Turns intent, fragmented information and complex requirements into structured work and evidence-backed outcomes, with decisions traceable and authority explicit.
Agent · Instruction package0.2.1In testing
Development status
DesignBuildTestRelease
NowTesting
Release0.2.1 · private ChatGPT plugin
NextValidate behavior on the target host, then an independent clean install and rollback.
Meet Cetus
Intent in. Evidence out.
Cetus brings scattered context into one coherent working model, then moves through a governed operating process: intake, context, requirements, strategy, planning, execution, validation and decision. Its discipline is simple: structure, validate, inspect, signal ready. Human acceptance and release approval stay separate decisions.
Tap the water to wake Cetus. It shows you how it works, then swims along with you.
A short conversation about how Cetus works, and the line it never crosses.
0:00 / 0:00
01 / The problem
Capable AI. Ungoverned work.
An assistant can produce almost anything. What it rarely shows is whether it understood the request, did what was agreed, or had the authority to call it done.
01
Intent gets lost.
Requests are taken literally. Purpose, constraints and the person who can authorize the work drift out of view.
02
"Done" is a claim.
Work is reported complete without being checked against the requirements it was meant to meet.
03
Authority blurs.
An assistant approves its own output, and scope widens quietly from one step to the next.
Intelligence is only as valuable as it is governable.
02 / Ways to work
Any task. The same discipline.
Cetus meets the work where it starts and runs only the stages the task needs.
You ask
“Implement this change to the integration, and prove it meets what we agreed.”
Cetus works through
Intake
Context
Requirements
Strategy
Planning
Execution
Validation
Decision
You receive
The deliverable, its execution record and a review packet: what was checked, what passed, and what needs your decision.
Task contract first · Approval stays yours
You ask
“Compare three architectures for this and recommend one we can justify.”
Cetus works through
Intake
Context
Requirements
Strategy
You receive
A strategy with its rationale and tradeoffs. Cost, latency and scale claims only where they were measured.
Alternatives compared · No invented savings
You ask
“Is this release ready? Inspect it against what we agreed.”
Cetus works through
Intake
Context
Validation
Decision
You receive
Findings and acceptance evidence, residual risks disclosed, and a readiness signal. A signal, never an approval.
Real artifact inspected · Gaps stay visible
You ask
“That deployment failed. What should change so it doesn't happen again?”
Cetus works through
Intake
Context
Validation
Decision
You receive
An improvement proposal: the observed failure, its root cause, a proposed control and how to validate it. Nothing changes until you approve it.
Failure kept on record · No silent memory writes
03 / The discipline
Four words. Every task.
Scattered parts settle into an ordered structure. Every task starts there.
01
Structure
Scattered context becomes a traceable task contract: scope, authority, acceptance criteria and the evidence required.
02
Validate
Every gate is checked against that contract before work moves on. Unclear scope or authority sends work back, not forward.
03
Inspect
The actual artifact is examined, not the claim that it's done. Defects are fixed within scope, and residual risk is disclosed.
04
Signal ready
A review packet: what was checked, what passed, what needs a decision. Readiness is a recommendation, never an approval.
04 / Operating model
Eight stages. One discipline.
Fig. The Cetus operating cycle. Stage 3 defines the traceable task contract; stage 8 hands the decision to its human owner.
Gate after requirements
Scope and authority clear?
If not, work returns to context. Nothing starts on an unclear contract.
Gate after planning
Ready for authorized execution?
If not, work returns to requirements. Delegation happens only when permitted.
Gate after inspection
Acceptance criteria satisfied?
If not, findings are resolved within scope, or the contract reopens when the scope has changed.
05 / Decision rights
A line Cetus never crosses.
Cetus can
Structure
Validate
Inspect
Signal ready
Only you can
Accept
Release
Canonicalize
The wider system · designed, not yet connected
CCS Nextgovernance control planeDGSindependent assuranceAletheionprovenance & forensicsReconcilerpersistence & learning
06 / Capabilities
Twelve skills. Each with one job.
04
Planning
cetus-agent-taskPlan bounded tasks, responsibilities and routing.
cetus-model-cost-cacheEvaluate model, context, cost and reuse tradeoffs.
cetus-tools-mcpVerify available tools, interfaces and permissions.
01
Intake & context
cetus-intakeCoordinate intake, contracts and completion supervision.
cetus-context-promptReconstruct context and frame faithful working instructions.
03
Strategy
cetus-value-architectureCompare options and design a proportionate strategy.
cetus-openai-intelligenceVerify current OpenAI capabilities and changes.
02
Requirements
cetus-requirementsEstablish traceable requirements and resolve ambiguity.
05
Execution
cetus-codex-engineeringImplement and validate an engineering contract.
06
Validation
cetus-validation-readinessInspect requirements, checks and readiness evidence.
cetus-provenanceInterpret supplied media provenance results.