actor is not awake, send a Wake signal to its workflow. This will make the actor allocate to an existing runner, or in the case of serverless, start a new runner and allocate to that
+4. Guard sends the runner a ToClientWebSocketOpen message a via the runner protocol
+5. The runner sends back ToServerWebSocketOpen to acknowledge the connection
+	- The runner must set `.canHibernate = true` for hibernation to work
+6. At this point the websocket connection is fully established and any websocket messages sent by the client are proxied through Guard to the runner to be delegated to the actor
+7. Should the actor go to sleep, the runner will close the websocket by sending ToServerWebSocketClose with `.hibernate = true` via the runner protocol
+8. Guard receives that the websocket has closed on the runner side and starts hibernating. During hibernation nothing happens.
+9. 
+	- If the actor is awoken from any other source, go to step 6. We do not send a ToClientWebSocketOpen message in this case
+	- If the client sends a websocket message during websocket hibernation, go to step 2
+	- If the client closes the websocket, the actor is rewoken (if not already running) and sent a ToClientWebSocketClose
+
+## State
+
+To facilitate state management on the runner side (specifically via RivetKit), each hibernating websocket runs a keepalive loop which periodically stores a value to UDB marking it as active.
+
+When a client websocket closes during hibernation, this value is cleared.
+
+When a runner receives a CommandStartActor message via the runner protocol, it contains information about which hiberating requests are still active.
diff --git a/docs/engine/RUNNER_SHUTDOWN.md b/docs/engine/RUNNER_SHUTDOWN.md
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+# Runner Shutdown
+
+## 1. Self initiated shutdown
+
+1. Runner sends ToServerStopping to runner WS
+2. Runner WS proxies ToServerStopping to runner WF
+3. Runner WF sets itself as "draining", preventing future actor allocations to it
+4. Runner WF sends GoingAway signal to all actor WFs
+5. Once the runner lost threshold is passed, runner WF sends ToClientClose to runner WS
+6. Runner WS closes connection to runner, informing it not to attempt reconnection
+
+## 2. Rivet initiated shutdown
+
+1. Runner WF receives Stop signal
+2. Runner WF sends GoingAway signal to all actor WFs
+3. Once the runner lost threshold is passed, runner WF sends ToClientClose to runner WS
+4. Runner WS closes connection to runner, informing it not to attempt reconnection