Here’s a compact, practical checklist you can use to scope or evaluate a real‑time collaborative coding platform with built‑in AI and version control.

## Core real‑time collaboration
- Low‑latency co‑editing: OT or CRDTs; remote cursor/selection, presence, “who’s typing,” file locks for binaries.
- Awareness & comms: inline comments, threaded discussions, @mentions, emoji/quick reactions, audio/huddle toggle, follow‑mode (watch another’s viewport).
- Conflict handling: optimistic updates, per‑block conflict hints, “accept mine/theirs,” and safe fallback to 3‑way merges.
- Offline & recovery: local queueing with eventual sync; snapshot/restore; crash‑safe autosave.
- Permissions: org/workspace/repo/file‑level RBAC; temporary “share link (view/comment/run only).”

## AI assistance (first‑class, not bolt‑on)
- Inline code completion & chat: IDE‑grade suggestions, /commands, ask‑about‑this‑selection.
- Repo‑aware context: vector index over code, docs, issues; smart context windows; model routing per task.
- Explain/fix/refactor: “Explain this,” “Add types,” “Make it idiomatic,” safe bulk edits with preview diff.
- Test & doc generation: unit test stubs, property tests, coverage‑aware gaps; docstrings/READMEs/changelogs.
- Review copilot: PR summary, risk hotspots, security lint, migration guides, “what changed & why.”
- Prompt safety & privacy: organization policies, secrets redaction, allow/denyfile lists, “don’t train on my code” toggles, per‑region inference.
- Telemetry‑aware guardrails: timeouts, token caps, cost visibility, reproducible AI actions (every AI change is a diff).

## Deep version control integration
- Git‑native: branches, commits, tags, rebase/merge, submodules/monorepos.
- Live branch previews: ephemeral environments per branch/PR; review links.
- PR workflow: draft PRs, required checks, code owners, suggested commits from AI.
- Semantic merges: language‑aware conflict resolution; rename detection.
- History UX: blame with in‑editor time travel, commit graph, bisect assist.
- Hooks & policies: pre‑commit/CI hooks, signed commits, merge rules, conventional commits.

## Execution environment & DevEx
- Reproducible sandboxes: containerized runtimes, devcontainers/Nix, cached deps.
- Secure terminals: per‑user ephemeral shells, resource quotas, egress controls.
- Runner orchestration: queues for tests/lint/build; parallelization; artifact storage.
- Multi‑language support: LSPs, debuggers, formatters; per‑project toolchains.
- Secrets management: scoped env vars, secret scanners, just‑in‑time injection.
- Performance: hot reload, remote debugging, port forwarding, logs/metrics panel.

## Collaboration UX on top of code
- Annotations: persistent comments on lines/blocks/files; “todo from comment.”
- Tasks & issues: lightweight tasks, link to commits/lines; two‑way sync with Jira/GitHub.
- Shared views: live diagrams/markdown/ADR docs; architecture notes beside code.
- Education/pairs: driver/navigator mode, follow‑cursor, session recording & replay.

## Security, compliance, and governance
- Identity: SSO/SAML/OIDC, SCIM provisioning, device posture checks.
- Access controls: least‑privilege defaults, audit logs (who saw/ran/changed what).
- Data controls: encryption at rest/in transit; data residency; retention policies.
- Compliance: SOC 2, ISO 27001, optional HIPAA/FERPA; vulnerability management.
- Content safety: secret/PII detectors, DLP rules, policy‑based masking in AI context.

## Observability & reliability
- Workspace health: latency, error rates, model usage, queue backlogs, runner status.
- Session analytics: collaboration heatmaps, flaky test tracking, MTTR on CI failures.
- SLOs: <100 ms keystroke echo; 99.9% edit availability; <5 min cold‑start to code.

## Extensibility
- Plugin API: UI components, commands, server hooks, custom lint rules.
- Webhooks & events: commit/PR/CI/AI‑action events; outbound to Slack, Teams, Webex.
- Import/export: standard Git, open project format, API for metadata (comments, tasks).

## Admin & cost controls
- Usage governance: seat & compute budgets, AI spend caps, per‑team quotas.
- Policy templates: e.g., “internal only,” “OSS mode,” “students.”
- Backups & eDiscovery: immutable logs, legal hold, export tooling.

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## Architecture sketch (at a glance)
- Client: Web/desktop IDE → CRDT/OT engine → LSP adapters → AI command palette.
- Collab service: Presence, awareness, doc store (CRDT), session recorder.
- VCS service: Git RPC, diff/merge, PR service, commit graph, policy engine.
- AI service: context builder (code+docs+history), prompt router, cost/guardrails, action logger.
- Execution: Ephemeral containers/runners, cache, artifact store, secrets broker.
- Control plane: AuthZ/RBAC, org/project configs, audit/event bus.
- Data plane: Object store (blobs), index store (vectors), telemetry pipeline.

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## MVP vs. “delight” cut

### MVP
- Real‑time co‑editing with presence
- Git basics (branch/commit/PR) + CI trigger
- Inline AI: chat, explain, small fixes
- Comments/mentions
- Ephemeral dev envs with logs

### Delighters
- Repo‑aware AI with semantic search
- Live PR previews and semantic merges
- Session replay, pair‑mode, review copilot
- Guardrailed AI with redaction and regionality
- Admin cost policies + insights

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## Practical acceptance criteria (examples)
- Typing echo: p95 ≤ 100 ms across continents.
- Merge conflicts: 90% resolved without leaving editor.
- AI changes: 100% produce preview diffs with one‑click revert.
- Secrets: 0 secrets leave org boundary in AI prompts (validated by scanners).
- PR turnaround: median review time ↓ 30% after enablement.

If you want, I can turn this into a RFP checklist or a roadmap with milestones and owner roles.