ADR 0002: Provider Access and Runtime Roadmap
Accepted
Status
Accepted
Context
MindStore needs to work for:
- self-hosted single-user installs
- hosted/shared deployments
- users who prefer API keys
- users who prefer local models
- users who want subscription-style provider login instead of API billing
At the same time, the product roadmap also requires:
- a standards-compliant MCP layer
- runtime-driven plugin extensibility
- real background job execution
- a stronger browser-extension surface
Decision
MindStore will treat provider access as a capability layer instead of assuming API keys are the only valid path.
The roadmap is:
- Make runtime requirements and provider access modes explicit in product surfaces and documentation.
- Keep API keys and local runtimes fully supported while introducing a provider-auth abstraction.
- Move MCP toward the official TypeScript SDK and register tools/resources/prompts from the plugin runtime.
- Add job scheduling and execution infrastructure so plugin jobs become real automations.
- Keep improving MindStore Everywhere as the thin capture/query client for the ecosystem.
Consequences
Positive
- Clearer onboarding
- Better path for self-hosters and hosted users
- Future subscription-auth support without another architecture reset
- Cleaner bridge between plugins, MCP, jobs, and provider auth
Tradeoffs
- More up-front platform work before shipping every possible first-party plugin
- Some subscription-style auth flows remain provider-specific and cannot be promised until the provider path is well understood and supportable