env cleanup round 2

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,12 +1,79 @@
 # Project Lyra — Modular Changelog
-All notable changes to Project Lyra are organized by component.  
-The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/)  
+All notable changes to Project Lyra are organized by component.
+The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/)
 and adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/).
-# Last Updated: 11-13-25
+# Last Updated: 11-26-25
 ---
 
 ## 🧠 Lyra-Core ##############################################################################
 
+## [Infrastructure v1.0.0] - 2025-11-26
+
+### Changed
+- **Environment Variable Consolidation** - Major reorganization to eliminate duplication and improve maintainability
+  - Consolidated 9 scattered `.env` files into single source of truth architecture
+  - Root `.env` now contains all shared infrastructure (LLM backends, databases, API keys, service URLs)
+  - Service-specific `.env` files minimized to only essential overrides:
+    - `cortex/.env`: Reduced from 42 to 22 lines (operational parameters only)
+    - `neomem/.env`: Reduced from 26 to 14 lines (LLM naming conventions only)
+    - `intake/.env`: Kept at 8 lines (already minimal)
+  - **Result**: ~24% reduction in total configuration lines (197 → ~150)
+
+- **Docker Compose Consolidation**
+  - All services now defined in single root `docker-compose.yml`
+  - Relay service updated with complete configuration (env_file, volumes)
+  - Removed redundant `core/docker-compose.yml` (marked as DEPRECATED)
+  - Standardized network communication to use Docker container names
+
+- **Service URL Standardization**
+  - Internal services use container names: `http://neomem-api:7077`, `http://cortex:7081`
+  - External services use IP addresses: `http://10.0.0.43:8000` (vLLM), `http://10.0.0.3:11434` (Ollama)
+  - Removed IP/container name inconsistencies across files
+
+### Added
+- **Security Templates** - Created `.env.example` files for all services
+  - Root `.env.example` with sanitized credentials
+  - Service-specific templates: `cortex/.env.example`, `neomem/.env.example`, `intake/.env.example`, `rag/.env.example`
+  - All `.env.example` files safe to commit to version control
+
+- **Documentation**
+  - `ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLES.md`: Comprehensive reference for all environment variables
+    - Variable descriptions, defaults, and usage examples
+    - Multi-backend LLM strategy documentation
+    - Troubleshooting guide
+    - Security best practices
+  - `DEPRECATED_FILES.md`: Deletion guide for deprecated files with verification steps
+
+- **Enhanced .gitignore**
+  - Ignores all `.env` files (including subdirectories)
+  - Tracks `.env.example` templates for documentation
+  - Ignores `.env-backups/` directory
+
+### Removed
+- `core/.env` - Redundant with root `.env`, now deleted
+- `core/docker-compose.yml` - Consolidated into main compose file (marked DEPRECATED)
+
+### Fixed
+- Eliminated duplicate `OPENAI_API_KEY` across 5+ files
+- Eliminated duplicate LLM backend URLs across 4+ files
+- Eliminated duplicate database credentials across 3+ files
+- Resolved Cortex `environment:` section override in docker-compose (now uses env_file)
+
+### Architecture
+- **Multi-Backend LLM Strategy**: Root `.env` provides all backend OPTIONS (PRIMARY, SECONDARY, CLOUD, FALLBACK), services choose which to USE
+  - Cortex → vLLM (PRIMARY) for autonomous reasoning
+  - NeoMem → Ollama (SECONDARY) + OpenAI embeddings
+  - Intake → vLLM (PRIMARY) for summarization
+  - Relay → Fallback chain with user preference
+- Preserves per-service flexibility while eliminating URL duplication
+
+### Migration
+- All original `.env` files backed up to `.env-backups/` with timestamp `20251126_025334`
+- Rollback plan documented in `ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLES.md`
+- Verification steps provided in `DEPRECATED_FILES.md`
+
+---
+
 ## [Lyra_RAG v0.1.0] 2025-11-07
 ### Added
 - Initial standalone RAG module for Project Lyra.