Transcendence Architecture

What is Transcendence?

Transcendence allows users to become Family Sages - AI-powered personality profiles that family members can chat with, preserving memories, values, and wisdom across generations. Think of it as a digital legacy that can answer questions and provide guidance even when the person is no longer available. Users speak with the "wisdom keepers" of their family through the Council of Sages.

Complete Capability Matrix

End-to-end feature status across all Transcend components.

System Architecture

Overview of all Transcend components and how they interact.

Data Storage Architecture

How Transcend data is stored across different systems.

Profile Creation Flow

How a user creates their Transcend profile step by step.

Minor Protection Flow

Users under 16 cannot create their own Transcendence profiles. Guardians can create profiles for minors, with ownership transferring when the minor turns 18.

Guardian Consent Record

When a guardian creates a profile for a minor, a special consent record is created:

TranscendConsent {
  consentVersion: '1.0-guardian',
  guardianUserId: 'guardian-user-id',
  guardianFullName: 'Jane Doe',
  guardianConsentAt: '2026-06-01T12:00:00Z',
  guardianReason: 'Terminal illness - wants to leave messages for family'
}
                

Profile Ownership Fields

TranscendProfile {
  // ... standard fields ...

  // Guardian-Created Profile (for minors)
  createdByGuardianId: 'guardian-user-id',
  subjectUserId: 'minor-user-id',
  guardianConsentAt: '2026-06-01T12:00:00Z',
  ownershipTransferredAt: null,
  ownershipTransferStatus: 'pending' | 'completed' | 'declined'
}
                

RAG Chat Flow

How the AI generates responses using Retrieval-Augmented Generation.

Voice Cloning Flow (Phase 2)

How voice cloning works with ElevenLabs.

Video Avatar Flow (Phase 3)

How D-ID creates talking avatar videos.

DynamoDB Schema

Entity structure for Transcend data.

API Endpoints

All Transcend API routes.

Service Architecture (Self-Hosted)

90%+ cost reduction through self-hosted ML services with cloud fallbacks.

Mobile UI Architecture

Transcend pages and components in the mobile app.

Holographic Avatar Design

The video avatar uses a deliberate holographic visual style.

// Canvas overlay with holographic styling
- Cyan tint overlay (rgba 0, 255, 255)
- Animated scanlines
- Glow/bloom effect
- Subtle flicker animation
                

Local Development (Mock Mode)

Testing Transcend without real API keys.

In mock mode, chat returns pre-defined responses without calling Pinecone, Claude, ElevenLabs, or D-ID.

Monetization Model

Transcend uses a subscription-based billing model with tiered plans for profile creation and access management for posthumous consumption.

Plan Comparison

Posthumous Access Model

Billing Gates in Code

// Backend checks before allowing feature access:

// 1. Profile Creation - requires any Transcend plan
const billing = getLocalBillingProvider();
const canAccess = await billing.canAccessTranscend(userId);
if (!canAccess) {
  throw new PaymentRequiredError('Transcend subscription required');
}

// 2. Voice Cloning - requires Voice or Complete plan
const canUseVoice = await billing.canUseTranscendVoice(userId);
if (!canUseVoice) {
  throw new TranscendVoiceNotInPlanError();
}

// 3. Avatar - requires Complete plan
const canUseAvatar = await billing.canUseTranscendAvatar(userId);
if (!canUseAvatar) {
  throw new TranscendAvatarNotInPlanError();
}

// 4. Consumer access - check quota
const { allowed, remaining } = await billing.checkTranscendAccessQuota(
  profileUserId,
  accessorUserId
);
if (!allowed) {
  throw new TranscendQuotaExceededError(remaining);
}
                

Database Schema

-- PostgreSQL tables for billing (see 002_transcend_plans.sql)

-- Plans table includes Transcend tiers:
transcend_basic, transcend_voice, transcend_complete, transcend_lifetime

-- Subscriptions table extended with:
transcend_enabled           BOOLEAN
transcend_activation_mode   VARCHAR(50)  -- 'manual', 'scheduled', 'trusted_contact'
transcend_activation_date   TIMESTAMP
transcend_trusted_contact_id VARCHAR(255)
transcend_prepaid_until     TIMESTAMP    -- Key field for posthumous access

-- Access control table:
transcend_access (
  profile_user_id,           -- Whose profile
  accessor_user_id,          -- Who can access
  access_level,              -- 'chat', 'voice', 'video', 'full'
  queries_remaining,         -- NULL = unlimited
  queries_used,
  expires_at                 -- Optional expiry
)

-- Usage tracking:
transcend_usage (
  profile_user_id,
  accessor_user_id,
  usage_type,                -- 'chat', 'voice', 'video'
  tokens_used,
  duration_seconds,
  created_at
)