Cirra Chat Specification

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Cirra Chat

Connect Everything. Control Everything.

Cirra Chat is a modular, all-inclusive communication platform designed to unify messaging and communication services into a single extensible system. It provides a common communication environment where multiple providers, identities, conversations, media types, presence systems, and communication workflows can operate through a unified architecture.

The specification is designed around modularity, provider interoperability, extensibility, privacy, reliability, and user control. Core communication capabilities provide the foundation, while optional plugin modules allow additional providers and advanced functionality to be added without changing the core system.

Vision

Cirra Chat is designed to reduce fragmentation across digital communication by providing one system capable of connecting multiple communication providers and mediums.

The platform is intended to support:

Unified communication across multiple providers
A centralized conversation environment
Provider-independent message handling
Modular provider integrations
Standardized communication events
Unified identities and contacts
Real-time communication
Media and file exchange
Presence and availability
Search and message discovery
Notifications
Privacy and security controls
Optional AI-assisted communication
Automation and routing
Self-hosted and cloud deployment
Third-party extensions
Future communication protocols and services

Design Principles

Cirra Chat follows these principles:

Modular architecture
Provider neutrality
Interoperability
User control
Privacy by design
Security by design
Extensibility
Portability
Reliability
Accessibility
Clear separation of concerns
Standardized communication models
Optional functionality through plugins
Support for local, private, cloud, and distributed deployments

Core Communication Platform

The core communication platform provides the unified environment through which users access conversations, messages, contacts, identities, presence, notifications, and communication services.

Core capabilities include:

Unified communication workspace
Centralized inbox
One-to-one conversations
Group conversations
Communities
Channels
Conversation threads
Message history
Archived conversations
Pinned conversations
Favorite conversations
Unread message tracking
Message timestamps
Draft messages
Scheduled messages
Message forwarding
Message editing
Message deletion
Message reactions
Message replies
Mentions
Conversation notes
Conversation organization
Cross-provider conversation management
Unified communication workflows

Provider Integration Core

The provider integration system defines how external communication services connect to Cirra Chat.

Each provider should operate through an isolated integration layer that translates provider-specific functionality into standardized Cirra Chat communication objects and events.

Core capabilities include:

Modular provider architecture
Provider adapter system
Provider registration
Provider discovery
Provider configuration
Provider authentication
Provider capability detection
Provider connection management
Provider status monitoring
Provider lifecycle management
Provider enable and disable controls
Provider permission management
Provider event normalization
Provider message normalization
Provider identity mapping
Provider conversation mapping
Provider contact mapping
Provider presence mapping
Provider-specific feature handling
Provider-independent communication models
Provider API integration
Provider webhook integration
Provider event subscriptions
Provider error isolation
Provider connection recovery

The architecture should allow providers to be added, removed, updated, or replaced without requiring changes to unrelated core communication functionality.

Messaging Providers

Cirra Chat is designed to support multiple communication providers and mediums through modular integrations.

Potential provider modules include:

WhatsApp
Telegram
Signal
Messenger
Instagram
Facebook
iMessage
SMS
MMS
RCS
Discord
Slack
X
Email
Voice communication services
Video communication services
Custom messaging services
Future communication protocols

Provider availability and functionality may depend on available APIs, protocols, authentication requirements, platform policies, and provider capabilities.

Unified Messaging Engine

The unified messaging engine provides the common processing layer between communication providers and the Cirra Chat user experience.

Core capabilities include:

Standardized message objects
Message normalization
Message routing
Message transformation
Message delivery processing
Delivery status tracking
Read status tracking
Typing status tracking
Reaction synchronization
Reply synchronization
Thread synchronization
Attachment processing
Message metadata handling
Message indexing
Event processing
Provider message translation
Message synchronization
Retry handling
Failure handling
Offline message queuing
Synchronization recovery
Cross-provider message mapping

The messaging engine should allow provider-specific messages to be represented through a consistent communication model without requiring users or higher-level modules to understand the internal implementation of each provider.

Real-Time Communication Core

The real-time communication layer provides live communication state and event processing.

Core capabilities include:

Real-time message delivery
Real-time message updates
Presence updates
Typing indicators
Delivery indicators
Read indicators
Connection monitoring
Automatic reconnection
Provider event subscriptions
Live conversation updates
Background synchronization
Multi-device synchronization
Presence propagation
Event-driven communication
Communication state recovery

The real-time layer should support both direct provider events and normalized Cirra Chat events.

Identity Management

The identity system provides a unified representation of users and their identities across communication providers.

Core capabilities include:

Unified user identity
Multiple provider identities
Provider account mapping
Identity consolidation
Identity aliases
Profile information
Provider-specific profile information
Identity verification states
Account connection management
Identity discovery
Identity preferences
Communication identity selection

Users should be able to associate multiple provider identities with a unified Cirra Chat identity where supported.

Presence and Availability

The presence system provides a unified representation of communication availability.

Core capabilities include:

Online status
Away status
Do Not Disturb status
Invisible status
Offline status
Custom status messages
Scheduled availability
Provider-specific presence
Unified presence
Presence synchronization
Activity state
Availability rules
Communication availability preferences

Provider-specific presence capabilities should remain available when they cannot be represented through the unified presence model.

Contact Management

The contact system provides a unified directory across connected communication services.

Core capabilities include:

Unified contact directory
Contact aggregation
Contact search
Contact filtering
Contact grouping
Contact merging
Contact profiles
Provider associations
Favorite contacts
Blocked contacts
Muted contacts
Contact notes
Communication preferences
Provider-specific contact information
Contact identity matching

The contact system should minimize unnecessary duplication when the same person is represented across multiple providers.

Search and Discovery

The search system provides unified discovery across the communication environment.

Core capabilities include:

Global message search
Conversation search
Contact search
Provider search
Attachment search
Media search
Date filtering
Sender filtering
Provider filtering
Keyword filtering
Advanced search
Message history search
Search indexing
Saved searches
Search across connected providers

Search should provide a consistent experience regardless of the provider from which the underlying information originated.

Media and File Communication

The media system provides a common framework for handling communication attachments and media.

Core capabilities include:

Image messages
Video messages
Audio messages
Voice messages
Documents
Files
Attachments
Media previews
File metadata
File type handling
File size handling
Media compression
Provider media handling
Secure media transfer
Media downloads
Attachment search
Media organization
Storage abstraction

Provider-specific media capabilities should be preserved where possible while maintaining a common interface.

Notification System

The notification system provides centralized communication alerts.

Core capabilities include:

Message notifications
Mention notifications
Reaction notifications
Call notifications
Provider connection notifications
Delivery notifications
Custom notification rules
Conversation notification settings
Provider notification settings
Notification muting
Notification scheduling
Priority notifications
Cross-device notifications
Notification preferences

Users should be able to control notifications independently at the global, provider, contact, and conversation levels.

Privacy and Security Core

Cirra Chat is designed with privacy and security as core architectural concerns.

Core capabilities include:

Privacy-first communication design
Encryption-ready architecture
End-to-end encryption integration
Secure transport
Secure credential handling
Authentication isolation
Session management
Device management
Account security
Identity protection
Permission controls
Provider security policies
Secure attachment handling
Privacy controls
Security event logging
Audit-ready events
Security-aware provider integrations

Security features should be implemented according to the actual capabilities of each provider and should not imply protections that are not provided.

Authentication and Authorization

The authentication system manages access to Cirra Chat and connected communication providers.

Core capabilities include:

User authentication
Provider authentication
OAuth-compatible authentication
Multiple provider accounts
Multiple connected accounts
Session management
Device authentication
Token management
Permission management
Role-based access controls
Provider authorization
Account connection controls
Authentication state management

Authentication credentials and provider authorization data should remain isolated from unrelated communication modules.

Data and Synchronization

The data system provides standardized representations of communication information.

Core capabilities include:

Unified conversation models
Unified contact models
Unified message models
Unified identity models
Unified presence models
Message metadata
Conversation metadata
Attachment metadata
Communication preferences
Provider configuration
Local storage
Remote storage
Synchronization
Import and export
Data portability
Synchronization recovery
Data consistency management

The system should preserve provider-specific information when it cannot be represented completely by the unified data model.

Local-First Capabilities

Cirra Chat should support local-first operation where practical.

Core capabilities include:

Local communication data
Local caching
Offline access
Offline message queuing
Local search
Local configuration
Local processing
Optional local AI processing
Reduced dependence on centralized services
Local credential storage where supported
Synchronization recovery
User-controlled data portability

Local-first functionality should coexist with provider requirements and should not bypass provider security or authorization requirements.

Communication Routing

The routing system manages how communications are directed between users, providers, and communication mediums.

Core capabilities include:

Intelligent message routing
Provider selection
Preferred provider selection
Provider availability detection
Communication capability matching
Fallback providers
Manual provider selection
Automatic provider selection
Communication type selection
Routing policies
Provider failover
Provider-specific routing rules
Cost-aware routing where applicable
Availability-aware routing

Routing should remain configurable so users and administrators can determine how communication decisions are made.

Communication Automation

The automation system provides configurable communication workflows.

Core capabilities include:

Message automation
Notification automation
Message routing rules
Message filtering
Message categorization
Message scheduling
Event triggers
Workflow execution
Provider-specific automation
User-defined rules
Automated organization
Automated notification management
Conditional communication workflows

Automation should remain optional and controllable by the user or administrator.

User Interface Core

The user interface provides a unified environment for interacting with all connected communication services.

Core capabilities include:

Unified inbox
Conversation workspace
Sidebar navigation
Provider management
Contact management
Search interface
Notification center
User profile
Presence controls
Settings
Account management
Responsive layouts
Desktop support
Mobile support
Accessibility support
Customizable interface components
Communication workspace organization

The interface should maintain a consistent interaction model while allowing provider-specific functionality to remain visible when necessary.

Accessibility and User Experience

The platform should provide an accessible and adaptable communication experience.

Core capabilities include:

Keyboard navigation
Screen reader compatibility
Accessible controls
Clear interaction states
Adjustable interface preferences
Responsive layouts
Customizable notification behavior
Configurable communication views
Accessible status indicators
Accessible message states
Consistent navigation
User-controlled presentation preferences

Administrative Controls

Administrative functionality should provide appropriate controls for managed deployments.

Core capabilities include:

User administration
Provider administration
Module administration
Permission management
Connection management
Configuration management
Security policies
Provider health monitoring
System health monitoring
Usage monitoring
Event monitoring
Audit reporting
Security reporting
Administrative reporting
Service configuration
Module lifecycle management

Administrative capabilities should respect deployment-specific privacy and authorization requirements.

Reliability and Recovery

Cirra Chat should remain resilient when providers, networks, or individual services experience failures.

Core capabilities include:

Connection monitoring
Automatic reconnection
Failure detection
Retry processing
Offline queues
Synchronization recovery
Provider isolation
Graceful degradation
Message consistency
Event recovery
Failover
Service health monitoring
Background recovery
State restoration

Failure in one provider should not unnecessarily interrupt communication with unrelated providers.

Scalability

The architecture should support deployments ranging from individual users to large communication environments.

Core capabilities include:

Modular service separation
Independent provider scaling
Event-driven processing
Distributed communication processing
Horizontal scaling
Message queues
Background processing
Workload isolation
Caching
Distributed synchronization
Multi-instance deployment
Provider gateway separation
Service-level scaling

The platform should allow resource-intensive capabilities to scale independently when deployment requirements justify separation.

Deployment

Cirra Chat should support multiple deployment models.

Supported deployment models may include:

Browser-based deployment
Self-hosted deployment
Private infrastructure
Cloud deployment
Containerized deployment
Virtual machine deployment
Dedicated server deployment
Local deployment
Enterprise deployment
Hybrid deployment
Distributed deployment
Multi-user deployment
Multi-instance deployment

Deployment architecture should allow communication services, provider integrations, storage, and processing services to be separated when required.

Infrastructure Compatibility

The platform should be capable of operating across a broad range of infrastructure environments.

Potential environments include:

Local servers
Private infrastructure
Public cloud infrastructure
Virtual private servers
Dedicated servers
Container environments
Clustered environments
Edge environments
Hybrid infrastructure
Distributed infrastructure

The architecture should avoid unnecessary dependency on a single infrastructure provider.

Observability

The observability system should provide visibility into platform and provider behavior.

Core capabilities include:

System health monitoring
Provider health monitoring
Connection monitoring
Event monitoring
Error tracking
Message delivery monitoring
Performance monitoring
Resource monitoring
Audit events
Security events
Administrative reporting
Service status information
Communication diagnostics

Observability should provide useful operational information without unnecessarily exposing private communication content.

Developer Platform

Cirra Chat should provide extension points for developers who want to add communication services or capabilities.

Core capabilities include:

Provider integration interfaces
Provider adapter interfaces
Plugin interfaces
Messaging interfaces
Event interfaces
Authentication interfaces
Identity interfaces
Presence interfaces
Media interfaces
Notification interfaces
Search interfaces
Automation interfaces
AI interfaces
Storage interfaces
Administrative interfaces
Extension interfaces
Custom provider development
Third-party modules
Community extensions

Extensions should interact with the platform through defined interfaces rather than requiring unnecessary modifications to the core system.

Optional Plugin Modules

Optional plugin modules extend Cirra Chat without requiring all deployments to include every capability.

AI Communication Plugin

The AI communication plugin may provide:

Message organization
Conversation summaries
Message prioritization
Smart inbox capabilities
Message categorization
Suggested responses
Draft assistance
Communication insights
Intelligent search
Natural language discovery
Notification prioritization
Optional local AI processing
User-controlled AI features
Human review controls

AI functionality should remain optional and configurable.

Voice Communication Plugin

The voice communication plugin may provide:

Voice calls
One-to-one calls
Group calls
Incoming call management
Outgoing call management
Call state tracking
Call history
Call controls
Provider-specific voice services
Voice communication routing
Future real-time voice protocols

Video Communication Plugin

The video communication plugin may provide:

Video calls
One-to-one video
Group video
Incoming video calls
Outgoing video calls
Call state tracking
Camera controls
Microphone controls
Screen sharing
Call history
Provider-specific video services
Future real-time video protocols

Automation Plugin

The automation plugin may provide:

Advanced communication workflows
Conditional rules
Event-driven actions
Scheduled actions
Provider-specific workflows
Automated message handling
Automated notifications
Automated categorization
Custom triggers
Workflow chaining

Advanced Search Plugin

The advanced search plugin may provide:

Extended indexing
Semantic search
Cross-provider discovery
Conversation relationship discovery
Attachment indexing
Advanced filters
Saved search systems
Search analytics
Natural language search

Storage Plugin

The storage plugin may provide:

External storage providers
Local storage backends
Private storage
Cloud storage
Media storage
Attachment storage
Storage synchronization
Storage migration
Data export
Data portability

Encryption Plugin

The encryption plugin may provide:

End-to-end encryption integration
Key management
Secure message processing
Secure attachment handling
Identity verification
Device key management
Encryption status
Secure session management
Provider-specific encryption capabilities

Encryption functionality should accurately reflect the guarantees provided by the underlying implementation and communication provider.

Analytics Plugin

The analytics plugin may provide:

Communication statistics
Usage analysis
Provider usage analysis
Message volume analysis
Performance analysis
Service health analysis
Administrative reporting
Communication trends
Custom dashboards

Analytics should support privacy-preserving operation and configurable data collection.

Administration Plugin

The administration plugin may provide expanded management capabilities for larger deployments.

Potential capabilities include:

Advanced user management
Organization management
Advanced role management
Policy management
Provider management
Module management
Security management
Audit management
Usage reporting
Service monitoring
Administrative dashboards

Federation Plugin

The federation plugin may provide support for communication across independently operated Cirra Chat deployments.

Potential capabilities include:

Federated identities
Federated conversations
Cross-instance messaging
Federated presence
Federated contacts
Instance discovery
Trust relationships
Federation policies
Cross-instance synchronization

Specification Branding License (SBL)

Standard

Fully AGPL-3.0+ compliant system
Copyleft enforced for network deployments
Required attribution:
- Roxanne Ardary
- https://www.roxanneardary.com/

Optional

Specification Branding License (SBL)
- Attribution-free commercial deployment
- Pricing based on scale, usage, and deployment scope
- https://roxanneardary.com/cirra-chat/

License & Notice Requirements

Cirra Chat is released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later (AGPL-3.0+).

By contributing to this project, you agree that your contributions will also be released under this license.

Please note the following:

All contributions must comply with the AGPL-3.0+ terms.
Under Section 7 of the license, all redistributions, forks, and derivative works must preserve attribution to Roxanne Ardary and roxanneardary.com.
Cirra Chat specifications are free to use with attribution. A Specification Branding License can be negotiated upon request.
The project’s notice.md file tracks attribution requirements and contributor acknowledgments. Any update that adds new contributors or modifies attribution should also update notice.md.
When submitting a pull request, ensure that any new files maintain the attribution headers where applicable.
Network-deployed versions of this software must also remain fully AGPL-3.0+ compliant, including exposure of source code modifications when applicable under the license.

For full legal details, please refer to the AGPL-3.0+ license and the project’s notice.md file.

Notice – Cirra Chat

Attribution Requirement: Under Section 7 of the AGPL 3.0+ license, all redistributions, forks, and derivative works, including network-deployed versions of this project, must provide attribution to Roxanne Ardary and roxanneardary.com.

Contributors

This file tracks contributors and their specific contributions to the project.

Roxanne Ardary, roxanneardary.com – May 26, 2026
Created the Cirra Chat repository and designed the initial concept for a unified, encrypted, multi-platform messaging hub with a futuristic glassmorphism UI.
[Add other contributors here] – [Date]
[Describe contribution in one sentence]

License – Cirra Chat

This repository is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later (AGPL-3.0+).

Key Points

You are free to use, modify, and distribute the code.
All redistributions, forks, and derivative works or network-deployed versions must also be licensed under AGPL-3.0+ and provide attribution to Roxanne Ardary and roxanneardary.com as required under Section 7 of the license.
The software is provided “as is,” without warranty of any kind.

For the full license text, see the GNU AGPL-3.0 License: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl-3.0.html