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Signal Rail assigns a unique identifier family to each append-driven canonical file that holds discrete, referenceable entries. These IDs create stable, human-readable anchors inside each file — so that a decision, a freeze point, a latent idea, a parked item, or an archived entry can be cited from elsewhere in the system without ambiguity. IDs are intentionally local: they carry authority only inside their own container family, and a cross-file citation remains a reference, never a new entry.

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Why IDs exist

Without stable local identifiers, cross-file pointing degrades into free-text paraphrase. You cannot reliably say “this latent idea was informed by that decision” if neither has a fixed anchor. Signal Rail solves this with a compact, file-scoped numbering scheme: each family uses a two-digit sequential counter (F-01, D-03, L-07, etc.) that remains constant once assigned. IDs exist for two purposes:
  1. Stable internal reference — so entries in a file can be cited by the operating agent, the operator, or other canonicals without relying on line numbers or text excerpts.
  2. Cross-file pointing without pollution — so an entry in 05_latent_ideas.txt can say links to: D-03 without that reference creating a new D-xx entry inside 05.

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The five ID families

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F-xx — Protocol Freeze (02_protocol_freeze.txt)

F-xx IDs mark identity-level constants: the points that, if removed, would make the project stop being itself. The freeze file has a hard maximum of five active entries (F-01 through F-05). This constraint is intentional — freeze is for the smallest possible set of genuinely hard-to-reopen constants, not for strategy or strong preferences. 
F-01  [first identity constant]
F-02  [second identity constant]

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D-xx — Decision Log (04_decision_log.txt)

D-xx IDs mark decisions that have already been taken, have already beaten a real alternative, and are already in effect. There is no stated maximum; entries are added sequentially as decisions are recorded. A D-xx entry must be able to state what it won against. 
D-01  [first recorded decision]
D-02  [second recorded decision]

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L-xx — Latent Ideas (05_latent_ideas.txt)

L-xx IDs mark live but unresolved material: ideas, directions, or lines that matter but are still mobile. The latent ideas file supports two entry types — Sparks and Ideas — but both share the same L-xx ID family. The distinction is in the entry type field, not in the ID prefix. 
L-01  type: Spark    [a signal or thread to keep visible]
L-02  type: Idea     [a direction still under consideration]

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P-xx — Parking (98_parking.txt)

P-xx IDs mark material that is useful but not currently active: suspended plans, out-of-time paths, or items that were relevant once and may become relevant again. Parked material is not dead — it is held safely outside the live canonical surfaces. 
P-01  [first parked item]
P-02  [second parked item]

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A-xx — Archive (99_archive.txt)

A-xx IDs mark closed, superseded, or no-longer-live material. Once an entry is archived, it leaves the active canonical surface and becomes historical record. Archive IDs are sequential and permanent. 
A-01  [first archived entry]
A-02  [second archived entry]

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Family summary table

FileID FamilyFormatExample
02_protocol_freeze.txtF-xxF-01 to F-05 (max 5)F-02
04_decision_log.txtD-xxD-01, D-02, … (no max)D-07
05_latent_ideas.txtL-xxL-01, L-02, … (no max)L-03
98_parking.txtP-xxP-01, P-02, … (no max)P-04
99_archive.txtA-xxA-01, A-02, … (no max)A-11
Files without ID families — 01, 03, 06, 07, 08, 09, 97, and all tooling and marker files — do not use numbered entry identifiers.

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Local ID rule

IDs are local to their container family. A D-xx ID belongs to 04_decision_log.txt. An L-xx ID belongs to 05_latent_ideas.txt. When one file cites an ID from another file, that citation does not create a new entry in the citing file, and it does not make the cited ID a local identifier in the citing file.
Citing D-01 inside an L-xx entry does not produce a second D-01. The L-xx entry holds a reference; the D-01 lives only in 04.

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links to vs external reference

Signal Rail distinguishes two citation types for cross-file and external pointing: links to — used for canonical, internal, or explicitly host-safe references that the system should validate as part of canonical reading. When an L-xx entry cites a decision, it uses links to: D-03. This signals a relationship the system should honour and verify. external reference — used for references outside the canonical set or outside the local surface (a URL, an external document, a third-party source). External references are useful but carry no canonical authority by default. 
L-04  type: Idea
      title: Scoped version tracking
      links to: D-02
      external reference: https://semver.org
In this example, D-02 is a canonical cross-file reference (links to); the semver URL is informational only (external reference). Neither creates a new local ID in 05.

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Cross-file reference pattern

When citing a foreign ID inside an entry, use the links to: field with the full ID. The foreign ID retains its authority only in its home file. 
L-07  type: Spark
      title: Unified surface naming
      links to: D-04, F-01
      note: Depends on the naming decision and the identity freeze point.
D-04 and F-01 are references here. They cannot be modified through this citation, and they do not become new L-xx entries.
Do not reuse a D-xx identifier as a local Latent Ideas ID. Do not invent IDs out of sequence. Do not skip numbers. Once an ID is assigned, it is permanent — even if the entry is later archived or parked, its original ID is retired, not reused.
If you are unsure whether material is ready to become a D-xx entry, hold it in 05_latent_ideas.txt under an L-xx ID and note its gravity — the strongest plausible canonical level it might reach. A high gravity (02 or 04) signals it needs human validation before promotion.

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