Skip to content

INDB: Conceptual Alignment

Alignment of code, documentation, and philosophy. Inhale — Exhale — Axiom.

Date: 2026-03
Version: 0.7.0

1. Core: Inhale → Exhale → Axiom

Phase Meaning Endpoint / Protocol Pre-Hermes With Hermes
Inhale Accept raw reality POST /events, UDP, gRPC, WebSocket ✅ ✅ + MCP ingest_event
Exhale Compress noise, exhale meaning Fusion + POST /interpret ✅ ✅ (same backend)
Axiom Signed, immutable memory All responses Ed25519 ✅ ✅
Resonate Semantic search GET /search, Echo, Prism ✅ ✅ + MCP query_events

Conclusion: Hermes is another Inhale source (MCP) and Exhale consumer (query). Same INDB, same flow. Conceptually nothing changes.

1.1. Hermes is a Module — Pluggable

Hermes is a module like any other (moltbook, etc.). It is pluggable — the system must work when Hermes is connected or disconnected.

  • Hermes enabled: MCP ingest/query, HermesConnector polls sessions. Extra Inhale/Exhale paths.
  • Hermes disabled: HERMES_ENABLED=false — connector does not start. REST, UDP, gRPC, other modules unchanged.
  • No Hermes at all: INDB core (ingest, fusion, interpret, search, echo, prism) works via REST. No dependency on Hermes.

All modules follow this principle: enable/disable without breaking core.

2. No Hardcoding (PHILOSOPHY.md §7)

"No hardcoded values — meaning is observer-dependent, context-dependent, never fixed"

Implementation: - All thresholds, defaults, placeholders — in core/constants.py - INTERPRET_*, EVENT_RESPONSE_MISSING_*, PRISM_*, ECHO_*, etc. - JITRenderer, routes, kernel, indb — use constants - When input is missing — fallback from constants, not magic strings

Documentation: docs/index.md — "Zero Hardcoded Values ✅"

3. docs/* Alignment

Document Key Points Status
PHILOSOPHY.md Inhale/Exhale, no hardcode, observer context ✅
README.md Inhale-Exhale-Axiom, Mass = Count × Rep² ✅
USE_CASES.md Legal, Healthcare, Finance, Journalism, IoT ✅
API.md POST /interpret = Exhale, not Lens ✅ fixed
TECHNICAL_REFERENCE.md scan(), JITRenderer, filter_key ✅
CONTEXTUAL_LENS.md Triple-Half, POST /lens/query ✅
HERMES_INDB_WORKFLOW.md MCP ingest/query, HermesConnector ✅
HERMES_INTEGRATION_SCENARIOS.md Scenarios 1–5 ✅
QUERY_COOKBOOK.md /events, /search, /interpret ✅

4. Interpret vs Lens Separation

Endpoint Purpose Concept
POST /interpret Scan memory with mood/goal, JIT rendering Exhale — exhale meaning
POST /lens/query Triple-Half (context_a + context_b, ratio) Contextual Lens — blend perspectives
POST /prism/synthesize Perception paradox, alternative_readings Prism — competing readings

Previously API.md 1.4 had "Contextual Scan (Lens)" for /interpret — fixed to "Exhale — Contextual Interpretation".

5. Flow Before and After Hermes

Before Hermes

Client → POST /events (ingest)
Client → GET /events (list)
Client → POST /interpret (exhale)
Client → GET /search (resonate)

With Hermes

Hermes → MCP ingest_event  → POST /events (same)
Hermes → MCP query_events  → kernel.query() → scan() (same)
Hermes → MCP get_stats     → stats

Source Connector: INDB polls ~/.hermes/sessions/ → ingests as events. Another Inhale source.

6. Constants (core/constants.py)

Interpretation: - INTERPRET_MOOD_DEFAULT, INTERPRET_FIREWALL_MODE_DEFAULT - INTERPRET_ACTIVATION_*, INTERPRET_TEMPORAL_* - INTERPRET_EMPTY_*, EVENT_RESPONSE_MISSING_* - INTERPRET_TOKEN_NEGATIVE/POSITIVE/HIGH_ENERGY

Principle: Input (request, event) → output (response). When input is missing — use constant, do not invent.

7. Integrity Checklist

  • [x] All philosophy — in PHILOSOPHY.md
  • [x] All architecture — in README, TECHNICAL_REFERENCE
  • [x] API — in API.md, QUERY_COOKBOOK
  • [x] Hermes — in HERMES_*.md (as pluggable module)
  • [x] No hardcoding — in constants.py
  • [x] Interpret ≠ Lens — in API.md
  • [x] Inhale/Exhale/Resonate — in API.md, index.md

"Inhale the chaos. Exhale the noise. Remember the Axiom."