{"slug":"architecture/COMMUNICATIONS_LAYER","title":"Communications Layer","section":"architecture","sectionLabel":"Architecture","status":"unclassified","type":"document","path":"architecture/COMMUNICATIONS_LAYER.mdx","bytes":4679,"description":"All conversations in one place — unified communication across every channel","updated":null,"source":"integratewise/Integratewise-docs-wiki","content":"\n\n**All Conversations in One Place.**\n\nThe Communications Layer unifies every channel of communication into a single surface. Messages, emails, meetings, announcements — all in one place, all linked to the work they relate to.\n\n## Design Principles\n\n1. **Channel agnostic** — Every communication channel is treated equally\n2. **Work-linked** — Every communication is linked to a work item\n3. **Spine-fed** — Communications flow into the Spine as events and evidence\n4. **Searchable** — Every communication is searchable across the organization\n5. **Governed** — Communications respect the same policies as all other data\n\n---\n\n## Communication Channels\n\n| Channel | Description | Source |\n|---------|-------------|--------|\n| **Team Chat** | Internal team messaging | Slack, Teams, built-in |\n| **Customer Communications** | External customer-facing messages | CRM, email, chat |\n| **Internal Updates** | Status updates and announcements | Built-in, email |\n| **Email** | Email integration and management | Gmail, Outlook |\n| **Meetings** | Meeting notes, action items, follow-ups | Calendar, video |\n| **Announcements** | Organization-wide communications | Built-in |\n| **AI / Human Hand-offs** | Transitions between AI and human actors | Twin, Coworker |\n\n---\n\n## Communication Flow\n\n```\nChannel → Normalization → Spine Event → Context Enrichment → Routing → Delivery\n```\n\n1. **Channel** — Communication arrives on any channel\n2. **Normalization** — Converted to canonical Spine event format\n3. **Spine Event** — Written to the Spine as an event with evidence\n4. **Context Enrichment** — Linked to relevant work items, entities, and context\n5. **Routing** — Directed to the appropriate recipient(s)\n6. **Delivery** — Delivered through the appropriate channel\n\n---\n\n## Event Model\n\nEvery communication becomes a Spine event:\n\n```typescript\ninterface CommunicationEvent {\n  id: string;\n  tenantId: string;\n  channel: 'team-chat' | 'customer' | 'email' | 'meeting' | 'announcement' | 'handoff';\n  direction: 'inbound' | 'outbound' | 'internal';\n  from: ActorRef;\n  to: ActorRef[];\n  subject?: string;\n  body: string;\n  attachments?: AttachmentRef[];\n  workItemRef?: string;     // linked work item\n  entityRef?: string;       // linked entity (account, contact, etc.)\n  sentiment?: Sentiment;\n  classification?: string;  // auto-classified category\n  timestamp: string;\n}\n```\n\n---\n\n## Integration Points\n\n### Inbound (Source Systems → Communications Layer)\n\n| System | Integration |\n|--------|------------|\n| Slack / Teams | Real-time message sync |\n| Gmail / Outlook | Email ingestion |\n| CRM | Customer communication logging |\n| Calendar | Meeting detection and notes |\n\n### Outbound (Communications Layer → Target Systems)\n\n| System | Integration |\n|--------|------------|\n| Slack / Teams | Message sending |\n| Gmail / Outlook | Email composition |\n| CRM | Communication logging |\n| Notification Services | Alert delivery |\n\n---\n\n## Search & Discovery\n\nAll communications are indexed and searchable:\n\n| Feature | Description |\n|---------|-------------|\n| **Full-text search** | Search across all channels |\n| **Entity scoping** | Filter by account, contact, or entity |\n| **Work item scoping** | Filter by linked work item |\n| **Time range** | Filter by date range |\n| **Channel filter** | Filter by communication channel |\n| **Sentiment filter** | Filter by sentiment analysis |\n\n---\n\n## AI Integration\n\nThe Communications Layer feeds the AI agents:\n\n| Agent | Usage |\n|-------|-------|\n| **Twin** | Reads communications for context, drafts responses |\n| **Coworker** | Monitors for relevant updates, surfaces context |\n| **Domain Agents** | Analyze communication patterns, detect issues |\n\n### AI Capabilities on Communications\n\n| Capability | Description |\n|------------|-------------|\n| **Summarization** | Auto-summarize long threads |\n| **Classification** | Auto-categorize communications |\n| **Sentiment Analysis** | Detect tone and urgency |\n| **Action Extraction** | Extract action items from messages |\n| **Response Drafting** | Draft responses for human review |\n\n---\n\n## Governance\n\n| Rule | Description |\n|------|-------------|\n| **Retention** | Communications retained per organizational policy |\n| **Access Control** | Role-based access to communication channels |\n| **Audit Trail** | All communication actions are audited |\n| **Data Classification** | Communications classified by sensitivity |\n| **Purpose Limitation** | Communications used only for stated purposes |\n"}