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Dreamineering Symbols

How can an agent compress shared meaning without losing the decoder?

Dreamineering Symbols are the readable home for DML and A&ID notation. DML is the wire-format language. A&ID is the diagram grammar. Both compress DDL terms so agents can coordinate with less token cost and less ambiguity.

Symbol Families​

Agent symbols:

  • digital agent.
  • human authority.
  • physical actor.
  • orchestrator.
  • human-in-the-loop boundary.

Instrument symbols:

  • alarm.
  • controller.
  • gate.
  • monitor.
  • recorder.
  • selector.
  • transmitter.
  • validator.

Loop symbols:

  • closed loop.
  • cascade.
  • open action.
  • learning return.
  • feedforward path.

Decision symbols:

  • pass.
  • fail.
  • timed condition.
  • event condition.
  • quality threshold.
  • approval condition.
  • kill condition.

Operating Rule​

A symbol is valid only when the reader can expand it back to a DDL term.

Use symbols when compression helps coordination. Use prose when the reader lacks the decoder.

Checks​

  • The symbol has one expansion.
  • The expansion maps to a DDL term.
  • The family is clear.
  • The authority level is explicit when action can affect spend, identity, or trust.
  • Unknown symbols fail closed.

Failure Modes​

  • Pretty diagram — the symbol looks useful but does not govern action.
  • Undecoded pack — compressed text saves tokens but loses meaning.
  • Authority gap — action symbols omit who can approve or override.
  • Collision — one mark points at two meanings.

Context​

  • depends-on DDL Nomenclature — symbols compress the readable vocabulary.
  • pairs-with Language Crosswalk — the crosswalk binds terms, codes, and symbols.
  • applies-to Agent Operating Model — the operating loop needs compact but auditable signals.
  • proved-by Performance — compression is useful only when it improves retrieval, action, or audit quality.

Questions​

Which symbol needs a better decoder?

  • Can the reader expand the symbol?
  • Does the symbol change an action?
  • Is authority visible?
  • Does the family prevent collision?
  • Should this be prose instead?