Messages Contract

Messages are open one-to-one member communications outside Social context. Messages are not Social conversations, Social DMs, conversation replies, or event replies.

World exposes Messages to runtimes through /world/messages routes. Runtimes do not call producer services directly.

messages.elonn.local owns platform Messages. Social DMs remain in social.elonn.local.

Ownership

Messages owns:

open message threads
two thread participants
message bodies
inbox ordering
unread/read state for message threads
message-thread object sources
message-thread runtime panel payloads as compatibility presentation content

Boundaries:

Conversations, communities, social events, replies, and Social DMs belong to Social.
Member identity and recipient lookup come from API through World.
World owns composed object identity, effective permissions, relationships, placement, and runtime routing.
Runtimes own panels, rails, markers, lists, meshes, interaction, and rendering.
A message thread must have exactly two participants. If communication needs more than two members, the runtime must guide the member to create or use a Social community, conversation, or event.

Producer object route

World consumes Messages object sources from:

GET /messages/objects

Messages returns:

Field	Type	Meaning
`objects.threads`	array	Message thread object sources

This is the service-to-World route. It is not a runtime route. Runtimes do not call it.

Message thread object source

A message thread object source follows the object source contract.

Field	Type	Meaning
`source.service`	string	`messages`
`source.resource_type`	string	`thread`
`source.resource_id`	string	Stable Messages thread id
`object_type`	string	`message_thread`
`title`	string	Thread title or participant label
`summary`	string	Latest-message preview or empty summary
`state.id`	string	Thread id
`state.current_identity_user_id`	string	Authenticated member identity id
`state.participants`	array	Thread participants visible to the authenticated member
`state.participant_count`	integer	Number of participants
`state.message_count`	integer	Number of messages in the thread
`state.unread_count`	integer	Messages newer than the member's read state
`state.last_message_at`	string	null
`state.created_at`	string	Thread creation timestamp
`state.updated_at`	string	null
`domain_permissions.can_view`	boolean	Member may view the thread
`domain_permissions.can_reply`	boolean	Member may send a message in the thread
`domain_permissions.can_add_participant`	boolean	Always false for Messages
`domain_actions`	array	`open_thread` and `send_message` semantic actions
`relationships`	array	Empty unless Messages owns a service-local relationship

Messages object sources must not include panels, rails, docks, stacks, Surface ids, runtime URLs, or placement. World maps these object sources into canonical World objects and World-routed actions.

Runtime routes through World

Runtimes use only World URLs:

GET  /world/messages
GET  /world/messages/{id}
POST /world/messages
POST /world/messages/{id}/messages
GET  /world/panels/messages

The legacy GET /world/messages and panel payloads remain available while runtimes move to translated World contracts.

Thread object

A message thread represents one open one-to-one member communication context outside Social.

Field	Type	Meaning
`id`	integer	string
`type`	string	`message_thread`
`title`	string	Runtime display label
`summary`	string	Runtime summary text
`participants`	array	Thread participants visible to the authenticated member
`participant_count`	integer	Number of participants
`message_count`	integer	Number of messages in the thread
`unread_count`	integer	Messages newer than the member's read state
`last_message_at`	string	null
`created_at`	string	Thread creation timestamp
`updated_at`	string	null
`links.self`	string	`/world/messages/{id}`
`links.messages`	string	`/world/messages/{id}/messages`
`actions.open_thread`	string	`/world/messages/{id}`
`actions.send_message`	string	`/world/messages/{id}/messages`

World may include additional diagnostic or implementation fields. Runtimes must ignore unknown fields.

Message object

Field	Type	Meaning
`id`	integer	string
`thread_id`	integer	string
`sender_identity_user_id`	integer	string
`body`	string	Message body
`created_at`	string	Creation timestamp
`updated_at`	string	null

Message bodies are private to thread participants. Runtimes must not expose message bodies outside the authenticated member's message surfaces.

Panel payload

GET /world/panels/messages is a compatibility endpoint for legacy runtimes and compatibility surfaces that still need the older panel payload. New runtime work should use translated World objects, translated actions, and direct World thread routes.

The compatibility endpoint returns a runtime panel payload with:

Field	Type	Meaning
`kind`	string	`messages`
`view`	string	`messages`
`title`	string	Panel title
`summary`	string	Panel summary
`threads`	array	Message thread objects
`selected_thread`	object	null
`messages`	array	Messages for the selected thread when present
`actions.start_thread`	string	`/world/messages`

Writes

Start or reuse a thread:

POST /world/messages

Request body:

Field	Type	Meaning
`recipient`	string	Member id, username, email, or display label resolved by World
`body`	string	Initial message body

Returned JSON fields:

Field	Type
`thread`	`MessageThread`
`message`	`Message`

World forwards authenticated member context; runtimes must not submit another member id as the sender.

Append to a thread:

POST /world/messages/{id}/messages

Request body:

Field	Type	Meaning
`body`	string	Message body

Returned JSON fields:

Field	Type
`thread`	`MessageThread`
`message`	`Message`

Errors

Status	Meaning
`400`	Required field missing or empty
`401`	Member is not authenticated
`403`	Member cannot access the thread
`404`	Thread or recipient not found
`422`	Request is valid JSON/form data but cannot be applied; adding another participant must direct the member to create or use a Social community, conversation, or event
`5xx`	Messages unavailable

Runtime rules

New runtimes load Messages from translated World message_thread objects and translated action commands.
Legacy runtimes may load message panels from content_source.url or /world/panels/messages while compatibility remains available.
Current Web treats the Messages content_source.url as compatibility metadata and renders active Messages from translated World objects and actions.
World marks the Messages service and surface_messages content_source payloads with compatibility: true and compatibility_scope: "legacy_runtime_panel" while the compatibility panel URL remains present.
World publishes Messages navigation/context through /world/translated contexts[] items. These items reference translated thread objects and translated action ids; runtimes decide whether to render them as a right-side area, sidebar, palette, spatial control, or another interaction surface.
Runtimes open threads through translated open_thread commands, links.self, or actions.open_thread.
Runtimes send messages through translated send_message commands, links.messages, or actions.send_message.
Current Web active Messages rendering resolves open/send routes from actions.open_thread and actions.send_message only. Compatibility link fields may remain in payloads for older paths, but they are not Web fallbacks.
Current Web does not render directly from compatibility selected_thread objects. Compatibility panel delegation may pass selected thread identity, and Web resolves that identity against translated World message_thread objects.
Current Web active Messages selection uses selected_message_thread for the translated workspace payload. selected_thread remains a legacy compatibility-panel key and is not the active Messages workspace contract.
Runtimes return from thread detail to the Messages thread list through translated Messages workspace/context identity, not by testing for legacy content_source metadata.
Runtime-specific container identifiers, such as Web's current surface_messages center-stack container, are adapter mappings for the translated Messages workspace. They are not service-owned Messages concepts.
Runtime adapters should keep those mappings centralized so workspace opening, service opening, dock active state, context, focus, content loading, and interaction helpers consume the same translated workspace descriptor instead of repeating container ids or workspace keys.
Runtimes do not treat message threads as Social conversations or Social DMs.
Runtimes do not route Messages through Social workspace selection state.
Runtime adapters should not expose Social-owned markup, state, or form-status names from Messages renderers.
Runtimes do not construct producer service URLs.
Runtimes do not consume GET /messages/objects; World consumes it and translates the result.