Epic: .life Archive + Runtime Standard (v0.7-vision-shift)

[devin-ai-integration]

.life Archive + Runtime Standard — vision-shift epic

This epic repositions DLRS's ULTIMATE from "Digital Life Repository Standard 数字生命仓库标准" (Git-shaped repository structure standard) to ".life 可运行数字生命档案文件标准" — a dual standard:

1. .life archive file format — the distribution unit, a packaged + signed subset of a DLRS v0.6 record
2. .life runtime protocol — how compatible runtimes load + execute a .life to produce an AI digital life instance

The DLRS Git repo continues to be the canonical authoring place for v0.6 records. The .life file is the distribution unit, runnable in any compatible runtime (chat system, virtual world, 3D scene, …).

Core definition

DLRS defines the .life file format and its runtime protocol. .life is a digital-life archive package generated under the consent of the subject or an authorized representative. It can include identity description, authorization evidence, memory structures, personality preferences, multimodal asset pointers, model references, verification levels, audit log, and withdrawal mechanism. A DLRS-compatible runtime can load a .life file and instantiate an interactive, revocable, auditable digital-life instance in chat / virtual-world / 3D / other digital environments.

Two .life modes

Mode	When	Asset access	Encryption
pointer (default, privacy-preserving)	Runtime is online + has access to upstream object storage / model registry	Raw assets stay upstream; .life ships only *.pointer.json files	None at package level
encrypted (off-grid full pack)	Runtime needs to operate without upstream access (offline, federated, sovereign)	Raw assets bundled inside .life as encrypted blobs	AES-256-GCM (or compatible AEAD), keys distributed out-of-band

Ethical positioning (MUST appear in every spec, README, and runtime obligation)

.life is not:

• a "resurrection" technology
• a claim that the AI instance equals the person
• a consent-free post-mortem reanimation tool

.life is:

• a consented, revocable, auditable digital representation
• a signed, time-bounded license to operate an AI instance under specified constraints
• always identifiable as AI digital life instance, never as the underlying human

Sub-issues

#	Sub-issue	Deliverable	Depends on
A	housekeeping	CHANGELOG seed entry; epic-tracking note in IMPLEMENTATION_STATUS	—
B	LIFE_FILE_STANDARD	docs/LIFE_FILE_STANDARD.md (incl. dual-mode + ethics section)	A
C	life-package schema	schemas/life-package.schema.json + sanity tests	B
D	minimal example	examples/minimal-life-package/ + builder script	C
E	LIFE_RUNTIME_STANDARD	docs/LIFE_RUNTIME_STANDARD.md (load sequence + runtime obligations + forbidden behaviors)	B
F	README first-screen	README.md + README.en.md repositioned to .life dual-standard	B + E
G	ROADMAP tracks	ROADMAP.md adds .life Archive Standard + .life Runtime Standard tracks	B + E
H	status/gap docs	docs/IMPLEMENTATION_STATUS.md + docs/GAP_ANALYSIS.md reflect new ULTIMATE	all

Governance hard rules (continued from v0.5/v0.6)

• One sub-issue = one PR. No comma-separated Closes #A, #B.
• PR body MUST contain Closes #N on its own line.
• No force-push to master; no commit amends; never skip hooks; never git add ..
• GitHub CI green is sufficient to merge. Devin Review is async non-blocking.
• Every PR must keep tools/batch_validate.py green (currently 16/16 from v0.6).

Non-goals (deferred to v0.8+)

• Runtime reference implementation (this epic ships specs + schema + example builder, NOT a working runtime).
• Cryptographic signature scheme for issued_by.signature_ref (deferred to v1.0 with C2PA).
• Federated .life registry / discovery (v1.0+).
• Multi-recipient encrypted-mode key wrapping protocol (declared in schema, no implementation).
• Inter-runtime portability conformance suite (v0.8+).

Success criteria

• A reader who has never seen DLRS can read README first-screen + LIFE_FILE_STANDARD + LIFE_RUNTIME_STANDARD and understand:
  1. What a .life file is
  2. What it is not (resurrection)
  3. How a compatible runtime is supposed to behave
• examples/minimal-life-package/ produces a valid .life archive validated by schemas/life-package.schema.json.
• batch_validate stays green across the entire epic.