Tommy-the-Tapir

Tommy the Tapir

Tommy the Tapir is an open-source framework for enabling digital menu browsing, item selection, and claim-based receipt retrieval in both physical and online commerce — without replacing existing POS, checkout, or payment systems.

Tommy generates receipts that conform to the Open Receipt Format (ORF), while remaining intentionally agnostic to payment and settlement mechanisms. It can operate independently of payment systems, but provides optional adapters for merchants who wish to integrate payments.

Documentation

To understand Tommy the Tapir, follow this recommended reading order:

1. Architecture - Core framework architecture, principles, and system components
2. Online Commerce - How Tommy adapts to online retail and e-commerce platforms
3. Payments - Payment-aware but payment-optional architecture and integration patterns

Features

• A lightweight interaction layer for physical and online retail
• A reference implementation for claim-based digital receipts
• A bridge between existing POS / e-commerce systems and ORF
• Designed to work with:
  • Cash payments
  • External POS systems
  • Third-party payment providers
  • Online platforms (e.g. Shopify, WooCommerce)

What Tommy Is Not

• A payment processor
• A POS replacement
• A checkout system
• A loyalty or identity platform
• A fiscal or tax compliance engine

Tommy complements existing systems; it does not compete with them.

Core Concepts

1. Claim-Based Receipts

Receipts are not pushed via email or SMS.
They are claimed by the customer via an explicit action such as:

• Tapping an NFC tag
• Scanning a QR code
• Clicking a receipt link

This model improves privacy, portability, and long-term access.

2. ORF-Conformant Receipts

All receipts generated by Tommy conform to the Open Receipt Format (ORF) specification.

ORF defines:

• The receipt data model
• Line items, taxes, totals
• Optional payment references
• Receipt lifecycle states

ORF does not define payments, settlement, or authorization.

3. Payment-Optional Architecture

Tommy operates independently of payments.

Payment integration is:

• Optional
• Modular
• Adapter-based

When payment data exists, it is recorded descriptively in the receipt.
When it does not, the receipt remains valid.

Governance Implications (Important)

Because Tommy is open source:

Core maintainers control:

• Receipt logic
• ORF conformance

Community can build:

• Payment adapters
• POS connectors
• Loyalty plugins

Supported Environments

Physical Stores

• NFC or QR entry points
• In-store menu or catalog
• Cashier-confirmed selections
• POS-independent receipt claiming

Online Commerce

• Post-checkout receipt links
• Webhook-driven receipt generation
• Platform-agnostic receipt retrieval

High-Level Architecture

Payments, POS systems, and checkout flows operate alongside this process, not within it.

Relationship to Open Receipt Format (ORF)

Tommy is an implementation, not the standard.

• ORF defines what a receipt is
• Tommy defines how a receipt can be claimed

Other ORF-compatible implementations are encouraged.

Project Status

Tommy the Tapir is in early exploration and design.

Current focus:

• Architecture documentation
• Reference flows (physical and online)
• ORF conformance patterns

Code will be added incrementally as interfaces stabilize.

Contributing

Discussion, feedback, and design contributions are welcome.

If you are:

• A POS vendor
• A retailer
• A payment provider
• A standards contributor

…your perspective is especially valuable.

License

This project is open source.
See the LICENSE file for details.