---
type: ApplicationType
title: process-engine (application type)
description: Governance machinery: gates, plans, and detectors that evaluate and steer the work process itself.
tags: [application-type, catalog, rfc-114, process-engine]
timestamp: 2026-07-03T00:00:00Z
---

# process-engine (application type)

The **process-engine** type marks a system whose subject matter is the WORK
PROCESS: it carries gates (assertions a step must pass), plans (declared intent
artifacts), and detectors (drift/gap sweeps) that evaluate and steer how work
proceeds — the machinery governs process, not merely data.

## Entry (structured — the judgment-carrying-catalog schema)

```yaml
kind: application-type
id: process-engine
question: application-type
features:
  - id: gates-plans-detectors
    signal: "governance machinery present: gates registry + plan artifacts + drift/gap detectors evaluating and steering the work process"
    observed_via: process-shape
lineage:
  tradition: "workflow/process governance engines"
  exemplars: ["CI gate systems", "policy engines (OPA)", "release-train tooling"]
  reference: "RFC #114 / Discussion #114 derivation 2026-07-03"
examples:
  - "forge-manager server constituent (this repo), classified 2026-07-03 operator-confirmed"
```
