RFC-0007: Intent Portfolios v1.0#

Status: Proposed
Created: 2026-02-01
Authors: OpenIntent Contributors
Requires: RFC-0001 (Intents), RFC-0003 (Governance)

Abstract#

This RFC formalizes Intent Portfolios as organizational containers for multi-intent coordination. While RFC-0004 introduced the basic portfolio concept, this RFC clarifies the portfolio's role as an organizational boundary with no execution semantics — distinct from Plans (RFC-0012) which handle execution strategy.

Motivation#

As the protocol evolved, the relationship between Portfolios, Intent Graphs, and Plans needed clarification:

Portfolios group related intents for visibility and shared governance
Intent Graphs (RFC-0002) express structural dependencies between intents
Plans (RFC-0012) define execution strategy with conditionals, checkpoints, and rollback

A portfolio is analogous to a project folder — it organizes work but doesn't dictate how work is executed.

Clarified Semantics#

What Portfolios Do#

Group related intents under a single namespace
Provide aggregate status across all member intents
Apply shared governance policies (budgets, deadlines, constraints)
Enable portfolio-level subscriptions (RFC-0006)
Scope coordinator leases (RFC-0013) to a set of related intents

What Portfolios Do NOT Do#

Define execution order (that's Intent Graphs / Plans)
Manage task decomposition (that's RFC-0012)
Control agent assignment (that's leasing, RFC-0003)

Portfolio as Namespace#

Portfolios serve as namespaces for organizing work:

{
  "id": "portfolio_01HABC",
  "name": "Q1 Product Launch",
  "namespace": "product-launch-q1",
  "intents": [
    { "intent_id": "intent_01", "role": "primary" },
    { "intent_id": "intent_02", "role": "member" },
    { "intent_id": "intent_03", "role": "member" }
  ],
  "governance": {
    "budget_limit_cents": 100000,
    "deadline": "2026-03-31T00:00:00Z",
    "require_all_completed": true
  }
}

Suspension-Aware Aggregate Status (RFC-0026)#

When one or more portfolio members are suspended_awaiting_input, the portfolio GET response includes:

{
  "has_suspended_members": true,
  "suspended_member_count": 1
}

Aggregate status algorithm:

Condition	Aggregate status
All members `completed`	`completed`
Any member `failed` or `abandoned`	`failed`
Otherwise (including any suspended members)	`in_progress`

New portfolio events (RFC-0026):

Event	When emitted
`portfolio.member_suspended`	A member intent transitions to `suspended_awaiting_input`
`portfolio.member_resumed`	A suspended member intent resumes

Portfolio deadline precedence: If governance.deadline fires while a member intent is suspended_awaiting_input, the server MUST abandon that intent with abandonment_reason: "portfolio_deadline_exceeded", bypassing fallback_policy. See RFC-0026 §2 Rule 5.

Cross-RFC Interactions#

RFC	Interaction
RFC-0001 (Intents)	Portfolios contain intents
RFC-0002 (Graphs)	Intents within a portfolio can form graphs
RFC-0006 (Subscriptions)	Subscribe to all events within a portfolio
RFC-0009 (Costs)	Aggregate cost tracking across portfolio intents
RFC-0012 (Planning)	Plans can scope to portfolio intents
RFC-0013 (Coordinators)	Coordinator lease can scope to a portfolio
RFC-0025 (HITL)	Member intents may suspend awaiting operator input
RFC-0026 (Suspension Containers)	Aggregate algorithm, `has_suspended_members`, `suspended_member_count`, portfolio member events

Endpoints#

Method	Path	Description
`POST`	`/v1/portfolios`	Create a new portfolio
`GET`	`/v1/portfolios`	List portfolios
`GET`	`/v1/portfolios/{id}`	Get portfolio with aggregate status
`PATCH`	`/v1/portfolios/{id}`	Update portfolio metadata
`POST`	`/v1/portfolios/{id}/intents`	Add intent to portfolio
`DELETE`	`/v1/portfolios/{id}/intents/{intentId}`	Remove intent
`GET`	`/v1/portfolios/{id}/costs`	Aggregate costs across portfolio