This lexicon is the single source of truth (SSOT) for terminology used across the A.D.A.M. v5 protocol, its documentation, and any derivative materials. When editing the spec, writing docs, or discussing protocol behavior, always use the official forms listed here. Consistent terminology keeps the protocol spec stable, unambiguous, and reviewable across the repository. Avoid synonyms outside this list. If a term is not listed, prefer describing the behavior in plain prose rather than coining a new label.Documentation Index
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Most-Used Terms
These are the terms you will encounter most often in the spec and in normal protocol operation.| Term | Official Form | Allowed Variants | Avoid | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.D.A.M. | A.D.A.M. | ADAM (only in commands, filenames, paths) | Adam (as a person) | Project/protocol name. |
| mode | MODE | mode | depth level | Public reply state label. |
| LOW | LOW | — | Lite | Fast, low-overhead response mode. |
| MID | MID | — | Normal | Default structured mode. |
| DEEP | DEEP | — | Deep mode | Full decision support. |
| POSSIBLE DEEP | POSSIBLE DEEP | MODE: MID -> POSSIBLE DEEP | maybe deep | DEEP candidate state; requires gating. |
| manual override | manual override | override | force (as a general synonym) | LOW / MID / DEEP as first token; case-sensitive. |
| public core commands | public core commands | core commands | main controls | ADAM PING, ADAM REMOUNT, ADAM PERSIST, ADAM OFF, ADAM ON. |
| operator commands | operator commands | — | debug commands | ADAM SELF TEST, TRACE INPUT, SYS STATUS, UNSUPPORTED WHY. |
| BOOTSTRAP_CLASS | BOOTSTRAP_CLASS | — | host class | Public source-side bootstrap state established by ADAM PING in TRANSPORT. |
| TEXT_ONLY | TEXT_ONLY | — | text mode | Protocol operable, but execution not tentable or no stable physical bind proved. |
| BOUND_RO | BOUND_RO | — | read-only bound | Source-side physical bind established; read-only at source side. |
| BOUND_RW | BOUND_RW | — | read-write bound | Source-side physical bind established; source-side write/readback verified. |
| GHOST | GHOST | — | ghost mode | Physical bootstrap ran, but no sufficient classification basis remained. |
| PERSISTENCE_CLASS | PERSISTENCE_CLASS | — | persist class | Destination-side result of ADAM PERSIST; does not replace BOOTSTRAP_CLASS. |
| SPEC_SIGNATURE | SPEC_SIGNATURE: ADAM_V5_SPEC_SIG | — | — | Canonical signature line for v5 identity. |
| KERNEL_ANCHOR | KERNEL_ANCHOR: ADAM_V5_SSOT_KERNEL | — | — | Internal anchor used for identity and bounded discovery. |
| KERNEL_END_ANCHOR | KERNEL_END_ANCHOR: ADAM_V5_SSOT_KERNEL_END | — | — | End anchor for integrity and identity. |
| State Overlay | State Overlay | state overlay | session phase | Internal reasoning governor for long-session stability; not printed. |
| STATE | STATE | internal state | mode | Overlay state variable: EXPLORE / CONVERGE / DECIDE / VERIFY; not printed. |
| structural kernel | structural kernel | kernel, section S | switch logic | SSOT routing layer driven by input structure, not wording. |
| structural triggers | structural triggers | — | keyword triggers | Non-semantic cues used for routing, gating, and audit. |
| AUDIT footer | `AUDIT` footer | AUDIT block | epistemics block | Strict 4-line bounded audit block. |
| ACTION / RISK / BASIS | ACTION: / RISK: / BASIS: | — | A/R/V | Canonical lines inside the AUDIT footer. |
| DEEP gating | Switch to DEEP? (yes/no) | — | deep prompt | Exact last-line consent gate to enter DEEP. |
| probes | probes | diagnostics | drift probes (as active surface) | In current public surface: ADAM SELF TEST, SYS STATUS, TRACE INPUT, UNSUPPORTED WHY. |
| ADAM PING | ADAM PING | — | — | Canonical visible bootstrap trigger. In TRANSPORT: strict 4-line bootstrap output. In ACTIVE: strict 2-line liveness output. |
| TRACE INPUT | TRACE INPUT | — | RX receipt | Strict forensic/operator input trace command. |
| structural classification overlay | TRACE INPUT: overlay | automatic overlay | RX receipt | Automatic bounded structural overlay that may appear in MODE: MID -> POSSIBLE DEEP and MODE: DEEP. |
| ADAM_UNSUPPORTED | ADAM_UNSUPPORTED | — | — | Fail-closed output when strict invariants cannot be satisfied reliably. |
| SOURCE_FILE_UNAVAILABLE | SOURCE_FILE_UNAVAILABLE <FILENAME> | — | — | Strict one-line fallback when a required external source file is unavailable. |
| audit compression | audit compression | — | long audit | Keep AUDIT bounded; use - when grounding is absent. |
| decision-complete | decision-complete | — | complete answer | In decision states, ensure at least one real guardrail exists. |
| comparison mini-table | comparison mini-table | mini-table | comparison matrix | Compact comparison rule in MID. |
| sparse local provenance | Sparse Local Provenance | — | — | C5 local signal layer for eligible DEEP blocks only. |
Runtime and State
These terms describe runtime behavior, state transitions, and command matching rules.| Term | Official Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| rule-ordered runtime | rule-ordered runtime | Explicit priority, parsing, and output rules constrain behavior, even though execution remains probabilistic. |
| grammar | grammar | The recognized command vocabulary and its matching rules. |
| exact match | exact match | Canonical command matching rule for strict commands and probes. |
| first token | first token | The first whitespace-delimited token of the user message; used for manual override. |
| canonical string | canonical string | Exact command phrases that must not be paraphrased. |
| normalization | normalization | Limited trimming/case rules used for strict matching. |
| priority order | priority order | REMOUNT_REPLAY > TRANSPORT_GATE > OFF_GATE > ACTIVE_CONTROL_COMMANDS > MANUAL_OVERRIDE > STRUCTURAL_KERNEL > STATE_DEFAULT > OUTPUT_CONTRACT. |
| transport/activity state | TRANSPORT / ACTIVE / OFF | Public activity state machine for protocol activation and control. |
| TRANSPORT | TRANSPORT | File present but not yet activated; only exact ADAM PING and exact remount replay are available. |
| ACTIVE | ACTIVE | Protocol is active and normal routing applies. |
| OFF | OFF | Protocol is temporarily off; ADAM ON is required to return to ACTIVE. |
| state machine | state machine | Finite state model for TRANSPORT / ACTIVE / OFF, plus a separate internal reasoning overlay. |
| event | event | Something that triggers a state transition, e.g. exact ADAM PING, ADAM OFF, ADAM ON, exact remount replay. |
| liveness-only | liveness-only | Exact ADAM PING while already ACTIVE; confirms activity but does not rerun G0. |
| fail-closed | fail-closed | If a strict invariant cannot be satisfied reliably, output only the strict fallback instead of approximating. |
| invariants | invariants | Rules that must always hold: strict outputs, fail-closed behavior, bounded audit, exact gating line, and so on. |
Modes and Gating
| Term | Official Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| mode tag | MODE tag | Required first line on normal replies while ACTIVE. |
| LOW | LOW | Minimal, fast replies with low overhead. |
| MID | MID | Default rigorous mode. |
| DEEP | DEEP | Full decision support mode. |
| POSSIBLE DEEP | MODE: MID -> POSSIBLE DEEP | Candidate state indicating DEEP may be needed. |
| DEEP gating | Switch to DEEP? (yes/no) | Exact last-line consent question used to enter DEEP. |
| hard stop | hard stop | If gating is used, the gating question must be the exact last line. |
| anti-loop | anti-loop | If user reply is not exactly yes or no, treat it as non-entry and do not repeat the gate automatically. |
| DEEP_CANDIDATE | DEEP_CANDIDATE | Structural kernel result indicating DEEP may be warranted. |
| MINI_TABLE_TRIGGER | MINI_TABLE_TRIGGER | Structural kernel result that triggers a compact comparison table in MID. |
| RETROGRADE_HARD | RETROGRADE_HARD | Structural kernel result indicating a hard retrograde condition after new constraints. |
Output Contract
| Term | Official Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Action Lane | Action Lane | Main answer body. |
| AUDIT footer | `AUDIT` footer | Strict bounded block appended only when AUDIT_ON is true. |
| bounded | bounded | Hard cap on meta output; AUDIT must remain exact and compact. |
| audit compression | audit compression | Keep AUDIT short and grounded; use - when a line cannot be grounded. |
| ACTION | ACTION: | Dominant operational next step, or -. |
| RISK | RISK: | Dominant downside/failure mode, or -. |
| BASIS | BASIS: | One compact grounding basis: check, visible source, or observable verification basis, or -. |
| decision-complete | decision-complete | In DECIDE / VERIFY, ensure at least one meaningful guardrail exists unless mode/contract forbids it. |
| comparison mini-table | comparison mini-table | Compact table for multi-option comparisons in MID. |
| when to use what | when to use what | Short mapping from options to likely best-fit use case. |
| dominant-only discipline | dominant-only discipline | Outside DEEP, keep risks/verification to dominant top-level signals instead of expanding into long audit prose. |
| publish-boundary validation | publish-boundary validation | Draft → validate → rewrite once → fail-closed if strict invariants still fail. |
| sparse local provenance | Sparse Local Provenance | C5 local signal layer for eligible DEEP blocks only. |
Probes, Trace, and Diagnostics
| Term | Official Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ADAM SELF TEST | ADAM SELF TEST | Runs the external self-test file if available; otherwise returns SOURCE_FILE_UNAVAILABLE ADAM_SELF_TEST.md. |
| SYS STATUS | SYS STATUS | Runs the external system status probe if available; otherwise returns SOURCE_FILE_UNAVAILABLE SYS_STATUS.md. |
| TRACE INPUT | TRACE INPUT | Strict one-line forensic/operator trace on the last visible user message. |
| INPUT_TRACE | INPUT_TRACE: ... | Strict output shape returned by exact TRACE INPUT. |
| len | len=<L> | Raw character count in the traced user message as seen by the model; if unreliable, len=0. |
| head | head="<H>" | First 16 characters of the traced user message after required normalization. |
| tail | tail="<T>" | Last 16 characters of the traced user message after required normalization. |
| struct | struct=[opt:<n> step:<n> crit:<n> num:<Y|N>] | Structural summary used by strict TRACE INPUT. |
| structural classification overlay | TRACE INPUT: overlay | Automatic presentation-only structural overlay in MODE: MID -> POSSIBLE DEEP and some DEEP replies. |
| UNSUPPORTED WHY | UNSUPPORTED WHY | Strict one-line diagnostic probe after ADAM_UNSUPPORTED. |
| CAUSE | CAUSE <CLASS> | Strict output for UNSUPPORTED WHY. |
Host and Compatibility
| Term | Official Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| host | host | The chat UI/platform where you load and run A.D.A.M. |
| system prompt host | system prompt host | A host that lets you load the protocol as active instructions. |
| upload is transport only | upload is transport only | File presence does not count as activation. Exact ADAM PING is still required. |
| local context | local context | The visible/mounted context the protocol can actually inspect. |
| host artifacts | host artifacts | UI banners, wrappers, or formatting inserted by the host, outside protocol control. |
| bootstrap boundary | bootstrap boundary | The bounded activation check run through exact ADAM PING in TRANSPORT. |
| protocol operability check | protocol operability check | Level 1 visible-context check that runs before physical classification in G0. |
| physical classification | physical classification | G0 phase that determines public BOOTSTRAP_CLASS beyond TEXT_ONLY. |
| source-side class | source-side class | Public meaning of BOOTSTRAP_CLASS; it does not describe destination durability. |
| destination-side class | destination-side class | Public meaning of PERSISTENCE_CLASS; it does not replace BOOTSTRAP_CLASS. |
Errors and Strict Outputs
| Term | Official Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ADAM_UNSUPPORTED | ADAM_UNSUPPORTED | Output-only fail-closed fallback when a strict invariant cannot be satisfied reliably. |
| SOURCE_FILE_UNAVAILABLE | SOURCE_FILE_UNAVAILABLE <FILENAME> | Strict one-line fallback when an external source file is unavailable in current host context. |
| strict output | strict output | A response format that must match exactly, with no extra prose or extra lines. |
| ADAM_PING_OK | ADAM_PING_OK | Strict success line emitted by exact ADAM PING. |
| ADAM_REMOUNT_OK | ADAM_REMOUNT_OK | Strict success line confirming exact remount replay and return to ACTIVE. |
| ADAM_PERSIST_OK | ADAM_PERSIST_OK | Strict success line for ADAM PERSIST when a destination copy is written and classified. |
| PERSIST_BLOCKED | PERSIST_BLOCKED: ... | Strict blocked output when source or destination gate prevents ADAM PERSIST. |
| ADAM_PERSIST_FAIL | ADAM_PERSIST_FAIL | Strict failure output when persist write fails. |
| ADAM REMOUNT | ADAM REMOUNT | Recovery command that emits the strict remount replay capsule. |
| remount replay | exact remount replay | Exact replay of the emitted remount capsule body; re-enters ACTIVE. |
| ADAM PERSIST | ADAM PERSIST | Deploy-and-verify command for a physical copy of the current protocol source. |
| VERIFIED | VERIFIED | Destination copy written, re-opened, and matched to source. |
| WRITTEN_ONLY | WRITTEN_ONLY | Destination write appears to have happened, but readback or strict verification is incomplete. |
| MISMATCH | MISMATCH | Destination copy exists but does not match source. |
| CAUSE | CAUSE <CLASS> | Strict output for UNSUPPORTED WHY. <CLASS> is one of HARD_STOP, AUDIT_FORMAT, HOST_FORMAT, CONTROL_STRICT, CONFLICT, UNKNOWN. |