# Sol — Kubernetes Deployment
Sol runs as a single-replica Deployment in the `matrix` namespace. SQLite is the persistence backend, so only one pod can run at a time (Recreate strategy).
## resource relationships
```mermaid
flowchart TD
subgraph OpenBao
vault[("secret/sol
matrix-access-token
matrix-device-id
mistral-api-key
gitea-admin-username
gitea-admin-password")]
end
subgraph "matrix namespace"
vss[VaultStaticSecret
sol-secrets]
secret[Secret
sol-secrets]
cm[ConfigMap
sol-config
sol.toml + system_prompt.md]
pvc[PVC
sol-data
1Gi RWO]
deploy[Deployment
sol]
init[initContainer
fix-permissions]
pod[Container
sol]
svc[Service
sol-grpc
port 50051]
end
vault --> |VSO sync| vss
vss --> |creates| secret
vss --> |rolloutRestartTargets| deploy
deploy --> init
init --> pod
secret --> |env vars| pod
cm --> |subPath mounts| pod
pvc --> |/data| init
pvc --> |/data| pod
svc --> |gRPC| pod
```
## manifests
All manifests are in `infrastructure/base/matrix/`.
### Deployment (`sol-deployment.yaml`)
```yaml
strategy:
type: Recreate # SQLite requires single-writer
replicas: 1
```
**initContainer** — `busybox` runs `chmod -R 777 /data && mkdir -p /data/matrix-state` to ensure the nonroot distroless container can write to the Longhorn PVC.
**Container** — `sol` image (distroless/cc-debian12:nonroot)
- Resources: 256Mi request / 512Mi limit memory, 100m CPU request
- `enableServiceLinks: false` — avoids injecting service env vars that could conflict
- Ports: 50051 (gRPC)
**Environment variables** (from Secret `sol-secrets`):
| Env Var | Secret Key |
|---------|-----------|
| `SOL_MATRIX_ACCESS_TOKEN` | `matrix-access-token` |
| `SOL_MATRIX_DEVICE_ID` | `matrix-device-id` |
| `SOL_MISTRAL_API_KEY` | `mistral-api-key` |
| `SOL_GITEA_ADMIN_USERNAME` | `gitea-admin-username` |
| `SOL_GITEA_ADMIN_PASSWORD` | `gitea-admin-password` |
Fixed env vars:
| Env Var | Value |
|---------|-------|
| `SOL_CONFIG` | `/etc/sol/sol.toml` |
| `SOL_SYSTEM_PROMPT` | `/etc/sol/system_prompt.md` |
**Volume mounts:**
| Mount | Source | Details |
|-------|--------|---------|
| `/etc/sol/sol.toml` | ConfigMap `sol-config` | subPath: `sol.toml`, readOnly |
| `/etc/sol/system_prompt.md` | ConfigMap `sol-config` | subPath: `system_prompt.md`, readOnly |
| `/data` | PVC `sol-data` | read-write |
### PVC (`sol-deployment.yaml`, second document)
```yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
metadata:
name: sol-data
namespace: matrix
spec:
accessModes: [ReadWriteOnce]
resources:
requests:
storage: 1Gi
```
Uses the default StorageClass (Longhorn).
### VaultStaticSecret (`vault-secrets.yaml`)
```yaml
apiVersion: secrets.hashicorp.com/v1beta1
kind: VaultStaticSecret
metadata:
name: sol-secrets
namespace: matrix
spec:
vaultAuthRef: vso-auth
mount: secret
type: kv-v2
path: sol
refreshAfter: 60s
rolloutRestartTargets:
- kind: Deployment
name: sol
destination:
name: sol-secrets
create: true
overwrite: true
```
The `rolloutRestartTargets` field means VSO will automatically restart the Sol deployment when secrets change in OpenBao.
Five keys synced from OpenBao `secret/sol`:
- `matrix-access-token`
- `matrix-device-id`
- `mistral-api-key`
- `gitea-admin-username`
- `gitea-admin-password`
## `/data` mount layout
```
/data/
├── sol.db SQLite database (conversations, agents, service_users — WAL mode)
└── matrix-state/ Matrix SDK sqlite state store (E2EE keys, sync tokens)
```
Both are created automatically. The initContainer ensures directory permissions are correct for the nonroot container.
## secrets in OpenBao
Store secrets at `secret/sol` in OpenBao KV v2:
```sh
# Via sunbeam seed (automated), or manually:
openbao kv put secret/sol \
matrix-access-token="syt_..." \
matrix-device-id="DEVICE_ID" \
mistral-api-key="..." \
gitea-admin-username="..." \
gitea-admin-password="..."
```
These are synced to K8s Secret `sol-secrets` by the Vault Secrets Operator.
## build and deploy
```sh
# Build only (local Docker image)
sunbeam build sol
# Build + push to registry
sunbeam build sol --push
# Build + push + deploy (apply manifests + rollout restart)
sunbeam build sol --push --deploy
```
The Docker build cross-compiles to `x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu` on macOS. The final image is `gcr.io/distroless/cc-debian12:nonroot` (~30MB).
## startup sequence
```mermaid
flowchart TD
start[Start] --> tracing[Init tracing
RUST_LOG env filter]
tracing --> config[Load config + system prompt]
config --> secrets[Read env vars
access token, device ID, API key]
secrets --> matrix[Build Matrix client
E2EE sqlite store, restore session]
matrix --> opensearch[Connect OpenSearch
ensure archive + memory + code indices]
opensearch --> mistral[Init Mistral client]
mistral --> components[Build components
Personality, ConversationManager,
ToolRegistry, Indexer, Evaluator]
components --> backfill[Backfill conversation context
from archive]
backfill --> sqlite{Open SQLite}
sqlite --> |success| agents[Init AgentRegistry +
ConversationRegistry]
sqlite --> |failure| inmemory[In-memory fallback]
inmemory --> agents
agents --> orchestrator{use_conversations_api?}
orchestrator --> |yes| ensure_agent[Ensure orchestrator agent
exists on Mistral]
orchestrator --> |no| skip[Skip]
ensure_agent --> grpc{grpc config?}
skip --> grpc
grpc --> |yes| grpc_server[Start gRPC server
on listen_addr]
grpc --> |no| skip_grpc[Skip]
grpc_server --> reactions[Backfill reactions
from Matrix timelines]
skip_grpc --> reactions
reactions --> flush[Start background
index flush task]
flush --> sync[Start Matrix sync loop]
sync --> sneeze{SQLite failed?}
sneeze --> |yes| sneeze_rooms[Send *sneezes*
to all rooms]
sneeze --> |no| running[Sol is running]
sneeze_rooms --> running
```
## monitoring
Sol uses `tracing` with structured fields. Default log level: `sol=info`.
Key log events:
| Event | Level | Fields |
|-------|-------|--------|
| Response sent | info | `room`, `len`, `is_dm` |
| Tool execution | info | `tool`, `id`, `args` |
| Engagement evaluation | info | `sender`, `rule`, `relevance`, `threshold` |
| Memory extraction | debug | `count`, `user` |
| Conversation created | info | `room`, `conversation_id` |
| Agent restored/created | info | `agent_id`, `name` |
| Backfill complete | info | `rooms`, `messages` / `reactions` |
| gRPC session started | info | `session_id`, `project` |
| Code reindex complete | info | `repos_indexed`, `symbols_indexed` |
Set `RUST_LOG=sol=debug` for verbose output including tool results, evaluation prompts, and memory details.
## troubleshooting
**Pod won't start / CrashLoopBackOff:**
```sh
sunbeam logs matrix/sol
```
Common causes:
- Missing secrets (env vars not set) — check `sunbeam k8s get secret sol-secrets -n matrix -o yaml`
- ConfigMap not applied — check `sunbeam k8s get cm sol-config -n matrix`
- PVC not bound — check `sunbeam k8s get pvc -n matrix`
**SQLite recovery failure (*sneezes*):**
If Sol sends `*sneezes*` on startup, it means the SQLite database at `/data/sol.db` couldn't be opened. Sol falls back to in-memory state. Check PVC mount and file permissions:
```sh
sunbeam k8s exec -n matrix deployment/sol -- ls -la /data/
```
**Matrix sync errors:**
Sol auto-joins rooms on invite (3 retries with exponential backoff). If it can't join, check homeserver connectivity and access token validity.
**Agent creation failure:**
If the orchestrator agent can't be created, Sol falls back to model-only conversations (no agent). Check Mistral API key and quota.
**gRPC connection refused:**
If `sunbeam code` can't connect, verify the gRPC server is configured and listening:
```sh
sunbeam k8s get svc sol-grpc -n matrix
sunbeam logs matrix/sol | grep grpc
```