HELM AI Kernel

Deployment and Examples

Open-source execution kernel, CLI, MCP, conformance, verification, and compatibility.

PublicSource-ownedMarkdown export

This page gathers the public deployment and runnable example material that lives outside the core docs directory.

Audience

This page is for developers moving from a local HELM run to repeatable examples, Docker Compose, or Kubernetes deployment.

Outcome

You should be able to find the right example or deployment path, run it, and know which command validates the path before relying on it.

Deployment Path

Diagram1. Ingestion & Context Plane -> Source checkout -> Local CLI / proxy -> Docker Compose -> Kubernetes Helm chart -> 4. Tamper-Evident Ledger Plane -> Receipt and evidence export -> Offline verification

flowchart TD
    subgraph Ingestion["1. Ingestion & Context Plane"]
        source["Source checkout"]
        local["Local CLI / proxy"]
        compose["Docker Compose"]
        chart["Kubernetes Helm chart"]
    end

    subgraph Ledger["4. Tamper-Evident Ledger Plane"]
        receipt["Receipt and evidence export"]
        verify["Offline verification"]
    end

    %% Operational Flow Edges
    source --> local
    local --> compose
    compose --> chart
    chart --> receipt
    receipt --> verify

    %% Premium Styling Rules
    style receipt fill:#2f855a,stroke:#276749,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff
    style verify fill:#2f855a,stroke:#276749,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff

Mermaid source

flowchart TD
    subgraph Ingestion["1. Ingestion & Context Plane"]
        source["Source checkout"]
        local["Local CLI / proxy"]
        compose["Docker Compose"]
        chart["Kubernetes Helm chart"]
    end

    subgraph Ledger["4. Tamper-Evident Ledger Plane"]
        receipt["Receipt and evidence export"]
        verify["Offline verification"]
    end

    %% Operational Flow Edges
    source --> local
    local --> compose
    compose --> chart
    chart --> receipt
    receipt --> verify

    %% Premium Styling Rules
    style receipt fill:#2f855a,stroke:#276749,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff
    style verify fill:#2f855a,stroke:#276749,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff

Deployment Targets

Target	Source path	Public contract
Local CLI or proxy	`core/cmd/helm-ai-kernel/`, `docs/QUICKSTART.md`	Start with `/helm-ai-kernel/developer-journey`.
Docker image	`Dockerfile`, `Makefile`, `docker-compose.yml`	Build and run through the retained Docker targets.
Docker Compose	`docker-compose.yml`	Use for local boundary testing and example orchestration.
Kubernetes Helm chart	`deploy/helm-chart/Chart.yaml`, `deploy/helm-chart/values.yaml`, `deploy/helm-chart/templates/`	Lint with `helm lint deploy/helm-chart` before applying.
Release artifacts	`.goreleaser.yml`, `.github/workflows/release.yml`, `release/`	Verify checksums, SBOM, Cosign, provenance, and reproducibility.

Runnable Examples

Example	Source path	Use when
Go client	`examples/go_client/`	You want direct Go SDK integration.
Java client	`examples/java_client/`	You want JVM integration.
Rust client	`examples/rust_client/`	You want Rust receipt or policy client behavior.
Python OpenAI base URL	`examples/python_openai_baseurl/`	You want an OpenAI-compatible Python client behind HELM.
TypeScript OpenAI base URL	`examples/ts_openai_baseurl/`	You want typed JavaScript/TypeScript proxy integration.
JavaScript OpenAI base URL	`examples/js_openai_baseurl/`	You want a minimal JavaScript proxy example.
MCP client	`examples/mcp_client/`	You want MCP invocation through HELM.
Receipt verification	`examples/receipt_verification/`	You want offline verification examples.
Starters	`examples/starters/`	You want provider starter layouts for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or Codex-style agents.
Policies	`examples/policies/`	You want CEL/Rego/Cedar policy examples.

Validation Commands

make build
make test
make test-all
make docker
helm lint deploy/helm-chart
make verify-fixtures

The developer coverage manifest records the exact validation command per surface. If an example is not listed there, the public docs should describe it as example-only or omit a support claim.

Source Truth

deploy/README.md
deploy/helm-chart/README.md
examples/README.md
docs/developer-coverage.manifest.json
docs/DEVELOPER_JOURNEY.md

Troubleshooting

Problem	First check
Docker build fails	Confirm the local tree builds with `make build`, then rerun the Docker target.
Helm chart lint fails	Check `deploy/helm-chart/values.yaml` and required Kubernetes settings.
Example cannot reach the proxy	Confirm `helm-ai-kernel proxy` is running and the client base URL points at the HELM boundary.
Receipt verification fails	Use `/helm-ai-kernel/verification` and compare against `examples/golden/`.

Deployment Acceptance Checklist

Each deployment example should name the supported target, prerequisites, port exposure, persistence model, health check, and rollback signal. Docker Compose examples must identify which services are durable and which can be recreated. Kubernetes examples must identify ConfigMaps, Secrets, Services, probes, and the release artifact version. A deployment doc should not claim production readiness unless the chart or manifest is linted, the health endpoint is exercised, and receipt verification still works after restart. Include the first diagnostic to collect for failed startup: container logs, effective environment, policy bundle path, and verifier command output.