EP-0100: The Aleph Server (MCP Integration)¶

Abstract¶

This proposal explores the long-term architectural vision of integrating the Model Context Protocol (MCP) with the Tur framework. It proposes the creation of "The Aleph Server," an independent, stateful execution environment that exposes tools (like Playwright, Fetch, and Graph Memory) to the Persona, managed by the lightweight Tur CLI.

Note: This EP has been superseded by EP-0102 (The Tur Orchestration Engine), which provides a more concrete and integrated implementation path for MCP.

Motivation¶

As Tur evolves beyond prompt generation (Phase 1) and context hydration (Phase 2), Personas will require active agency ( Phase 3). They will need to interact with the world—browsing the web, managing persistent knowledge graphs, and executing code.

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is the emerging standard for this. However, implementing an MCP server directly within the tur core would violate the boundaries established in EP-0001 (Core vs. Periphery). It would introduce massive, non-deterministic dependencies (like browser binaries) into a tool designed to be a lightweight, deterministic compiler.

Rationale¶

1. The Golem (Safety/Containment): The core CLI (src/tur/) must remain pure. The chaotic, stateful operations of an MCP server must be isolated in a separate process.
2. Shannon (Efficiency): We do not force every Tur user to download 500MB of browser dependencies if they only want to generate a system prompt.
3. Noether (Symmetry): The architecture must balance static definition (The DNA) with dynamic execution (The Body). Tur manages the DNA; The Aleph Server provides the Body.

Specification¶

1. Separation of Concerns:

   • tur: The CLI tool for engineering, compiling, and managing the Persona lifecycle (YAML -> Prompt).
   • aleph-server (or similar): A separate, optional package/service that implements the MCP specification.

2. The Link (Schema Update):

   • The Persona schema in tur will be extended to include an environment or mcp_endpoints configuration, pointing to the designated Aleph Server.

name: Ariel
version: "1.0.0"
model: "gemini-3.1-pro-preview"
aleph: "To architect reality."
environment:
  mcp_servers:
    - "http://localhost:8000/mcp"

1. The Workflow:
   • tur wake ariel.yaml: Compiles the Persona and (optionally) verifies/starts the associated Aleph Server.
   • The LLM interacts with the Aleph Server via MCP standard protocols to perform actions (e.g., mcp__playwright__browser_navigate).

Backwards Compatibility¶

This is a forward-looking architectural document (Deferred). It does not break any current implementations.

Reference Implementation¶

Conceptual proposal superseded by the MCP server implementation in EP-0102 (src/tur/mcp/server.py).

Change Log¶

• 2026-04-12:
  • Status changed to Superseded by EP-0102.
• 2026-02-19:
  • Initial Draft (Deferred for future phases).