Strata Database Archaeology Runtime — orchestrate the 5-agent database excavation pipeline.
Manages .sil artifact state, enforces a human review gate before classification, and produces agent prompts ready to run in Claude Code or any AI interface.
strata init billing-db
strata run s-00
strata status
strata gate artifacts-reviewed --approve --notes "all schemas and routines look complete"
strata run s-04The runtime does not call an AI API. It produces prompts. You paste them into Claude Code, Claude CLI, or any interface. This keeps the runtime lightweight, model-agnostic, and free of API key management.
State lives in .strata/state.json at your project root — human readable, git diffable, travels with the project.
| Agent | Name | Produces |
|---|---|---|
| S-00 | Schema Signal | One .sil per table, view, entity cluster |
| S-01 | Logic Extractor | One .sil per stored procedure, function, trigger |
| S-02 | Job Mapper | One .sil per SQL Agent job, SSIS package, linked server |
| S-03 | Dependency Tracer | FK chains, cross-schema refs, job-routine chains |
| S-04 | Classifier | transform / preserve / retire decision for every object |
Human review required after S-03 and before S-04 can run (artifacts-reviewed gate).
Strata introduces three decisions for every database object:
- transform — reimplement in the target system (belongs in application layer)
- preserve — keep running in SQL Server (non-transformative: jobs, linked servers, maintenance)
- retire — decommission (unused, superseded, or safe to remove)
strata init [name] Initialize a new engagement
strata run <s-00..s-04> Prepare and output the agent prompt
strata status Show pipeline state, gate status, artifact counts
strata complete <agent-id> Mark an agent complete after an out-of-band run
strata gate <gate-id> --approve Approve a human gate
strata gate <gate-id> --return Return a gate for revision
strata validate <agent-id> Check expected artifacts are presentAll artifacts are .sil files — EMBER Semantic Intent Language. Requires @semanticintent/ember (included as a dependency).
CONSTRUCT decision
ID billing.dbo.sp_generate_invoice
VERSION 1
─────────────────────────────────────────
object: dbo.sp_generate_invoice
type: stored-procedure
decision: transform
rationale: core billing logic — move to application service layer
risk: high
depends-on: dbo.fn_calculate_tax, dbo.invoice, dbo.invoice_line
| Phoenix | Strata | |
|---|---|---|
| Target | Application codebases | SQL Server databases |
| Pipeline | 7 agents, greenfield rebuild | 5 agents, non-transformative archaeology |
| Gate | 7 human gates (A-05 passes) | 1 human gate (pre-classification review) |
| Output | Production codebase | transform/preserve/retire classification |
| State | .phoenix/state.json |
.strata/state.json |
Both use EMBER .sil artifacts and the same prompt-based, model-agnostic pattern.
npm install -g @semanticintent/strata-runtimeOr run without installing:
npx @semanticintent/strata-runtime init billing-dbMIT — Michael Shatny