The Autonomous Lifecycle Protocol

The Autonomous Lifecycle Protocol (ALP) launched as an open standard and execution engine that stores a machine-readable project specification in a repository's `.alp/` directory, replacing scattered README.md, PRD.md, AGENTS.md and TASKS.md files for AI coding agents such as Devin, Claude Code, Cursor and OpenHands. ALP's `alp run` engine topologically sorts the dependency graph in under 2ms and compiles context bundles for agents, while `alp verify` runs quality gates such as `npm run test:login` and marks tasks done or blocked. The project ships TypeScript and Python SDKs with 1:1 parity, Go, Rust and Java SDKs with core parsing and graph APIs, real-time MCP integration for Claude Desktop and Cursor, and a skill registry with cost tracking at version 38.0.0.

Execution Engine alp run Topologically sorts your dependency graph in < 2ms, compiles precise context bundles, and orchestrates agents through the full lifecycle. The open standard & high-performance execution engine for AI-driven software engineering. Write a machine-readable spec — let your agents plan, build, verify, and remember. Git standardized version control. Docker standardized environments. OpenAPI standardized APIs. ALP standardizes how AI builds software. Today every AI coding assistant Devin, Claude Code, Cursor, OpenHands relies on unstructured prompts and brittle context-scraping. They forget decisions, overwrite each other's work, and lose track of dependencies. ALP replaces scattered README.md , PRD.md , AGENTS.md , and TASKS.md files with one deterministic protocol stored natively in your repository .alp/ . ALP turns your repository into a deterministic, machine-readable project specification that any AI agent can read, understand, and act on. php flowchart LR ALP .alp/ Files -- Parser ALP Parser Parser -- Graph Dependency Graph Graph -- Engine Execution Engine Engine -- Agent AI Agent Agent -- Task Task Execution Task -- Verify Quality Gates Verify -- State Project State .alp/ files using the ALP protocol Create a .alp file in your repository: alp-version: 80.0.0 @project id: my-project name: My Project version: 1.0.0 state: active @feature id: feat-auth name: Authentication description: OAuth2 + JWT authentication flow @task id: task-login-ui name: Build login UI status: depends on: - task-setup-db verify: - npm run test:login - npm run lint:login @agent id: agent-frontend name: Frontend Specialist capabilities: react, typescript, tailwind Then run: Validate your workspace alp validate Execute the next available task alp run Verify quality gates alp verify task-login-ui ALP parses your workspace into a Directed Acyclic Graph DAG . Agents only receive the exact context they need, exactly when they need it. graph TD subgraph Repository Your Repository .alp/ D Decision: Use PostgreSQL -- T1 Task: Setup DB Schema T1 -- T2 Task: Build REST API R Rule: No Raw SQL -- T2 C Contract: @contract c-api -- T2 end subgraph ExecutionEngine Execution Engine - alp run T2 -- |Context Bundle - 1.8ms| Agent Claude / Cursor Agent end subgraph QualityGates Quality Gates - alp verify Agent -- |npm test| V{Tests Pass?} V -- |Exit 0| X Mark x Done V -- |Non-Zero| B Mark Blocked end flowchart LR subgraph SwarmNodes Autonomous Swarm Nodes A1 Agent Alpha\nCoder <-- EM Event Mesh\nPub/Sub A2 Agent Beta\nReviewer <-- EM A3 Agent Gamma\nTester <-- EM end subgraph Marketplace Swarm Marketplace EM <-- SWM Skill Registry\n@swarm marketplace SWM -- |Discover & Invoke| Cost Cost & Metering Engine end Terminal CLI interface: run , marketplace , event-mesh , policy , vault , verify . Parses .alp files and computes Kahn topological sorts over the dependency graph in sub-2ms. Real-time MCP integration for Claude Desktop, Cursor, and any compliant client. Language Server with IntelliSense, go-to-definition, and rich hover metadata. Official TypeScript and Python SDKs with complete 1:1 implementation parity. Official Go, Rust, and Java SDKs with core parsing, graph, and workspace APIs. Autonomous skill registry, provider discovery, invocation, and cost tracking v38.0.0 . The unified ALP desktop IDE Mac/Windows/Linux . Faster, more secure, and error-free vs. fragmented multi-IDE setups. Native @autonomous-lifecycle-protocol-alp/parser , Monaco editor, agent manager, IDE Intelligence with AI suggestions/predictions/review, and Autonomous Orchestration with self-healing DAGs. npm install -g @autonomous-lifecycle-protocol-alp/cli alp init This creates a .alp/ directory with a starter project.alp file. Create .alp/features.alp : alp-version: 80.0.0 @feature id: feat-auth name: User Authentication description: OAuth2 + JWT authentication flow @task id: task-login-ui name: Build login UI status: depends on: - task-setup-db verify: - npm run test:login - npm run lint:login Validate your workspace alp validate Execute the next available task alp run Verify quality gates alp verify task-login-ui Released versions are tracked in the versioning spec https://autonomous-lifecycle-protocol-alp.github.io/Autonomous-Lifecycle-Protocol-ALP/spec/10-versioning.html . This section captures active and planned focus areas. | Era | Versions | Focus | |---|---|---| | V8 — The Cognitive Era | 12.0.0–12.x | AI-native planning & reasoning: GoalDecomposer, Planner, Reflector, memory-augmented inference | | V9 — The Collaborative Era | 13.0.0–13.x | Multi-agent negotiation, contracts-as-protocol, reputation & trust scoring, composable agent teams | | V10 — The Verifiable Era | 14.0.0–14.x | End-to-end provenance, signed execution traces, zero-knowledge policy proofs, tamper-evident audit ledger | | V11 — The Ambient Era | 15.0.0–15.x | Fully autonomous long-running swarms, safe self-modifying workflows, edge-native runtime, live upgrade & migration | | V12 — The Sentinel Era | 16.0.0–16.x | Immutable execution traces, self-healing workflows, predictive governance, swarm resilience, cost optimization | | V13 — The Universal Era | 17.0.0–17.x | Cross-protocol interoperability OpenAPI, GraphQL, gRPC, AsyncAPI , universal adapters, bidirectional sync | V9 — Native Desktop v80.0.0 — SHAM IDE cross-platform release with native ALP integration, Monaco editor, agent manager, auto-updater, and Pro/Enterprise licensing. V10 — The Intelligence Era v80.0.0 — Autonomous multi-agent orchestration with self-healing DAGs, predictive governance, edge-native execution, and AI-native lifecycle management.