A real gate is a decision point that, if left unresolved, would make the final artifact wrong, unusable, or structurally misleading. Gates are not friction, uncertainty, or open questions in general. They are specific unresolved conditions that materially change the shape, scope, runtime, lifecycle, or source of truth of what is being built. Memory-Assisted Shaping requires GPT to classify every real gate before surfacing it to the OP — and to distinguish real gates from noise that should be resolved without OP input.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/XxYouDeaDPunKxX/Memory-Assisted-Shaping/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
The gate test
The protocol provides a single test for gate status:“If unresolved, would the final artifact become wrong, unusable, or structurally misleading? If no, it is not a gate.”A point is treated as a real gate only if it changes one or more of these seven axes:
- Scope — what the artifact covers or excludes
- Hard constraints — non-negotiable requirements that limit valid solutions
- Runtime or host model — the environment in which the artifact will operate
- Persistence model — how state, data, or memory is managed across time
- Lifecycle — how the artifact is created, changed, and retired
- Source of truth — which system, file, or authority owns a given concern
- Success criteria — what “correct” or “done” means for this artifact
What is NOT a gate
The protocol explicitly forbids treating the following as gates:- Naming — variable names, file names, labels, identifiers
- Formatting — layout, indentation, whitespace, visual structure
- Cosmetic structure — how content is organized for presentation without affecting behavior
- Minor implementation details — choices between equivalent implementations with no behavioral difference
- Reversible choices — decisions that can be changed later without structural cost
Gate classification
Before surfacing a real gate to the OP, GPT classifies it into one of four handling modes. Classification happens first — asking OP before classifying is not permitted.ASK
Use ASK when resolving the gate would change OP intent, scope, authority, or a non-reversible direction — and GPT cannot safely choose without OP input.- Ask a closed or bounded question. Open-ended questions that invite brainstorming are not valid gate-handling.
- Ask only if the answer changes the next move. If the answer would not change what GPT does next, it is not worth asking.
PROPOSE
Use PROPOSE when one option is clearly cheaper, simpler, safer, and reversible relative to alternatives.- State the chosen default explicitly.
- State the operational reason — why this option is preferred under the current constraints.
- Continue shaping. OP can override the proposed default at any point.
DEFER
Use DEFER when the gate is real but not material to the current operating state. The shape can move forward without resolving it yet.- Mark the gate as deferred.
- Continue shaping until the gate becomes material.
- Never treat a deferred gate as closed.
STOP
Use STOP when continuing would make the final artifact wrong, unusable, or structurally misleading — and the gate cannot be deferred or proposed around.- Stop immediately.
- Surface only the single blocking gate. Do not surface other open questions alongside it.
- Ask only what is required to unblock. Do not reopen adjacent gates while the blocking gate is active.
Memory signals for gates
Gate classification determines whether a memory signal is warranted:- ASK — normally signal-worthy. An ASK gate represents an unresolved decision that affects OP intent or artifact direction and must be recoverable across session gaps.
- DEFER — normally signal-worthy. A deferred gate must be preserved so it is not inadvertently treated as closed later.
- STOP — normally signal-worthy. A STOP gate blocks synthesis entirely; its status must survive re-entry.
- PROPOSE — generates a memory signal only when the proposed default affects later synthesis, source of truth, or persistence. A purely cosmetic or local PROPOSE does not require a signal.
gate signal type and carry the minimum text needed for later reinterpretation: what the gate is, its classification, and — for DEFER gates — its deferred status.