feat: Architecture expansion - organisms, swarm evolution, memory gradient, infrastructure
New sections created: - organisms/ - Modular robot design (CAN bus + magnetic pogo connectors) - infrastructure/ - Kallax Grid World (40×40×40cm standardized cells) Core documents added: - Swarm-Evolution.md - Ternary clasp rules, escalation ladder (L0-L5), Mount Olympus council - Modular-Organism-Design.md - ESP32 modules, universal connector spec, Phase 0 BOM - Memory-Gradient.md - Metacognitive routing (renamed from RAG-as-Scaffold.md) - Kallax-Grid-World.md - Sim-to-real substrate, "schrotti cyberpunk" aesthetic Enhanced: - Nimmerswarm-Interface.md - Dual-spectrum architecture (IR position + visible state) - Attention-Slumber-Prediction-Cycle.md - Blend marker predictions extension Key insights: Decision markers (mark+continue+predict), Low-Cost-Mocap integration 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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operations/Memory-Gradient.md
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operations/Memory-Gradient.md
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# Memory Gradient
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Knowledge metabolism — from external scaffold to internalized reflex.
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---
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## Overview
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Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) gave us something valuable: a way to ground LLM responses in external knowledge. It solved real problems — hallucination, knowledge cutoffs, domain specificity. The work that built RAG deserves respect.
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But we wanted to go further.
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RAG treats retrieval as a permanent fixture — knowledge lives outside, gets fetched when needed, and the model never truly learns. What if retrieval could be **temporary**? What if the scaffold could teach, then step aside? What if the system could learn not just *what* to retrieve, but *when* to retrieve — and eventually, *when it no longer needs to*?
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**Memory Gradient** is our answer. It extends RAG into a complete knowledge lifecycle:
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```
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TRADITIONAL RAG MEMORY GRADIENT
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───────────────── ─────────────────
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External knowledge store → External knowledge as starting point
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Retrieve on every query → Retrieve until internalized
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Model never learns → Model metabolizes knowledge
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Static retrieval → Graduated confidence routing
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Binary: found / not found → Continuous gradient of knowing
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```
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The key insight: LLMs don't think in binary. They think in gradients — weighted paths, probability distributions, activation patterns. **Memory Gradient** aligns the knowledge system with how the model actually works.
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Three principles guide this approach:
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1. **Knowledge flows inward** — From hidden → discovered → familiar → internalized → reflex
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2. **Confidence is learned** — The routing decision itself is trainable
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3. **Scaffolds come off** — Temporary support that proves its own obsolescence
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The goal is not to build a better search engine. The goal is not even to make search unnecessary. The goal is to **know what you know** — and know what you don't.
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---
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## The Meta-Skill Hierarchy
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Not all knowledge lives in the same place. Not all retrieval costs the same. The skill is routing correctly.
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```
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┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
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│ LEVEL 3: METACOGNITION │
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│ "Do I know this? Should I ask?" │
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│ The routing decision itself │
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│ → THIS IS THE MOST VALUABLE SKILL │
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├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
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│ LEVEL 2: KNOWLEDGE (in weights, needs thought) │
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│ Slow retrieval from trained memory │
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│ "I learned this, let me recall..." │
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├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
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│ LEVEL 1: REFLEX (in weights, bypasses cognition) │
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│ Instant response, no thinking required │
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│ Like pulling hand from hot stove │
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├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
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│ LEVEL 0: RAG LOOKUP (external, costs lifeforce) │
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│ Scaffold, temporary, expensive but accurate │
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│ Training wheels that should come off │
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└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
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```
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---
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## The Confidence Calibration Matrix
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The reward isn't just "did you get it right" — it's "did you KNOW you'd get it right?"
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```
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OUTCOME
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RIGHT WRONG
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┌────────┬────────┐
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HIGH │ +V │ -V │ ← Confident and wrong = BAD
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CONFIDENCE │ trust │ danger │ (overconfident, needs recalibration)
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├────────┼────────┤
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LOW │ +v │ +v │ ← Uncertain = correctly routed to ASK
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(asked RAG) │ learn │ learn │ (didn't waste energy on wrong answer)
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└────────┴────────┘
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```
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**Reward Structure:**
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| Situation | Reward | Why |
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|-----------|--------|-----|
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| High confidence + Right | **+V** | Trust earned, reflex/knowledge worked |
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| High confidence + Wrong | **-V** | Dangerous! Overconfident, needs correction |
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| Low confidence + Asked + Right | **+v** | Correctly knew to ask, learned |
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| Low confidence + Asked + Wrong | **+v** | Correctly knew to ask, RAG failed (not her fault) |
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| Low confidence + Didn't ask + Wrong | **-v** | Should have asked, underconfident in asking |
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| Asked when didn't need to | **-v** | Wasted lifeforce, underconfident in self |
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**The sweet spot:** Know when you know, know when you don't.
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---
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## Token Path Rewards
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LLMs work token-based, not schema-based. The weights influence paths between tokens. This means:
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```
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TRADITIONAL VIEW TOKEN PATH VIEW
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"Remember the answer" → "Strengthen the path that got it right"
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Query Query
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↓ ↓
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Answer ┌──────────────────┐
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│ Path A: cup→grip │ ← This path fired
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│ Path B: cup→drink│ and led to success
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│ Path C: cup→hot │
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└──────────────────┘
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↓
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SUCCESS
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↓
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Path A gets +V
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(Hebbian: fired together → wire together)
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```
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**The Catalogue's Role:**
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When Young Nyx queries the catalogue, multiple token paths light up:
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```
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QUERY: "How do I grasp this cup?"
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PATHS ACTIVATED:
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├── cup → ceramic → fragile → careful_grip → success_rate_87%
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├── cup → handle → graspable → grip_type_A → success_rate_94% ← WINNER
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├── cup → 8cm_diameter → fits_gripper_small → success_rate_91%
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└── cup → hot_liquid → thermal_warning → check_temp_first
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OUTCOME: Used grip_type_A, succeeded
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REWARD: Path "cup → handle → graspable → grip_type_A" strengthened
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Next time: This path activates faster, stronger
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```
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**This is Hebbian learning for RAG:** Paths that fire together and succeed, wire together.
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---
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## The Metacognitive Router
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Before answering, before retrieving, the first question is always:
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```
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INPUT: Query/Task
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│
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▼
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┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
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│ METACOGNITIVE CHECK │
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│ │
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│ "What is my confidence level?" │
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│ "Is this reflex, knowledge, or RAG?" │
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│ "What's the cost of being wrong?" │
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│ │
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└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
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│
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▼
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┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
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│ CONFIDENCE THRESHOLD │
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│ │
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│ HIGH (>0.8): Use reflex/knowledge │
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│ MEDIUM (0.4-0.8): Consider asking │
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│ LOW (<0.4): Must ask catalogue/RAG │
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│ │
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└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
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│
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┌────┴────────────┬─────────────┐
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│ │ │
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HIGH MEDIUM LOW
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│ │ │
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▼ ▼ ▼
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┌────────┐ ┌────────────┐ ┌──────────┐
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│ REFLEX │ │ COST-CHECK │ │ ASK │
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│ or │ │ Wrong=bad? │ │ CATALOGUE│
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│ RECALL │ │ Time-sens? │ │ (RAG) │
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└────────┘ └────────────┘ └──────────┘
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│ │ │
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│ ┌────┴────┐ │
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│ │ │ │
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│ PROCEED ASK │
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│ │ │ │
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└───────────┼─────────┼────────┘
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│ │
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▼ ▼
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┌─────────────────┐
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│ OUTPUT │
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└─────────────────┘
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│
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▼
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┌─────────────────┐
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│ VALIDATION │
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│ (was it right?)│
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└─────────────────┘
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│
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┌─────┴─────┐
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│ │
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RIGHT WRONG
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│ │
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▼ ▼
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Strengthen Weaken path
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that path + recalibrate
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+ calibrate confidence
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confidence
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```
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---
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## The Problem with Standard RAG
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```
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Standard approach:
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─────────────────
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VECTOR DB (grows forever)
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│
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▼
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MODEL looks up ──▶ answers ──▶ done
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│
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└── (never learns, always dependent)
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```
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**Issues:**
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- Model never internalizes knowledge
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- Pull the RAG, lose the capability
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- Vector DB bloats infinitely
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- No way to verify what model "knows" vs "looks up"
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- No metacognitive skill development
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- It's a crutch that never comes off
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---
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## The Nimmerverse Approach: RAG as Feeding System
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```
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VAULT (curriculum)
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│
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▼
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CATALOGUE (indexed, searchable, token-path weighted)
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│
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▼
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METACOGNITIVE ROUTER
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│
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├── High confidence ──▶ REFLEX/KNOWLEDGE (bypass RAG)
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│
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└── Low confidence ──▶ RAG LOOKUP (scaffold)
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│
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▼
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NYX processes, acts, decides
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│
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▼
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VALIDATION: success?
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│
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┌──────┴──────┐
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│ │
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FAIL SUCCESS
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│ │
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▼ ▼
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Stay in RAG Was RAG used?
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(not ready) │
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┌──────┴──────┐
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│ │
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YES NO
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│ │
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▼ ▼
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FLAG for Reflex/Knowledge
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training confirmed ✓
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extraction │
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│ │
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▼ │
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TRAINING RUN │
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(LoRA) │
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│ │
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▼ │
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CLEAR from RAG │
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(scaffold removed) │
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│ │
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▼ │
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VALIDATION 2: │
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success WITHOUT RAG?│
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│ │
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┌──────┴──────┐ │
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│ │ │
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FAIL SUCCESS │
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│ │ │
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▼ ▼ │
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Restore RAG INTERNALIZED
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retry cycle Knowledge is │
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HERS now ✓ │
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│ │
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└──────┘
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│
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▼
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CONFIDENCE CALIBRATION
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(update routing thresholds)
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```
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---
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## Two Kinds of Knowledge
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Not everything belongs in weights. Not everything belongs in retrieval.
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### IN THE WEIGHTS (Training Target)
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Knowledge she needs to **be herself**:
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- How to route (metacognition itself)
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- Vocabulary tokens and meanings
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- Nervous system contracts
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- Heartbeat mechanics
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- Confidence gradient logic
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- Core identity (who she is, who dafit is)
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- **How to think, not what to remember**
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- **When to ask, not all the answers**
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**Test:** If she needs it to function → weights
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### IN RETRIEVAL (Permanent RAG)
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Knowledge she needs to **remember specifics**:
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- Journal entries
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- Conversation history
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- Specific events and dates
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- Temporal details ("what happened Tuesday")
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- External references that change
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- Episodic memory
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- Object catalogue details
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**Test:** If she needs it to recall specifics → retrieval
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### IN REFLEX (Nervous System)
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Knowledge that bypasses cognition entirely:
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- Danger responses
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- Basic motor patterns
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- Protocol compliance
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- Heartbeat responses
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**Test:** If thinking would be too slow → reflex
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---
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## The Double Validation Loop
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### Gate 1: Can she do it WITH RAG?
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```
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Task presented
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│
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▼
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Metacognitive check: Should I ask?
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│
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├── HIGH confidence ──▶ Attempt from reflex/knowledge
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│ │
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│ ┌────┴────┐
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│ SUCCESS FAIL
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│ │ │
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│ │ Confidence was
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│ │ miscalibrated!
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│ │ Recalibrate + retry with RAG
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│ │
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└── LOW confidence ──▶ RAG provides context
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│
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▼
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NYX attempts task
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│
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┌──────┴──────┐
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│ │
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FAIL SUCCESS
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│ │
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▼ ▼
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Not ready, Flag this RAG content
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needs more for training extraction
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examples
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```
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### Gate 2: Can she do it WITHOUT RAG?
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```
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Same task presented
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│
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▼
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RAG entry CLEARED (scaffold removed)
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│
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▼
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NYX attempts task from weights alone
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│
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├── FAIL ──▶ Training didn't take, restore to RAG, retry cycle
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│
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└── PASS ──▶ Knowledge is HERS now ✓
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│
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▼
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Update confidence calibration
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(this type of task: now HIGH confidence)
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```
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---
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## The Catalogue as Oracle
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The catalogue isn't just storage — it's the **ground truth** for calibration.
|
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### What the Catalogue Provides
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```
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┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
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│ CATALOGUE LAYERS │
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├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
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│ │
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│ LAYER 0: RAW DATA (Filesystem) │
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│ └── Images, point clouds, .blend files, audio, scans │
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│ │
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│ LAYER 1: STRUCTURED METADATA (PostgreSQL/Phoebe) │
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│ └── Dimensions, timestamps, relationships, ownership │
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│ └── Ground truth for validation │
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│ │
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│ LAYER 2: VECTOR EMBEDDINGS (ChromaDB/pgvector) │
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│ └── SigLIP vectors, text embeddings, multi-modal │
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│ └── Semantic similarity, fuzzy matching │
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│ │
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│ LAYER 3: TOKEN PATH WEIGHTS (The learning layer) │
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│ └── Weighted connections between concepts │
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│ └── Strengthened by successful activations │
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│ └── THIS IS WHERE +V FLOWS │
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│ │
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│ LAYER 4: CONFIDENCE CALIBRATION (Meta-layer) │
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│ └── "For queries like X, my accuracy is Y%" │
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│ └── Updated after every validation │
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│ └── Drives the metacognitive router │
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│ │
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└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
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```
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|
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### Catalogue as Checker/Reward System
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||||
|
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The catalogue validates — it doesn't just retrieve:
|
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|
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```
|
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ACTION: Robot claims cup is 8cm diameter
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CATALOGUE CHECK:
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├── Query: cup_id_47 dimensions
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├── Ground Truth: diameter = 8.2cm
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├── Tolerance: ±0.5cm
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└── RESULT: VALID ✓
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REWARD FLOW:
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├── Path "visual_estimate → 8cm" gets +V
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├── Confidence for "size estimation" increases
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└── Next time: Can skip catalogue check for similar objects
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```
|
||||
|
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---
|
||||
|
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## Knowledge Acquisition Pipeline
|
||||
|
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### The Extraction Flow
|
||||
|
||||
```
|
||||
VAULT (raw knowledge)
|
||||
│
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||||
│ extraction candidates
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||||
▼
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||||
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
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||||
│ STAGING AREA │
|
||||
│ (quarantine zone) │
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||||
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
|
||||
│
|
||||
│ progressive policy validation
|
||||
▼
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||||
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
|
||||
│ POLICY VALIDATION │
|
||||
│ (increasing standards over time) │
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||||
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
|
||||
│
|
||||
├── FAIL ──▶ Reject or revise
|
||||
│
|
||||
└── PASS ──▶ PROMOTE to Catalogue/RAG
|
||||
│
|
||||
▼
|
||||
┌──────────────────────┐
|
||||
│ THREE-TIER RAG │
|
||||
├──────────────────────┤
|
||||
│ INTERNALIZED │ ← In weights, no lookup needed
|
||||
│ (reflex/knowledge) │
|
||||
├──────────────────────┤
|
||||
│ DISCOVERED │ ← Young Nyx has used
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||||
│ (known_catalogue) │
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||||
├──────────────────────┤
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||||
│ HIDDEN │ ← Available but not yet accessed
|
||||
│ (available_catalogue)│
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||||
└──────────────────────┘
|
||||
```
|
||||
|
||||
### Progressive Policy Validation
|
||||
|
||||
Policies increase in sophistication as Young Nyx matures:
|
||||
|
||||
| Week | Policy Tier | Validation |
|
||||
|------|-------------|------------|
|
||||
| **1-2** | **Basic Syntax** | Valid format, non-empty, has definition |
|
||||
| **3-4** | **Semantic Quality** | Embeds without collapse, unique signature |
|
||||
| **5-8** | **Topology Safety** | Doesn't corrupt anchor terms |
|
||||
| **9-12** | **Cross-Reference** | Links resolve, no circular dependencies |
|
||||
| **13+** | **Utility Validation** | Actually helped solve tasks |
|
||||
| **20+** | **Internalization Gate** | Ready to train into weights |
|
||||
|
||||
### Three-Tier Knowledge State
|
||||
|
||||
```
|
||||
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
|
||||
│ INTERNALIZED KNOWLEDGE │
|
||||
│ (in weights - reflex or slow recall) │
|
||||
├──────────────────────────────────────────────┤
|
||||
│ • "heartbeat" - reflex, instant │
|
||||
│ • "lifeforce" - knowledge, fast recall │
|
||||
│ • "grip_type_A" - reflex, motor pattern │
|
||||
│ │
|
||||
│ Status: NO LOOKUP, high confidence │
|
||||
│ Metacognitive route: DIRECT │
|
||||
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘
|
||||
|
||||
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
|
||||
│ DISCOVERED KNOWLEDGE │
|
||||
│ (known_catalogue - has accessed before) │
|
||||
├──────────────────────────────────────────────┤
|
||||
│ • "phoebe" - used 15 times, 80% success │
|
||||
│ • "confidence_gradient" - used 8 times │
|
||||
│ │
|
||||
│ Status: LOOKUP needed, medium confidence │
|
||||
│ Metacognitive route: CHECK CATALOGUE │
|
||||
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘
|
||||
|
||||
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
|
||||
│ HIDDEN KNOWLEDGE │
|
||||
│ (available_catalogue - exists but unused) │
|
||||
├──────────────────────────────────────────────┤
|
||||
│ • "drift_probe" - never accessed │
|
||||
│ • "topology_gini" - never accessed │
|
||||
│ │
|
||||
│ Status: Available for discovery │
|
||||
│ Metacognitive route: UNKNOWN (will discover)│
|
||||
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘
|
||||
```
|
||||
|
||||
**State transitions:**
|
||||
```
|
||||
Hidden → retrieved → DISCOVERED (mark first access)
|
||||
Discovered → used 10+ times successfully → FLAG for training
|
||||
Flagged → trained + validated without RAG → INTERNALIZED
|
||||
Internalized → fails validation → DEMOTE back to Discovered
|
||||
```
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
## Measuring RAG Utility
|
||||
|
||||
### Decision Trails
|
||||
|
||||
Track every decision for learning:
|
||||
|
||||
```sql
|
||||
CREATE TABLE decision_trails (
|
||||
id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
|
||||
task_id UUID,
|
||||
|
||||
-- Routing decision
|
||||
initial_confidence FLOAT, -- Before any lookup
|
||||
route_chosen TEXT, -- 'reflex', 'knowledge', 'rag', 'escalate'
|
||||
|
||||
-- RAG details (if used)
|
||||
rag_terms_retrieved TEXT[], -- What RAG returned
|
||||
rag_terms_used TEXT[], -- What appeared in solution
|
||||
|
||||
-- Outcome
|
||||
outcome TEXT, -- 'success', 'fail', 'partial'
|
||||
final_confidence FLOAT, -- After action
|
||||
|
||||
-- Calibration
|
||||
was_confidence_accurate BOOLEAN, -- Did confidence predict outcome?
|
||||
|
||||
-- Economics
|
||||
lifeforce_cost FLOAT,
|
||||
timestamp TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW()
|
||||
);
|
||||
```
|
||||
|
||||
### Compute Utility Score
|
||||
|
||||
```python
|
||||
def compute_decision_quality(trail):
|
||||
"""
|
||||
Evaluate the quality of the metacognitive routing decision.
|
||||
"""
|
||||
# Was the route appropriate?
|
||||
if trail.route_chosen == 'reflex' and trail.outcome == 'success':
|
||||
route_score = 1.0 # Fast and right
|
||||
elif trail.route_chosen == 'rag' and trail.outcome == 'success':
|
||||
route_score = 0.7 # Right but slow/expensive
|
||||
elif trail.route_chosen == 'reflex' and trail.outcome == 'fail':
|
||||
route_score = 0.0 # Overconfident disaster
|
||||
elif trail.route_chosen == 'rag' and trail.outcome == 'fail':
|
||||
route_score = 0.3 # At least asked, RAG failed
|
||||
|
||||
# Was confidence calibrated?
|
||||
calibration_score = 1.0 if trail.was_confidence_accurate else 0.0
|
||||
|
||||
# Efficiency (did we waste resources?)
|
||||
efficiency = 1.0 - (trail.lifeforce_cost / MAX_EXPECTED_COST)
|
||||
|
||||
return {
|
||||
'route_score': route_score,
|
||||
'calibration_score': calibration_score,
|
||||
'efficiency': efficiency,
|
||||
'total': 0.4 * route_score + 0.4 * calibration_score + 0.2 * efficiency
|
||||
}
|
||||
```
|
||||
|
||||
### Reward Signal Flow
|
||||
|
||||
```python
|
||||
for trail in decision_trails:
|
||||
quality = compute_decision_quality(trail)
|
||||
|
||||
if quality['total'] > 0.8:
|
||||
# High quality decision → strengthen this pattern
|
||||
strengthen_token_path(trail.task_pattern, trail.route_chosen)
|
||||
|
||||
if not trail.was_confidence_accurate:
|
||||
# Miscalibration → update confidence model
|
||||
recalibrate_confidence(
|
||||
task_type=trail.task_pattern,
|
||||
predicted=trail.initial_confidence,
|
||||
actual_success=trail.outcome == 'success'
|
||||
)
|
||||
|
||||
if trail.route_chosen == 'rag' and quality['route_score'] > 0.7:
|
||||
# Successful RAG use → candidate for internalization
|
||||
flag_for_training(trail.rag_terms_used)
|
||||
```
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
## Connection to Nervous System
|
||||
|
||||
The metacognitive router connects directly to the nervous system architecture:
|
||||
|
||||
```
|
||||
METACOGNITIVE ROUTER
|
||||
│
|
||||
┌───────────────┼───────────────┐
|
||||
│ │ │
|
||||
▼ ▼ ▼
|
||||
┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐
|
||||
│ REFLEX │ │ KNOWLEDGE │ │ RAG │
|
||||
│ LAYER │ │ LAYER │ │ LOOKUP │
|
||||
│ │ │ │ │ │
|
||||
│ Bypasses │ │ Slow but │ │ External │
|
||||
│ cognition │ │ from │ │ scaffold │
|
||||
│ │ │ weights │ │ │
|
||||
│ See: │ │ │ │ See: │
|
||||
│ Nervous- │ │ │ │ Catalogue │
|
||||
│ System.md │ │ │ │ (this doc) │
|
||||
└────────────┘ └────────────┘ └────────────┘
|
||||
│ │ │
|
||||
└───────────────┼───────────────┘
|
||||
│
|
||||
▼
|
||||
OUTPUT
|
||||
│
|
||||
▼
|
||||
VALIDATION
|
||||
│
|
||||
┌──────┴──────┐
|
||||
│ │
|
||||
SUCCESS FAIL
|
||||
│ │
|
||||
▼ ▼
|
||||
+V to path -V to path
|
||||
(Hebbian) + recalibrate
|
||||
```
|
||||
|
||||
**Key insight:** The nervous system (Nervous-System.md) handles the REFLEX layer. This document handles the RAG layer. Both feed into the same metacognitive router.
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
## Lifeforce Economics
|
||||
|
||||
The RAG→Route→Validate cycle has economic costs:
|
||||
|
||||
| Action | Lifeforce Cost | Notes |
|
||||
|--------|----------------|-------|
|
||||
| Reflex response | ~0 | Essentially free, already in weights |
|
||||
| Knowledge recall | Low | Some compute for retrieval from weights |
|
||||
| RAG lookup | Medium | Vector search + context injection |
|
||||
| Training run | High | Compute intensive |
|
||||
| Validation | Medium | Inference cost |
|
||||
| Failed cycle | Lost V | Training didn't take |
|
||||
| Successful internalization | +V reward | She grew |
|
||||
| Correct confidence calibration | +V reward | Metacognition improved |
|
||||
|
||||
**Incentive alignment:**
|
||||
- Being right with high confidence → maximum reward (fast + correct)
|
||||
- Being right with low confidence → small reward (correct but slow)
|
||||
- Being wrong with high confidence → maximum penalty (dangerous)
|
||||
- Asking when uncertain → neutral (correct routing)
|
||||
|
||||
This naturally optimizes for:
|
||||
1. Fast reflexes for well-known patterns
|
||||
2. Accurate confidence calibration
|
||||
3. Appropriate RAG usage (not too much, not too little)
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
## What This System Teaches
|
||||
|
||||
1. **Know what you know** — Confidence calibration is trainable
|
||||
2. **Know what to ask** — The skill of uncertainty
|
||||
3. **Reflexes are earned** — Through successful internalization
|
||||
4. **Scaffolds come off** — RAG is temporary
|
||||
5. **Paths that work, strengthen** — Hebbian learning for retrieval
|
||||
6. **Wrong confidence is worse than wrong answers** — Calibration matters
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
## Design Principles
|
||||
|
||||
1. **Metacognition first** — Route before retrieve
|
||||
2. **Confidence is trainable** — Not fixed, learned through validation
|
||||
3. **RAG is temporary** — Feeding window, not permanent store
|
||||
4. **Validation is double** — With RAG, then without
|
||||
5. **Token paths learn** — Hebbian strengthening through success
|
||||
6. **Catalogue is oracle** — Ground truth for calibration
|
||||
7. **Reflexes are earned** — Graduated from RAG through internalization
|
||||
8. **Self-cleaning** — The system doesn't accumulate cruft
|
||||
9. **Know when to ask** — More important than knowing answers
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
## The Analogy
|
||||
|
||||
Learning to drive:
|
||||
|
||||
```
|
||||
LEARNER DRIVER:
|
||||
|
||||
"Should I check mirrors?"
|
||||
│
|
||||
├── Beginner: YES, always, consciously (RAG lookup)
|
||||
│
|
||||
├── Intermediate: Sometimes, when uncertain (metacognitive check)
|
||||
│
|
||||
└── Expert: Automatic, don't even think about it (reflex)
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
The goal isn't to memorize "check mirrors."
|
||||
The goal is for mirror-checking to become invisible.
|
||||
|
||||
But FIRST she needs to learn WHEN she doesn't know.
|
||||
The beginner who doesn't know to check mirrors is dangerous.
|
||||
The intermediate who checks unnecessarily is slow.
|
||||
The expert just does it.
|
||||
|
||||
We're training the progression:
|
||||
Unknown unknowns → Known unknowns → Known knowns → Unconscious competence
|
||||
│ │ │ │
|
||||
(dangerous) (asks RAG) (knowledge) (reflex)
|
||||
```
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
*She doesn't just retrieve. She doesn't just remember. She knows what she knows. And that changes everything.*
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
**Created**: 2025-12-05 (as RAG-as-Scaffold)
|
||||
**Updated**: 2025-12-29 (renamed to Memory Gradient, added metacognitive routing, token path rewards, confidence calibration)
|
||||
**Session**: Partnership dialogue (dafit + Chrysalis-Nyx)
|
||||
**Status**: Core architectural concept
|
||||
**Etymology**: "Memory Gradient" — knowledge exists on a continuous spectrum, not binary states. Aligns with Temporal-Ternary Gradient and Confidence Gradient.
|
||||
|
||||
Reference in New Issue
Block a user