diff --git a/docs/service-mesh/README.md b/docs/service-mesh/README.md
index 7bc16f7f77..470fd28f29 100644
--- a/docs/service-mesh/README.md
+++ b/docs/service-mesh/README.md
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
- call out: envoy/proxy is the data plane, Consul is the control plane
- [xDS Server] - a gRPC service that implements [xDS] and handles requests from an [envoy proxy].
- [agent/proxycfg]
-- CA Manager - certificate authority
+- [Certificate Authority](./ca) for issuing TLS certs for services and client agents
- command/connect/envoy - bootstrapping and running envoy
- command/connect/proxy - built-in proxy that is dev-only and not supported
for production.
diff --git a/docs/service-mesh/ca/README.md b/docs/service-mesh/ca/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7a12921772
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/service-mesh/ca/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+# Certificate Authority (Connect CA)
+
+The Certificate Authority subsystem manages a CA trust chain for issuing certificates to
+services and client agents (via auto-encrypt and auto-config).
+
+## Architecture
+
+### High level overview
+
+- we can start with the mind map
+- high level explaination of what are the features that are involved in CA (mesh/connect, auto encrypt)
+- add all the func that are involved in the CA operations
+- relationship between the different certs
+
+
+### CA and Certificate relationship
+
+This diagram shows the relationship between the CA certificates in Consul primary and
+secondary.
+
+
+
+[source](./cert-relationship.mmd)
+
+TODO: describe the relationship
+
+* what does it mean for the external root CA to be optional
+ * it always exists , unless the Consul CA provider is used AND it has generated the CA
+ root.
+* relationship between Primary Root CA and Signing CA in the primary
+ * sometimes its the same thing (Consul, and AWS providers)
+ * sometimes it is different (Vault provider)
+* client agent cert is used by auto-encrypt for Agent HTTP TLS (and client side of RPC
+ TLS)
+* leaf cert service is the cert used by a service in the mesh
+
+### detailed call flow
+- sequence diagram for leader election
+- sequence diagram for leaf signing
+- sequence diagram for CA cert rotation
diff --git a/docs/service-mesh/ca/cert-relationship.mmd b/docs/service-mesh/ca/cert-relationship.mmd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..85ae848dcb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/service-mesh/ca/cert-relationship.mmd
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+graph TD
+
+ ExternalRootCA["External RootCA (optional)"]
+
+ subgraph "Consul Primary"
+ PrimaryRootCA["Primary Root CA"]
+ PrimarySigningCA["Primary Signing CA (conditional)"]
+ end
+
+ subgraph "Consul Secondary"
+ SeconarySigningCA["Seconary Signing CA"]
+ end
+
+ LeafCertAgentPrimary[Leaf Cert Client Agent]
+ LeafCertServicePrimary[Leaf Cert Service]
+
+ LeafCertAgentSecondary[Leaf Cert Client Agent]
+ LeafCertServiceSecondary[Leaf Cert Service]
+
+
+ ExternalRootCA -.-> PrimaryRootCA
+ PrimaryRootCA -.-> PrimarySigningCA
+
+ PrimaryRootCA --> SeconarySigningCA
+
+ PrimarySigningCA --> LeafCertAgentPrimary
+ PrimarySigningCA --> LeafCertServicePrimary
+
+ SeconarySigningCA --> LeafCertAgentSecondary
+ SeconarySigningCA --> LeafCertServiceSecondary
+
diff --git a/docs/service-mesh/ca/cert-relationship.svg b/docs/service-mesh/ca/cert-relationship.svg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a32f838d19
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/service-mesh/ca/cert-relationship.svg
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+
\ No newline at end of file