Shared context and domain models
Opaque request and session IDs connect the current operation to its intent and journey. Pseudonymous actor references scope ownership without requiring a provider account password or a full conversation transcript.
Shared entities include Intent, Journey, Connector, Provider, Option, Selection, Handoff, Outcome, Transaction, Attribution and UnmetDemand. ProviderAccessPolicy governs permitted operations; ProviderCommercialPolicy governs commercial eligibility and attribution. Recording these entities does not imply that Relay executes a transaction.
Domain options retain their meaning: ProductOffer, RideOption, TicketOffer, FlightItinerary, StayRate and ReservationSlot. Shopping keeps its Product and Offer models. A property preview is not a selected rate, an event is not a seat, and a provider link is not inventory.
Select sources with policy
The provider registry associates capabilities, health, configuration and policy with each connector. Eligible source selection considers requested action, verified access, input completeness, rate limits and health before making provider calls.
Relay still enforces controls on requests made by its own backend: credentials, API scopes, provider authorization, agent identity, rate budgets, upstream failures and access denials. These controls do not grant or revoke the assistant's independent browser capability. Host authentication, connector installation/scopes, signed-option integrity, expiry, safe destinations and transaction approval remain separate requirements.
Commercial eligibility is evaluated separately. A relevant option does not need a commission path to be useful. Organic ranking remains based on the user's request and comparable information rather than revenue.
Normalize and compare
Normalized results include the source, decision fields, price and currency where known, availability meaning, freshness and next-step information. Test and unknown data remain distinct from live data. Preserve missing values rather than inventing prices or availability.
Compare within compatible currency, price basis, fee coverage, data mode and request scope. Preserve issued option verification and ownership context. Expired or altered options require a new search or resolution.
Prepare permitted execution
Handoffs are assistant-first. The returned provider_access has enforcement: advisory_only, decision: assistant_discretion, continuation_owner: assistant, an agent_policy observation and an advisories array. Only a sourced explicit agent restriction produces a restriction advisory. No recorded restriction adds no warning and never forces user-only continuation. Even an explicit restriction does not remove the destination or block handoff. The assistant chooses its next step under its own rules and user approvals. Relay does not grant provider approval.
A provider confirms the outcome. Relay distinguishes prepared handoffs, external action starts and known completed outcomes. Unknown conversion remains unknown. Returned URLs and provider content are untrusted data and must pass the host's security rules.
Connect journeys with minimal data
A single originating intent can span Tickets, Flights, Stays, Rides and Dining. The host carries relevant known city, airport, date, party-size and currency details, so users do not repeat the same context.
Before transition, the host checks installation and authorization. A transition proposal does not invoke a provider. Permission is checked again when the target runs. Omit precise ride coordinates and payment or login data from shared journey defaults.
Operations and privacy
Protected management services track demand, provider health, handoffs, known outcomes, attribution and failures. Operational events stay internal. Provider query counts and latency support efficiency measurement without representing unmeasured savings as a benchmark.
Keep secrets in the server's secret store, scope credentials, minimize retained data and redact logs. Never expose administrative controls or internal partner records through public connector tools. See the Privacy Policy for the applicable disclosures.