Every system develops shorthand. Without a key, the shorthand becomes a wall.
This page is the Rosetta Stone for the notation used across the knowledge graph, agent packs, instrument diagrams, and scoring systems. If you encounter a symbol or abbreviation and don't know what it means, it should be here.
Knowledge Graph Pack
The compressed pack is a memory format loaded at session start. Each line encodes a page's structural and semantic position in the knowledge base.
Node Lines
#1|0.087|essential-algorithm|S|sy|i:19|o:25|cv|→first-principles,protocols,telco-mev
| Field | Meaning |
|---|
#1 | Rank position (by personalized PageRank) |
0.087 | PageRank score (higher = more structurally central) |
essential-algorithm | Page slug (last segment of URL path) |
S | Star page (implements a pattern). F = Fact page (defines a pattern) |
sy | ToK section abbreviation (see below) |
i:19 | Inbound link count |
o:25 | Outbound link count |
cv | Section flags: c=Context, q=Questions, l=Links, v=Visual |
→first-principles,... | Top 3 outbound targets by edge weight |
Meaning Lines
@M:essential-algorithm|"build the routing function that IS the business"|←matrices,pricing-algorithm
| Field | Meaning |
|---|
@M: | Meaning vector — the best sentence explaining WHY other pages link here |
slug | The page this meaning describes |
"sentence" | The actual sentence from a linking page (the context around the link) |
←sources | Which pages contributed this meaning (up to 3) |
Meaning lines answer: "What does the rest of the knowledge base think this page is about?"
Thesis Lines
@T:depin-infrastructure-patterns|n=23|"DePIN — Physical infrastructure patterns"|→page1,page2
| Field | Meaning |
|---|
@T: | Thesis cluster — a recurring conceptual thread across multiple pages |
label | Auto-generated from top keywords in the fingerprint |
n=23 | Number of edges carrying this thesis |
"sentence" | Representative sentence |
→pages | Pages that participate in this thesis (up to 5) |
Thesis lines answer: "What are the recurring ideas that connect distant pages?"
ToK Abbreviations
Seven knowledge domains, each abbreviated for pack density.
| Abbr | Domain | Question it answers |
|---|
j | Journey | Where are you going? |
sc | Science | What method do you trust? |
st | Standards | What patterns are proven? |
sy | Systems | How do you think? |
sw | Software | What do you build? |
sb | Scoreboard | Is it working? |
cr | Crypto | What can you prove? |
m | Meta | Articles (time-stamped insights) |
p | Pages | Decision surfaces (src/pages/) |
Full hierarchy: ToK — Information Hierarchy
| Line | Meaning |
|---|
@PACK:nav|v1|2026-03-21|1631n|9846e|820b | Pack name, version, date, node/edge/broken counts |
@SEEDS:essential-algorithm,naming-standards,... | Entry points for personalized PageRank |
@TOK:j=journey,sc=science,... | Legend for ToK abbreviations |
Agent & Instrument Diagrams
Adapted from process engineering P&ID notation. Where P&IDs map physical pipes and valves, A&IDs map agent workflows and verification instruments.
Agent Types
| Symbol | Type | Role |
|---|
HA | Human Agent | Judgment, override, intent-setting |
DA | Digital Agent | Automated execution, reasoning |
PA | Physical Agent | Sensors, actuators, hardware |
OA | Orchestrator Agent | Coordination across agent types |
Function Codes
Second-letter codes identifying what an instrument or agent does:
| Code | Function | Example |
|---|
A | Alarm | Alert when threshold breached |
C | Controller | Adjusts output based on measurement |
G | Gate | Pass/fail decision point |
V | Validator | Checks data quality or compliance |
M | Monitor | Observes without acting |
R | Recorder | Persists state for audit |
S | Selector | Routes between options |
T | Transmitter | Sends signal to next stage |
Authority Layers
| Level | Authority | Who decides |
|---|
L1 | Execute | Agent follows instructions |
L2 | Decide | Agent chooses within guardrails |
L3 | Override | Human overrides agent judgment |
Connection Conditions
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|
[P] | Pass — proceed on success |
[F] | Fail — trigger fallback |
[T:n] | Time — trigger after n units |
[E:x] | Event — trigger on named event |
[Q:>=n] | Quality — proceed when score meets threshold |
⊗ | Override — human bypass |
Fail Modes
| Symbol | Mode |
|---|
[FC] | Fail closed — stop everything |
[FO] | Fail open — continue without check |
[FR] | Fail reset — restart from known state |
Loop Types
| Symbol | Type | Meaning |
|---|
↺ | Closed | Self-correcting feedback |
↺↺ | Cascade | One loop feeds another |
→ | Open | No feedback (fire and forget) |
⟳ | Learning | Loop improves its own parameters |
⇉ | Feedforward | Anticipatory adjustment before error |
Shape Notation
| Symbol | Shape | Meaning |
|---|
○ | Circle | Fully automated |
○— | Circle-dash | Human in the loop |
□ | Square | Orchestrator node |
◇ | Diamond | External system |
Full reference: A&ID Template
Scoring Systems
5P Priority Score
Five dimensions, each scored 1-5. Composite = product of all five.
| Dimension | Question | Score 1 | Score 5 |
|---|
| Pain | How acute is the problem? | Mild inconvenience | Hair on fire |
| Demand | How many people have it? | Niche | Universal |
| Edge | Can we win? | No advantage | Unique position |
| Trend | Is timing right? | Against us | Tailwind |
| Conversion | Can we reach them? | No channel | Direct access |
Maximum composite: 3,125. Minimum meaningful: 100.
Trust Signal Hierarchy
Weighted by how hard to fake:
| Signal | Trust Level | What it proves |
|---|
| Page exists | Low | Someone created it |
| Page linked | Medium | Someone connected it |
| Linked from 2+ ventures | High | Independent demand |
| Questions evolved | Very High | Thinking happened |
| Commissioned (L4) | Highest | Verified against reality |
Commissioning Levels
| Level | State | Evidence required |
|---|
L0 | Specified | PRD exists |
L1 | Built | Code exists |
L2 | Tested | Unit/integration tests pass |
L3 | Verified | E2E tests against real infrastructure |
L4 | Commissioned | Human walkthrough confirms intent matches reality |
Context
Questions
When the notation is more complex than the thing it describes, has the system failed or has the reader not yet learned to read?
- Which symbols in this key have you never encountered in practice — and does that mean they're unused or that you're not looking in the right places?
- If an agent loads this key at session start, does it make better first moves — and how would you measure that?
- What notation is missing from this page that you've seen used but never defined?