The Deterministic Spine

The Deterministic Spine sets out a rule for how dependencies should run in software built around AI. The architecture rests on a deterministic core, the spine, which stays in charge of the system. When a task calls for bounded cognitive work, the spine hands it to a model under a contract, and the handoff happens only at typed boundaries.

The book's central rule is about what the model is never allowed to hold. State, control flow and the definition of done all stay with the deterministic layer, so the model never owns them.