🏛️ Witan - Council Protocol

Multi-agent consensus, communication, governance, and recovery for AI orchestration systems.

Part of the Weave Protocol Security Suite.

Witan = Old English for "council of advisors" (the Witenagemot advised Anglo-Saxon kings)

✨ Features

| Module | Capabilities | |--------|--------------| | Consensus Engine | Proposals, voting, quorum, weighted votes, veto | | Communication Bus | Direct messaging, pub/sub channels, broadcast | | Policy Engine | Rate limits, quotas, governance rules | | Recovery Manager | Checkpoints, transactions, rollback, disaster recovery |

Built on Dōmere orchestration primitives (TaskScheduler, AgentRegistry, StateManager).

📦 Installation

npm install @weave_protocol/witan

🚀 Quick Start

import { WitanCouncil } from '@weave_protocol/witan';

// Create council
const council = new WitanCouncil({
  signing_key: 'your-secret-key',
  max_agents: 10,
  default_quorum: 0.6,
  enable_auto_recovery: true
});

await council.start();

// Register agents
for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
  await council.registerAgent({
    name: `agent-${i}`,
    capabilities: ['research', 'analysis'],
    voting_weight: 1
  });
}

// Submit tasks
await council.submitTask({
  intent: 'Analyze market data',
  priority: 'high'
});

// Propose decisions for vote
const proposal = await council.propose({
  title: 'Increase compute budget',
  description: 'Proposal to increase daily compute quota by 50%',
  type: 'resource',
  proposer_id: 'agent-0',
  payload: { new_quota: 150 }
});

// Agents vote
await council.vote(proposal.id, 'agent-1', 'approve', 'Needed for scaling');
await council.vote(proposal.id, 'agent-2', 'approve');
await council.vote(proposal.id, 'agent-3', 'reject', 'Cost concerns');

🗳️ Consensus Engine

Multi-agent voting with quorum, thresholds, and weighted votes.

import { ConsensusEngine } from '@weave_protocol/witan';

const consensus = new ConsensusEngine('signing-key', {
  default_quorum: 0.5,      // 50% must vote
  default_threshold: 0.6,   // 60% approval needed
  default_voting_duration_ms: 300000  // 5 minutes
});

// Create proposal
const proposal = await consensus.createProposal({
  title: 'Deploy new model',
  description: 'Replace GPT-4 with Claude for all tasks',
  proposal_type: 'action',
  proposer_id: 'orchestrator',
  eligible_voters: ['agent-1', 'agent-2', 'agent-3', 'agent-4', 'agent-5'],
  voting_config: {
    quorum: 0.6,
    threshold: 0.7,
    weighted_voting: true,
    weights: new Map([
      ['agent-1', 2],  // Lead agent gets double weight
      ['agent-2', 1],
      ['agent-3', 1],
      ['agent-4', 1],
      ['agent-5', 1]
    ]),
    veto_enabled: true,
    veto_holders: ['orchestrator']
  }
});

// Cast votes
await consensus.vote(proposal.id, 'agent-1', 'approve', 'Better reasoning');
await consensus.vote(proposal.id, 'agent-2', 'approve');
await consensus.vote(proposal.id, 'agent-3', 'reject', 'Cost increase');
await consensus.vote(proposal.id, 'agent-4', 'abstain');

// Check result
const result = await consensus.finalizeProposal(proposal.id);
console.log(result.decision);        // 'approved' | 'rejected' | 'no_quorum'
console.log(result.participation_rate);
console.log(result.approve_weight);

// Subscribe to events
consensus.onEvent((event) => {
  if (event.type === 'passed') {
    console.log(`Proposal ${event.proposal_id} passed!`);
  }
});

📨 Communication Bus

Agent-to-agent messaging with channels and pub/sub.

import { CommunicationBus } from '@weave_protocol/witan';

const bus = new CommunicationBus('signing-key', {
  default_ttl_ms: 300000,
  max_pending_messages: 1000
});

// Register agents
await bus.registerAgent('agent-1');
await bus.registerAgent('agent-2');

// Direct message
await bus.send({
  from: 'agent-1',
  to: 'agent-2',
  type: 'data-handoff',
  payload: { dataset_id: 'ds_123', format: 'json' },
  priority: 'high',
  require_ack: true
});

// Create topic channel
const channel = await bus.createChannel({
  name: 'research-updates',
  type: 'topic',
  owner: 'orchestrator',
  initial_members: ['agent-1', 'agent-2', 'agent-3']
});

// Publish to channel
await bus.publish({
  from: 'agent-1',
  channel: 'research-updates',
  type: 'finding',
  payload: { insight: 'Market trending upward' }
});

// Broadcast to all
await bus.broadcast({
  from: 'orchestrator',
  type: 'priority-change',
  payload: { all_tasks: 'high' },
  priority: 'critical'
});

// Receive messages (in agent loop)
const messages = await bus.receive('agent-2', { limit: 10 });
for (const msg of messages) {
  console.log(`From ${msg.from}: ${msg.type}`);
  await bus.acknowledge(msg.id, 'agent-2');
}

// Subscribe with handler
const unsubscribe = bus.subscribe('agent-3', async (message) => {
  console.log('Received:', message.type);
}, { types: ['finding', 'alert'] });

📜 Policy Engine

Governance rules, rate limits, quotas, and constraints.

import { PolicyEngine } from '@weave_protocol/witan';

const policy = new PolicyEngine();

// Rate limit: 100 requests per minute per agent
await policy.createRateLimit({
  name: 'api-rate-limit',
  targets: [{ type: 'all' }],
  max_requests: 100,
  window_ms: 60000,
  action: 'throttle'
});

// Quota: Max 1000 tokens per agent per day
await policy.createQuota({
  name: 'daily-token-quota',
  targets: [{ type: 'agent', ids: ['agent-1', 'agent-2'] }],
  resource: 'tokens',
  max_value: 1000
});

// Schedule: Only allow actions during business hours
await policy.createSchedulePolicy({
  name: 'business-hours-only',
  targets: [{ type: 'all' }],
  allowed_hours: { start: 9, end: 17 },
  allowed_days: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5],  // Mon-Fri
  action: 'deny'
});

// Concurrency limit
await policy.createConcurrencyLimit({
  name: 'max-parallel-tasks',
  targets: [{ type: 'agent', pattern: 'agent-.*' }],
  max_concurrent: 5
});

// Enforce policy
const decision = await policy.enforce({
  agent_id: 'agent-1',
  action: 'api_call',
  resource: 'openai',
  timestamp: new Date()
});

if (!decision.allowed) {
  console.log(`Denied: ${decision.message}`);
  if (decision.retry_after_ms) {
    console.log(`Retry in ${decision.retry_after_ms}ms`);
  }
}

// Track violations
policy.onViolation((violation) => {
  console.log(`Policy violation: ${violation.policy_id} by ${violation.agent_id}`);
});

🔄 Recovery Manager

Checkpoints, transactions, and disaster recovery.

import { RecoveryManager } from '@weave_protocol/witan';

const recovery = new RecoveryManager('signing-key', {
  max_checkpoints: 100,
  auto_checkpoint_interval_ms: 300000,  // Every 5 min
  enable_auto_recovery: true
});

// Create checkpoint
const checkpoint = await recovery.checkpoint({
  name: 'Pre-deployment',
  created_by: 'orchestrator',
  tags: ['deployment', 'critical']
});

// Begin transaction
const txn = await recovery.beginTransaction({
  initiator: 'agent-1',
  description: 'Update configuration',
  auto_checkpoint: true
});

// Record operations
await recovery.recordOperation(txn.id, {
  type: 'state_change',
  target_type: 'state',
  target_id: 'config',
  action: 'update',
  before: { version: 1 },
  after: { version: 2 },
  success: true,
  reversible: true,
  rollback_action: 'restore'
});

// Commit or rollback
try {
  // ... do work ...
  await recovery.commitTransaction(txn.id);
} catch (error) {
  await recovery.rollbackTransaction(txn.id);
}

// Restore from checkpoint
await recovery.restore(checkpoint.id, 'admin');

// Create recovery plan
await recovery.createRecoveryPlan({
  name: 'Agent failure recovery',
  trigger: {
    type: 'agent_failure',
    failure_count: 3,
    failure_window_ms: 60000
  },
  actions: [
    { type: 'restore_checkpoint', checkpoint_age_ms: 300000, order: 1, continue_on_failure: false },
    { type: 'notify', notify_targets: ['admin'], order: 2, continue_on_failure: true }
  ],
  auto_execute: true
});

// Report failure (may trigger recovery)
const result = await recovery.reportFailure({
  type: 'agent',
  id: 'agent-5',
  error: 'Connection timeout'
});
if (result.recovered) {
  console.log(`Auto-recovered using plan ${result.plan_id}`);
}

🎛️ Witan Council (Unified Interface)

Single entry point combining all components.

import { WitanCouncil } from '@weave_protocol/witan';

const council = new WitanCouncil({
  signing_key: process.env.WITAN_KEY!,
  max_agents: 10,
  default_quorum: 0.5,
  default_threshold: 0.6,
  enable_auto_recovery: true,
  auto_checkpoint_interval_ms: 300000
});

await council.start();

// Register agents
const agentId = await council.registerAgent({
  name: 'researcher',
  capabilities: ['search', 'summarize'],
  voting_weight: 2
});

// Submit tasks (uses Dōmere scheduler)
await council.submitTask({
  intent: 'Research competitor analysis',
  priority: 'high',
  required_capabilities: ['search']
});

// Create proposals
const proposal = await council.propose({
  title: 'Add new data source',
  description: 'Integrate Bloomberg API',
  type: 'resource',
  proposer_id: agentId
});

// Send messages
await council.sendMessage({
  from: agentId,
  to: 'agent-2',
  type: 'collaboration-request',
  payload: { task: 'joint-analysis' }
});

// Set policies
await council.setRateLimit({
  name: 'inference-limit',
  max_requests: 60,
  window_ms: 60000
});

// Checkpoint
await council.checkpoint('Before risky operation', agentId);

// Transactions
const txn = await council.beginTransaction(agentId, 'Config update');
// ... operations ...
await council.commitTransaction(txn.id);

// Agent heartbeat loop
setInterval(async () => {
  const { ok, tasks_to_run, messages } = await council.heartbeat(agentId, []);
  
  // Process tasks
  for (const task of tasks_to_run || []) {
    await council.orchestrator.taskStarted(agentId, task.id);
    // ... do work ...
    await council.orchestrator.taskCompleted(agentId, task.id, result);
  }
  
  // Process messages
  for (const msg of messages || []) {
    console.log(`Message from ${msg.from}: ${msg.type}`);
  }
}, 5000);

// Get stats
const stats = council.getStats();
console.log(`${stats.orchestration.agents_ready} agents ready`);
console.log(`${stats.consensus.proposals_open} proposals open`);

// Subscribe to events
council.onEvent((event) => {
  console.log(`[${event.source}] ${event.event.type}`);
});

await council.stop();

🏗️ Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                           WITAN COUNCIL                                     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                             │
│  ┌───────────────┐  ┌───────────────┐  ┌───────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  │
│  │   Consensus   │  │     Comms     │  │    Policy     │  │  Recovery   │  │
│  │    Engine     │  │      Bus      │  │    Engine     │  │   Manager   │  │
│  ├───────────────┤  ├───────────────┤  ├───────────────┤  ├─────────────┤  │
│  │ • Proposals   │  │ • Direct      │  │ • Rate Limits │  │ • Checkpts  │  │
│  │ • Voting      │  │ • Channels    │  │ • Quotas      │  │ • Txns      │  │
│  │ • Quorum      │  │ • Broadcast   │  │ • Schedules   │  │ • Rollback  │  │
│  │ • Veto        │  │ • Pub/Sub     │  │ • Constraints │  │ • Plans     │  │
│  └───────────────┘  └───────────────┘  └───────────────┘  └─────────────┘  │
│                                                                             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                         DŌMERE PRIMITIVES                                   │
│  ┌───────────────┐  ┌───────────────┐  ┌───────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  │
│  │    Task       │  │    Agent      │  │    State      │  │   Exec      │  │
│  │  Scheduler    │  │   Registry    │  │   Manager     │  │  Replay     │  │
│  └───────────────┘  └───────────────┘  └───────────────┘  └─────────────┘  │
│                                                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

🔗 Related Packages

| Package | Description | |---------|-------------| | @weave_protocol/domere | Judge Protocol - Orchestration & verification | | @weave_protocol/mund | Guardian Protocol - Threat scanning | | @weave_protocol/hord | Vault Protocol - Secure storage |

📄 License

Apache 2.0

Made with ❤️ for AI Safety