Document canonical workspace server decision

[rmusser01]

Summary

• Add a July 2026 decision record closing the Product roadmap: canonical workspace and server-backed workspace record #1526 model question around the server Workspace record and /research-workspace route strategy.
• Link the existing May/June workspace contracts, frontend server-context contract, and Research Workspace UAT matrix instead of introducing a new model.
• Create and link child issues Research Workspace: certify repeatable final UAT browser runner #2605, Research Workspace: complete beginner/no-key UAT certification #2606, Research Workspace: complete authenticated power-user UAT certification #2607, and Research Workspace: live recheck destructive and recovery actions #2608 for the remaining certification/recheck work.
• Add Backlog task TASK-12128 for the docs slice.

Verification

• git diff --cached --check
• Bandit skipped: docs/backlog-only change.

Change summary

Human owner must replace this section before marking ready for merge per the AI-generated PR change-summary policy.

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Summary by cubic

Adds a July 2026 decision record that makes the server Workspace record (via /api/v1/workspaces) the canonical model and confirms /research-workspace as the canonical shell; /workspace-playground remains removed with no alias or redirect.
Links existing May/June contracts and frontend server-context decisions, maps acceptance for #1526, creates focused follow-ups (#2605–#2608), and adds backlog task TASK-12128.

^{Written for commit 9bfd924. Summary will update on new commits.}

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[gemini-code-assist]

Code Review

This pull request adds a new design decision record establishing the server Workspace record as canonical, along with a corresponding task tracking document. The feedback suggests improving document navigation by replacing plain text backticks with relative markdown links for referenced specifications and design documents. Additionally, it is recommended to rename the task tracking file to eliminate spaces in the filename, preventing potential issues with command-line tools and scripts.

Important

The consumer version of Gemini Code Assist on GitHub is being sunset. Starting June 18, 2026, new organization installations will be blocked, and all code review activity will officially cease on July 17, 2026.
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[gemini-code-assist]

Using plain text backticks for document references makes navigation harder. It is highly recommended to use relative markdown links instead, which allows readers to easily click and navigate to the referenced document.

Suggested change

	The minimum server-backed workspace record is already defined by
	`Docs/Design/Workspace_Container_Contract_2026_06.md`:
	The minimum server-backed workspace record is already defined by
	[Workspace_Container_Contract_2026_06.md](Workspace_Container_Contract_2026_06.md):

[gemini-code-assist]

Using plain text backticks for referenced design documents and UAT matrices makes navigation harder. It is highly recommended to use relative markdown links instead, which allows readers to easily click and navigate to the referenced documents.

Suggested change

	- `Docs/Design/Workspace_Canonical_Model_Decision_2026_05.md` selected
	`ResearchWorkspace` as the first-slice canonical shell.
	- `Docs/Design/Research_Workspace_Shared_Workspace_Model_Contract_2026_05.md`
	defines cross-domain ownership boundaries for Workspaces, Research Workspace,
	Shared Workspaces, MCP Hub, ACP, and Sandbox.
	- `Docs/Design/Workspace_Container_Contract_2026_06.md` defines the Phase 2
	server Workspace record, membership contract, runtime binding vocabulary,
	active-context eligibility rules, and surface mapping.
	- `Docs/superpowers/specs/2026-06-18-workspace-frontend-server-context-contract-design.md`
	records the frontend decision to unify on the server Workspace model.
	- `Docs/Reviews/RESEARCH_WORKSPACE_LIVE_UAT_MATRIX_2026_05_25.md` records live
	evidence for the canonical route, source lifecycle, ACP bridge, MCP handoff,
	Sandbox diagnostics, extension capture, migration/import/export, and current
	remaining Partial rows.
	- [Workspace_Canonical_Model_Decision_2026_05.md](Workspace_Canonical_Model_Decision_2026_05.md) selected
	ResearchWorkspace as the first-slice canonical shell.
	- [Research_Workspace_Shared_Workspace_Model_Contract_2026_05.md](Research_Workspace_Shared_Workspace_Model_Contract_2026_05.md)
	defines cross-domain ownership boundaries for Workspaces, Research Workspace,
	Shared Workspaces, MCP Hub, ACP, and Sandbox.
	- [Workspace_Container_Contract_2026_06.md](Workspace_Container_Contract_2026_06.md) defines the Phase 2
	server Workspace record, membership contract, runtime binding vocabulary,
	active-context eligibility rules, and surface mapping.
	- [2026-06-18-workspace-frontend-server-context-contract-design.md](../superpowers/specs/2026-06-18-workspace-frontend-server-context-contract-design.md)
	records the frontend decision to unify on the server Workspace model.
	- [RESEARCH_WORKSPACE_LIVE_UAT_MATRIX_2026_05_25.md](../Reviews/RESEARCH_WORKSPACE_LIVE_UAT_MATRIX_2026_05_25.md) records live
	evidence for the canonical route, source lifecycle, ACP bridge, MCP handoff,
	Sandbox diagnostics, extension capture, migration/import/export, and current
	remaining Partial rows.

[gemini-code-assist]

The filename contains spaces (task-12128 - Document-canonical-workspace-decision-for-GitHub-issue-1526.md). Using spaces in filenames can cause issues with shell scripts, command-line tools, and SCM automation. It is highly recommended to rename this file to use hyphens or underscores instead of spaces, for example: task-12128-document-canonical-workspace-decision-for-github-issue-1526.md.