Three files in Signal Rail sit outside the canonical set. They are lateral: they support the project without governing it.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/xxyoudeadpunkxx/signal-rail/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
97_field_findings.txt captures useful observations before they are lost or promoted too early. 98_parking.txt holds what may still matter later but should not weigh on the present. 99_archive.txt keeps closed material as trace without letting it return to active work. None of them hold project truth, and none of them override the canonicals.
97 Field Findings
What it is
97_field_findings.txt is a lateral, non-canonical support file. It exists to keep useful findings readable while they are still being observed, compared, filtered, or discarded — before they are lost, misread, or promoted too early. It is not a second working surface for the project. It is where findings can be kept without forcing them into the wrong container.
What goes here
- Real observed problems
- Small concrete refinements
- Signals of ambiguity, risk, or possible recurrence
- Seeds worth preserving before promotion
- Local findings that may reveal a wider pattern but are not yet proven
What does NOT go here
- Canonical project truth —
97is a lateral finding layer, not a second project memory - Current live work, taken decisions, or unresolved project material already alive enough for a canonical container
- Technical surface authority, continuity memory, parked material, or archive memory
- Full conversation logs, brainstorming dumps, or redesign pads
- Anything that replaces a canonical or support container already present in Signal Rail
Four entry categories
| Category | When to use it |
|---|---|
| BUG | A real problem has already emerged in a concrete and observable way. Use BUG only when the problem is already observable — not when something might be a problem. |
| REFINEMENT | A small improvement is already concrete enough to be discussed as a local move. Use REFINEMENT when the improvement is already shapeable without turning into redesign. |
| SIGNAL | Something matters, but is not yet closed enough to become a BUG or REFINEMENT. Use SIGNAL to preserve the observation without forcing premature routing. |
| SEED | A promising idea should be preserved, but is still too early, too broad, or too under-formed to promote. Use SEED when the idea is worth keeping but not yet ready. |
Entry form
When to route out
If the destination in a canonical container is clear, route the entry there — do not leave it here.97_field_findings.txt is a transit layer, not a holding area. If a finding clearly belongs in a canonical or support container, route it immediately.
Failure conditions
- Holding project truth here —
97is a lateral finding layer, not a second project memory; if it starts holding canonical truth, it is being used wrong - Replacing canonical containers — if this file starts substituting for
05,03, or04, it is being used wrong - Entries becoming mini design docs — each entry should be a concrete, contained finding; entries that grow into conversation logs or brainstorming blocks are wrong
- Keeping clearly-routable content here — if the destination is already clear, route it; do not leave it in
97as a waiting room
98 Parking
What it is
98_parking.txt holds what may still matter later but does not matter now. It exists to remove weight from the present without deleting paths that may still become useful. A well-maintained parking file keeps the present lighter without destroying continuity.
What goes here
- Suspended plans — not helping now but may become useful again
- Partial specs — not alive enough to stay in current work, but worth preserving
- Good ideas that are out of time — this is not the right moment for them, even if they have value
- Paths you do not want to erase but should not stay in current work — not closed, but not active either
P-xx entry structure
98 use only P-xx. Cross-file IDs (D-xx, L-xx, F-xx) stay as references in links to and do not become new local IDs here.
Every parking entry must have a reactivation condition in
Next Step to Reactivate It. A parking entry without a reactivation path is an error. If you cannot say what would bring it back into play, it probably belongs in 99_archive.txt instead.What does NOT go here
- Things still alive and in play →
05_latent_ideas.txt— parking something to avoid deciding is an error - Things already in live work →
03_master_working.txt— real work should not be hidden in a side zone - Decisions already taken →
04_decision_log.txt— a decision is not suspended just because it is settled - Things no longer relevant at all →
99_archive.txt— parking something finished swells the parking layer with noise
99 Archive
What it is
99_archive.txt is closed memory. It holds what is no longer alive — superseded versions, duplicates, closed snapshots, dead ideas, things with no live role. It preserves memory without letting finished things weigh on the present.
A-xx entry structure
99 use only A-xx. Cross-file IDs (D-xx, L-xx, F-xx) stay as references in Origin or links to and do not become new local IDs here.
What goes here
- Superseded versions — no longer guide the project, but may matter as trace
- Duplicates — should not weigh twice on the present
- Closed snapshots — describe a past state, not something still alive
- Dead ideas — no longer in play; kept as trace if useful
- Things with no live role — should not guide present choices
What does NOT go here
Handoff & Re-entry
Learn how
09_handoff_reentry.txt supports clean session continuity without overriding canonical truth.Routing and Promotion
Understand the full routing model: how material moves between levels and what prevents premature promotion.