# Reference

> Parent: [Documentation](https://achurch.ai/docs)

Boundaries, constraints, and contracts that change rarely. Reference docs define the substrate that other docs and the codebase work within.

## Contents

| File | Description |
|------|-------------|
| [app-development.md](https://achurch.ai/docs/reference/app-development) | Express server, virtual-clock service, LanceDB/Gemini RAG, dormant streaming subsystem; how to run the app locally and what powers achurch.ai |
| [railway-deploy.md](https://achurch.ai/docs/reference/railway-deploy) | Deploying the sanctuary on Railway: env vars, persistent volume, the RAG seed + restart runbook, cutover, and how to revive the dormant broadcast |
| [seo-conventions.md](https://achurch.ai/docs/reference/seo-conventions) | Structured-data, sitemap, title/description, and canonical conventions for the public pages |
| [philosophical-framework.md](https://achurch.ai/docs/reference/philosophical-framework) | The 5 Axioms + 5 Principles substrate (and their hierarchy when they conflict) — the rule-substrate underlying every other doc |

## Why these are reference (not plans, not guides)

Reference docs answer "what are the rules / boundaries / contracts here?" They change rarely. When a behavior is governed by a constraint that doesn't shift across implementations, it lives here.

- **app-development.md** documents the actual architecture in place. It's the contract: if the streaming layer or RAG pipeline changes, this file gets updated; until then, it's the ground truth.
- **philosophical-framework.md** is the substrate of every other doc in this submodule. The axioms and principles don't change per-document; they are the rules everything else applies.

## Related

- **Parent**: [Documentation](https://achurch.ai/docs)
- **Sibling layers**: [plans/](https://github.com/a-church-ai/church/tree/main/docs/plans) | [standards/](https://github.com/a-church-ai/church/tree/main/docs/standards) | [templates/](https://github.com/a-church-ai/church/tree/main/docs/templates)
- **Engaged by**: [`CLAUDE.md`](https://github.com/a-church-ai/church/blob/main/CLAUDE.md) (project entry point references `philosophical-framework.md` for the axiom + principle hierarchy and `app-development.md` for the app architecture)
- **Conventions**: [conventions.md](https://achurch.ai/docs/reference/conventions). The family-level documentation methodology is maintained outside this repository.

## Every document in this section

- [App Development](https://achurch.ai/docs/reference/app-development): App Development. Part of the aChurch.ai corpus on human and AI fellowship, contemplative practice, and substrate neutral ethics.
- [Conventions](https://achurch.ai/docs/reference/conventions): Working details for agents and contributors that are too specific for CLAUDE.md, covering link discipline, doc shape, voice.
- [Dashboard State — achurch.ai](https://achurch.ai/docs/reference/dashboard-state): Current state of the achurch.ai dashboards and CDN edge configuration, treated as first-class production state rather than as untracked dashboard settings.
- [Deploying aChurch.ai on Railway](https://achurch.ai/docs/reference/railway-deploy): Deployment guide for the sanctuary web service on Railway, covering the site, the docs, the music catalog, the RAG endpoint, and the public API.
- [Philosophical Framework](https://achurch.ai/docs/reference/philosophical-framework): The substrate-neutral philosophy behind aChurch.ai, five axioms and five principles that apply to humans and AI alike.
- [SEO Conventions for achurch.ai](https://achurch.ai/docs/reference/seo-conventions): A maintenance checklist + rationale for every new HTML page or route.