Cairn Documentation
Version History
Release notes and feature updates. Cairn follows semantic versioning: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH.
1.0.0-betaApril 2026
Initial Release
Cairn's first public release. The items below represent the primary feature set at launch — see the Roadmap section for what's coming next.
✦ Features
- 12 analytical lenses: Overview, Brief, Visuals, Requirements, Architecture, Causality, Completeness, Narrative, Dendritic, Behavior, Verification, Operational
- Hierarchical system modeling with five node types: system, subsystem, assembly, part, external
- Requirements management with six types: functional, performance, interface, safety, environmental, constraint
- Interface and signal definitions with protocol and rate metadata
- State machine editor with states, transitions, guards, actions, and timing annotations
- Engineering properties catalog with budget rollups (mass, power, cost) and TRL tracking
- AI property suggestions with per-item accept/dismiss workflow
- Verification records with test, analysis, demonstration, and inspection methods
- Traceability tool with satisfies, verifies, derives, depends_on, and implements link types
- AI decomposition and generation via ⌘K command palette
- 17 AI specialists routed through a 5-stage pipeline (Router → Context → Specialist → Validator → Review)
- ChangeSet governance: AI proposes, user reviews operation-by-operation before applying
- 2D concept renders via Gemini image generation with 6 style kits
- 3D mesh generation via AI-authored Three.js code with MeshBuilder
- Monte Carlo simulation via in-browser Pyodide (Python) with AI-generated scripts
- Export: JSON, Markdown, CSV, full ZIP with assets
- AI-powered export: PPTX presentations and DOCX reports via Claude Skills API
- Local-first architecture: all model data stored in browser via IndexedDB/Dexie
- Quality linter with 16+ automated rules across nodes, requirements, interfaces, and traces
- Supabase authentication with magic link sign-in
◈ Methodology
- Four Questions framework for systematic model interrogation (Causality, Completeness, Narrative, Dendritic)
- Harney's Pyramid of Causality for technology dependency and maturity analysis
- Dendritic decision tracking with pruned alternatives as first-class model entities
- Systemigram narrative visualization with mainstay identification (Boardman/McDermott)
- Three-axis completeness scoring based on Pace/Loper simulation fidelity dimensions
→ Roadmap
- Cloud sync for multi-device workflows
- Real-time collaboration
- GitHub export with ChangeSet-to-commit mapping
- AI-assisted trade study tool with Pugh/AHP methodology