non-linear-docs/scope-and-roadmap.md

Non-Linear: v0.1 Scope & Roadmap

v0.1 Validation Goal

Can a team of 3-5 people use this to run an actual project for two weeks without falling back to another tool?

If yes, the core thesis holds. If they keep opening Linear or a spreadsheet for certain tasks, those gaps tell us what v0.2 needs.

v0.1 Scope: What Ships

Core Data Model ✅

• Issue nodes: title, description, status, labels, assignee, timestamps
• Decomposition tree: strict parent→child hierarchy, single root per project
• Lateral links: blocks, blocked_by, relates_to, duplicates
• Untyped nodes: depth = abstraction level, labels = orthogonal classification
• Single project (no cross-project features)

Views ✅

• Layered overview: rows by depth, parent→child edges visible, lateral links as overlay, collapse/expand, filtering
• Focus widget: selected node + parent + children, detail panel, quick actions, lateral links shown
• Flat list/board: Kanban columns by status, sorting, grouping, bulk actions, search

Policy Engine ✅

• Full granular engine underneath: policy = actor + action + resource scope + effect
• Three resource scopes: global, subtree, single node
• Three default presets: owner, member, agent-reader (all editable)
• Custom role creation: via settings panel (can be minimal UI)
• Resolution order: direct > role, deny > allow, narrow > broad, default deny
• Reparenting warnings: surface when moving a node changes permission boundaries

Agent API ✅

• Authentication: API tokens tied to agent actor accounts
• Read operations: get node, children, subtree, parent, links, path, root
• Write operations: add comment, change status
• Queries: filter by status, assignee, labels, unblocked
• Permission-aware responses: include effective permissions, opaque link targets
• Webhooks: node.status_changed, node.comment_added, node.created, node.link_created

Entry Experience ✅

• New project → auto-create root node → Focus Widget on root → prompt to add children
• Clean, fast onboarding: create root, add first children, start working

v0.1 Scope: What's Deferred

v0.2: Expand Agent Capabilities + Cross-Project

• Agent can create child nodes (task decomposition)
• Agent can create lateral links
• Agent can propose reparenting
• Cross-project lateral links
• Cross-project views
• Permission model for cross-project boundaries
• Import from Linear, Jira, GitHub Issues (with hierarchy inference)
• Export to standard formats
• MCP server compatibility

v0.3: Collaboration & Intelligence

• Agent self-assignment (autonomous task pickup)
• Sprint/iteration planning view
• Time tracking
• Notifications and subscriptions
• Activity feed per node/subtree
• Agent marketplace (pre-built agent configurations)
• Graph analytics (bottleneck detection, progress heatmaps)
• AI-suggested decomposition (assistant mode: "break this into tasks")

v0.4+: Platform

• Custom fields on nodes
• Workflow automation (status change triggers)
• Git integration (link commits to nodes)
• CI/CD integration (agent reports build status)
• Public API for third-party integrations
• Multi-workspace / organization support
• Mobile app

Open Questions

1. Graph rendering library: What to use for the layered overview? Options include D3.js, Cytoscape.js, or a custom SVG renderer. D3 offers the most control; Cytoscape has built-in graph layouts.

2. Real-time collaboration: Do we need real-time updates in v0.1 (WebSocket) or is polling acceptable? Real-time matters more once agents are actively changing things.

3. Offline support: Is this needed for v0.1? Probably not — web-first is fine for the target audience.

4. Hosting model: SaaS-first? Self-hosted option for teams that want it? Open-source core?

5. Node depth limits: Should we enforce a maximum tree depth? Too deep gets unwieldy. A soft limit of 5-6 levels with a warning might work.

6. Bulk operations in the graph view: How do you multi-select in a graph? The flat list handles this, but power users might want it in the layered view too.

7. History/undo: How far back can you undo? Is there version history per node? Per graph structure? This matters for agent trust — if an agent messes up, how do you roll back?

Success Metrics (v0.1)

• Adoption: Team uses Non-Linear as primary tracker for 2+ weeks
• Graph usage: Users spend >30% of time in graph views (not just flat list)
• Agent integration: At least one agent connected and actively reading/commenting
• Retention signal: Team continues using after initial trial without reverting to previous tool
• Structural depth: Average project tree depth >2 (indicating real decomposition, not flat usage)