Run envelope
The stable contract around a requested unit of software work: source, repo, policy, route, gates, artifacts, and outcome.
Docs / private beta
Build governed agent runs.
Phaedrus is the control plane for autonomous software work: preflight every run, route work by policy, enforce gates, and return receipts your team can audit.
Private beta quickstart
# beta access gates package/repo install phaedrus preflight --repo . phaedrus run GH-2841 --policy bounded --json phaedrus receipt ph_8f3k2 --format json
Distribution status
Private beta docs, not fake self-serve claims.
Public npm and public GitHub distribution are gated until release. Beta users receive package, repository, and onboarding instructions directly. These docs describe the operating model and expected contract shapes.
Quickstart
First governed run
01
Request beta access and receive install instructions.
02
Connect a repo plus the agent/model surface you already use.
03
Run preflight to verify branch, credentials, tests, and instructions.
04
Route the work through a bounded policy.
05
Inspect the receipt before increasing autonomy.
Core concepts
The nouns Phaedrus governs.
Preflight
The readiness check before an agent starts: repo state, credentials, branch posture, instructions, tests, and risk.
Policy
The routing and safety layer that chooses agent surface, autonomy level, required checks, and human approval path.
Gate
A pass/hold/fail control backed by evidence: tests, type checks, review, screenshots, cost, or human veto.
Receipt
The audit object returned after a run: what happened, why, which gates passed, what it cost, and who approved it.
BYOM / BYOK
Bring your own models, keys, subscriptions, and compute. Phaedrus governs the work; it does not resell inference.
Runtime lifecycle
Preflight first. Agent second.
01
Work enters from your system
A GitHub issue, Linear ticket, chat request, CI job, or internal app sends work into a stable run envelope.
02
Phaedrus checks readiness
Preflight verifies repo state, instructions, credentials, tests, branch posture, and execution risk before an agent starts.
03
Policy chooses the route
The run selects the agent surface, model, tools, autonomy level, and approval path without locking the caller to one provider.
04
Quality gates create evidence
Tests, checks, review passes, screenshots, logs, and failure notes become inspectable proof instead of mystery transcripts.
05
A receipt returns to the caller
The requesting system gets status, artifacts, cost signals, gate outcomes, patch references, and any human decision required.
Policy
Bound autonomy before an agent starts.
Example policy shape — beta schema may change.
policy.yaml
name: bounded-pr-work autonomy: bounded agents: allow: [claude-code, codex] repos: allow: [acme/web] gates: preflight: required tests: required review: required approval: channel: slack:#releases required_for: [prod, migrations, auth] cost_ceiling_usd: 5
Receipt
Return proof, not a mystery transcript.
Example receipt returned to the caller after gates and approvals resolve.
receipt-ph_8f3k2.json
{ "run": "ph_8f3k2", "source": "github:GH-2841", "agent": "claude-code", "model": "claude-opus-4", "policy": "bounded-pr-work", "gates": { "preflight": "pass", "tests": "142/142", "review": "pass" }, "artifacts": ["PR #311", "screens/checkout.png"], "cost": "$0.84", "human_approval": "slack:#releases" }
Adapters
Use the agents you already trust.
Claude CodeBeta
Governed coding-agent route for bounded repo work.
CodexBeta
Policy-routed implementation lane for issue-to-PR tasks.
GitHubBeta
Issue intake, branch/PR artifact tracking, review state, and receipt links.
SlackBeta
Human approval, veto, and release-channel notifications.
Linear / JiraPlanned
Ticket intake and status return for product-engineering queues.
Cursor / CopilotPlanned
Operator surfaces Phaedrus can govern without making them the control layer.
Local / CIBeta
BYO machine or CI execution with explicit credential and workspace boundaries.
VPC / self-hostedEnterprise
Private deployment conversations for security-sensitive teams.
Security
Governance starts at the boundary.
Bring your own model keys and subscriptions.
Scope repo credentials and workspace access explicitly.
Require human approval for risky paths, releases, auth, migrations, and production-impacting changes.
Use receipts as audit evidence for tests, artifacts, cost, route, and approval.
Discuss self-hosted, VPC, and private routing for enterprise deployments.
FAQ
What evaluators ask first.
Is Phaedrus another coding assistant?
No. Phaedrus sits above coding agents as the control plane: preflight, route, gate, approve, and receipt.
Does Phaedrus provide model compute?
No. Phaedrus is BYOM/BYOK: teams use their own model providers, subscriptions, keys, and execution environments.
Can we use Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or Copilot?
Yes. The point is to govern the agent surfaces teams already trust instead of coupling the workflow to one vendor.
Is the CLI public?
Not yet. CLI/package access is private beta. Public npm distribution should only be advertised once the package is actually published.
Is the GitHub repo public?
Not yet. Beta users can request repository or package access during onboarding.
How does a team start?
Request access, connect one low-risk repo, define a bounded policy, run preflight, then inspect receipts before expanding autonomy.