AI Module

Slug: ai

Current architecture

AI Tools uses a connection-and-slot model. The top half of Settings manages CLI/API connections; the bottom half assigns ordered targets to Terminal, Summary, Dreaming, Analysis, and Assistant. See AI Tools for user workflows and CLI Provider development for the contract.

Slot	Purpose	Connection types
Terminal	Interactive task terminal	CLI only
Summary	Short execution summary	CLI / API
Dreaming	Insights and knowledge capture	CLI / API
Analysis	Project analysis	CLI / API
Assistant	Tower-owned multi-turn chat	CLI / API

Built-in CLI providers are Claude Code, Codex CLI, and Gemini CLI. The API runtime supports OpenAI, OpenAI Compatible, Anthropic, and Google. Targets use a stable connectionId + modelId, not a provider name as an instance identifier.

Execution semantics

• A slot uses only its explicit primary and ordered fallback targets.
• Key or target fallback is allowed only before the first content, tool call, or side effect. Once activity starts, the target is locked.
• Terminal may fall back before creating a new session. The successful connection/model snapshot is stored on TaskExecution and reused for resume.
• API keys round-robin only among enabled, healthy keys. 401, 403, and 429 may rotate a key only before activity.
• Attempt telemetry stores target, model, duration, and redacted error code, never prompts, keys, or sensitive header/query values.

Boundaries

Layer	Location	Responsibility
Public CLI contract	packages/ai-sdk	Manifest v1, adapters, process specs, events, and config schema types
Private host runtime	packages/ai-runtime	Controlled processes, API adapters, fallback, plugin validation, models.dev snapshot
Built-in providers	packages/ai-provider-*	Claude/Codex/Gemini arguments, parsing, and MCP/Hooks/Skills integration
Application services	src/lib/ai	Connections, slot resolution, Assistant sessions/tools, and auditing

All workspace packages remain private@0.1.0. That internal contract version is independent of the Tower application version; SDK and Provider packages are not yet published independently.

Security

• Each CLI owns its login, token, and base URL. Tower handles discovery, Hello probes, process launch, and integration status.
• API keys are plaintext in local SQLite. The UI masks them by default but permits reveal, copy, and edit; logs and errors are redacted.
• Third-party CLI plugins are trusted local Node.js code, not an OS sandbox. Tower validates exact versions, integrity, static manifests/schemas, and declared permissions before enablement.
• Adapters return structured process specs. The host disables shell execution by default and owns deadlines, cancellation, and process-tree cleanup.

Public npm publication, an external organization/scope, arbitrary API adapter plugins, and OS-level plugin sandboxing remain future work.