Clarified 2026-08-29 with the author: "no hurry" is wrong for #1 and #2. - #1 (Hosted StarForth): the provisional will expire before conversion. Its priority claim is time-boxed (provisional filed ~Dec 2025, window ~Dec 2026); if the non-provisional isn't filed claiming benefit before the window lapses the priority is lost and the same subject matter can't be re-staked by refiling thereafter. Hard clock regardless of December scope. - #2 (full StarshipOS): the December deliverable that keeps the flagship covered; pending counsel confirmation it may also be the conversion vehicle for #1's provisional. Open point to resolve: is #2 (or the December delivery) the conversion vehicle for #1, or is #1 converted by a filing separate from #2? Decision record only; no filing made. Authoritative form in ROADMAP.md; FABRIC-3.md tracks it.
LithosAnanke — StarForth Kernel Branch
Branch: lithosananke
Status: M7 Complete (VM Parity Validation)
Parent: master (hosted StarForth)
What is LithosAnanke?
LithosAnanke is the kernel branch of StarForth — a UEFI-bootable microkernel with the StarForth VM as its native execution engine.
Etymology: Lithos (stone/foundation) + Ananke (necessity/inevitability)
The name reflects the project's nature: a necessary foundation for StarshipOS.
Architecture
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ UEFI Firmware │
│ • ExitBootServices → handoff to kernel │
└─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
│
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ LithosAnanke Boot (M0) │
│ • UEFI loader collects BootInfo │
│ • Memory map, ACPI tables, framebuffer │
└─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
│
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ LithosAnanke HAL (M1-M6) │
│ • PMM: Physical Memory Manager (bitmap) │
│ • VMM: Virtual Memory Manager (4-level paging) │
│ • IDT: Interrupt Descriptor Table │
│ • APIC: Timer + IRQ routing │
│ • Heap: kmalloc/kfree │
│ • Console: Serial UART │
└─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
│
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ StarForth VM (M7+) │
│ • 295 FORTH-79 words │
│ • Parity validation (hash=0x684bbf2fa1d96d55) │
│ • Physics-driven adaptive runtime │
│ • Init capsule system (M7.1) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Current Milestones
| Milestone | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| M0 | UEFI Boot + Serial Output | Complete |
| M1 | Physical Memory Manager | Complete |
| M2 | Virtual Memory Manager | Complete |
| M3 | IDT + Interrupts | Complete |
| M4 | APIC Timer | Complete |
| M5 | Timer Calibration | Complete |
| M6 | Kernel Heap | Complete |
| M7 | VM Parity Validation | Complete |
| M7.1 | Init Capsule Architecture | Design Complete |
| M8 | REPL + Interactive Forth | Planned |
| M9 | Block Storage | Planned |
Build & Run
# Build kernel with VM integration
make -f Makefile.starkernel ARCH=amd64 STARFORTH_ENABLE_VM=1
# Run in QEMU
make -f Makefile.starkernel ARCH=amd64 STARFORTH_ENABLE_VM=1 qemu
Output artifacts:
build/amd64/kernel/starkernel_loader.efi— UEFI loaderbuild/amd64/kernel/starkernel_kernel.elf— Kernel binary
Documentation
Core Design
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| M7.1.md | Init Capsule Architecture |
| ROADMAP.md | Milestone roadmap |
| amd64-isr-fix/README.md | APIC timer ISR fix + kernel 3-arch acceptance test |
| hosted-acceptance-test/README.md | Hosted VM 3-arch acceptance test (amd64 native, aarch64/riscv64 under QEMU user-mode) |
HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer)
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| hal/overview.md | HAL architecture and principles |
| hal/interfaces.md | HAL interface specifications |
| hal/lithosananke-integration.md | Kernel-specific HAL implementation |
| hal/platform-implementations.md | Platform implementation guide |
| hal/migration-plan.md | Migration from hosted to kernel |
Key Concepts
One Truth Per VM
Every VM has exactly one birth capsule — its identity and provenance.
PARITY:BIRTH vm_id=42 capsule_id=0xA13F mode=p capsule_hash=0x... dict_hash=0x...
DOMAIN vs PERSONALITY
DOMAIN is a construction concept that exists only in Mama FORTH. It's how Mama classifies, composes, and selects capsules. DOMAIN is never visible to baby VMs.
PERSONALITY is the result of executing a production (p) INIT capsule. It's what the baby VM is — its vocabulary, invariants, capabilities. PERSONALITY is immutable and defines the VM's entire worldview.
Production (p) vs Experiment (e)
- (p) capsules are truth-bearing — they can birth VMs
- (e) capsules are Mama-only workloads — experiments that never touch babies
A baby VM never sees, executes, or knows about (e) capsules.
Content-Addressed Capsules
Capsules are identified by content hash, not names. Names lie. Hashes don't.
Mama FORTH
The root VM that holds all truths, manages child VMs, and enforces the birth protocol. Mama:
- Maintains the capsule directory
- Selects (p) capsules for birth
- Executes (e) capsules for experimentation
- Logs all births and runs for provenance
Directory Structure
src/starkernel/
├── boot/ # UEFI loader, ELF loader
├── hal/ # Console, host services
├── memory/ # PMM, VMM, kmalloc
├── arch/amd64/ # x86_64 specific (APIC, IDT, timer)
├── vm/ # VM integration
│ ├── arena.c # VM memory arena
│ ├── parity.c # Parity validation
│ ├── bootstrap/ # sk_vm_bootstrap
│ └── host/ # Host services shim
└── kernel_main.c # Entry point
Contributing
The lithosananke branch is experimental. Changes should:
- Maintain parity validation (M7 baseline)
- Pass QEMU boot test
- Not break hosted StarForth (master branch)
References
- StarForth README — Main project
- FORTH-79 Standard
- OSDev Wiki
- UEFI Specification