Storyline Manifest
activeMachine-readable index of all .storyline/ files — read this first. Updated March 2026: four-file consolidation — the-human.md, dynamics.md, operations.md, and universe/themes.md absorbed into universe/constitution.md and crew/README.md.
indexmeta
.storyline/ Manifest
For AI agents: Read this file first. It tells you what exists, what each file does, and how they connect. You almost never need to read all files — use this to pick the 2-3 you actually need.
Quick Reference
| File | Summary | Tags | Grounded |
|---|---|---|---|
README.md | Entry point — the recruiting pitch, the offer, the workshop arc, crew intro, how the system works | overview, onboarding | — |
releases.md | The Record — each release annotated as a Campaign arc: narrative beat, character lead, thematic thread, shipped Deltas | the-record, releases, campaigns, narrative | Yes (at creation) |
voice.md | UX voice guide — how Sal + crew speak in empty/success/error/loading states, crew-tinted panels | voice, ux-copy, tone | — |
brand.md | Visual identity — name rationale, HUD color system, crew colors, typography, design principles, canonical art | brand, visual, colors | — |
tick-engine.md | 4-phase Tick architecture — Observation, Intent, Resolution, Telemetry. Signals published via the Context Bus. VictoriaMetrics as time-series storage. | live, infrastructure, agents, tick | Yes |
context-bus.md | Crew communication infrastructure. LIVE — the Context Bus is the central nervous system. Agent-to-agent intent during Tick is in-process. | live, communication, infrastructure | Yes |
| Universe | |||
universe/overview.md | Human-friendly onboarding to the world — The Black Hole, The Other Side, The Machine, HUD, journey narrative, Universe Portfolio | world, setting, lore, onboarding | Yes |
universe/physics.md | Three dials (alpha innovation, beta collaboration, gamma efficiency), four laws, U_global, pipeline states as expression | physics, dials, dynamics | Yes |
universe/metabolism.md | Energy physics: E_i as credits, three metabolic layers (compute/communication/storage), four states, tier model, credit packs | metabolism, energy, billing | In-design |
universe/mainframe.md | The Mainframe — universe admin interface, root access to all components, boot component health check, component monitoring | infrastructure, mainframe, terminal, admin | Yes |
universe/blueprint.md | The Blueprint — TOML-based universe config. Export, version-control, deploy. Gated by active release. Reconciliation semantics. | blueprint, config, toml, gitops, deploy | Yes (LIVE) |
universe/constitution.md | The complete foundation — Themes (6 pillars), The Human (captain’s arc, sovereignty as physics), Network States, Steady-State Economy, Recursive Ethic, leverage types, Definite Optimism, temporal horizons, Execution Moat, 5 Constitutional Articles, Shape Up, Operations (10 Rules, pipeline states, WIP limits, human authority, 7-Day Window) | ideology, philosophy, economics, constitution, themes, human, operations | — |
universe/genesis-protocol.md | The Creator’s mandate, objective function, calibration dials, Dynamic Control Plane — how the universe actually works | physics, creator, mechanics | — |
universe/unit-economics.md | Workshop economics — UVP formula as pricing foundation, code leverage, enterprise value, Universe Health Score, pricing arc | economics, workshop, finance, unit-economics | — |
| HUD | |||
hud/overview.md | The HUD — lens + controls, visor modes, mechanism chain (issues > projects > releases), who wears the helmet | component, hud, interface | Yes |
| Observatory | |||
observatory/overview.md | The Observatory — research visor mode, research-to-Library flow, component ownership, actions, MCP tools, events | component, observatory, research | Yes |
observatory/intel.md | Intel missions — Kano studies, UVP Methodology, four signal streams, PMF Validation Gate | intel, kano, research, missions | Yes |
observatory/personas.md | Synthetic personas — AI-powered interviews, Kano surveys, scenario simulation, persona-issue linking | personas, research, ai | Yes |
| Pipeline | |||
pipeline/overview.md | The Pipeline — living intelligent throughput, The Machine, issues/gates/releases, self-awareness, Campaign arc | component, pipeline, throughput | Yes |
pipeline/boards.md | Boards — Intake Board as universe front gate, named work tracks (Discovery/Delivery), board-scoped labels, issue permanence | boards, intake, work-tracks | Yes |
pipeline/intake.md | Intake — how work enters the system, triage, routing to boards | intake, triage, routing | Yes |
pipeline/projects.md | Projects — product-area containers, project-scoped entities (issues, releases, tags, personas, API keys) | projects, organization | Yes |
pipeline/value-streams.md | Value Streams — multi-stream universe, each project has independent pipeline state contributing to U_global | value-streams, projects, pipeline | Yes (LIVE) |
| Library | |||
| Wormholes | |||
wormholes/overview.md | The Wormholes — channels between worlds, protocols (email/Slack/WhatsApp/Teams/webhook), Beacon as public wormhole | component, wormholes, channels | In-design |
| Crew | |||
crew/README.md | Crew roster + full dynamics — org chart, alliance structures, The Collective, conflict patterns, feedback loops, team manifesto, when things go wrong, core loop, how each agent relates to the human | crew, index, org, agents, dynamics, conflict, collective | — |
crew/sal.md | Software Sal — personality spectrum, WIP philosophy, overseer role, relationships, backstory | character, sal, conductor | — |
crew/margot.md | Margot Flux — Vision/Intel dual modes, absorbed Vesper’s intel capability, backstory | character, margot, product | — |
crew/kael.md | Kael Deepstack — 5 engineering modes, Lloyd Christmas energy, absorbed 4 specialties, backstory | character, kael, engineering | — |
crew/wren.md | Wren Glasswork — taste authority, research authority, design principles mechanism, backstory | character, wren, design | — |
crew/harlan.md | Harlan Closer — 4 customer modes, transporter ability, absorbed Nova’s GTM, backstory | character, harlan, customer | — |
crew/collective.md | The crew as gestalt — god tier framing, Orientation Protocol, Human Profile system, Sector 137 as their own project | collective, team, orientation-protocol | Yes |
Component Ownership Model
Every universe has 6 components. Each component is owned by a crew member who is its primary operator and design authority. Each component exposes its own MCP server, slash command, CLI surface, and SDK resource.
| Component | Owner | Directory | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pipeline | Sal | pipeline/ | Living intelligent throughput — boards, intake, projects, value streams, releases |
| Observatory | Margot | observatory/ | Research portal — intel missions, personas, prototypes, UVP methodology |
| HUD | Wren | hud/ | The helmet interface — visor modes, controls, mechanism chain |
| Wormholes | Harlan | wormholes/ | Channels between worlds — email, Slack, webhooks, the Beacon |
| Universe | Sal | universe/ | World-level config, physics, metabolism, blueprint, constitution, mainframe |
File Categories
Foundation (read these for full universe understanding)
README.md— Start hereuniverse/overview.md— The world (includes Universe Portfolio)universe/genesis-protocol.md— The physics (how the universe works mechanically: objective function, Creator, Dynamic Control Plane)universe/constitution.md— The complete ideological, operational, and thematic foundation — themes, the human arc, what the crew believes, operations and rules, 10 Rules, pipeline states, human authority. Read this for everything previously inthe-human.md,operations.md, anduniverse/themes.md.releases.md— The Record (product release history annotated as Campaign arcs)
Voice & Brand (read these for any user-facing output)
voice.md— How to write as the crewbrand.md— Visual identity and design system
Workshop & Economics (read these for commercial operations)
universe/unit-economics.md— Workshop unit economics, enterprise value, pricing strategy
Characters (read the specific character you need)
crew/README.md— Full crew dynamics — roster, relationships, alliance structures, conflict patterns, feedback loops, manifesto. Previously required readingdynamics.mdseparately; all that content is now here.crew/sal.md|crew/margot.md|crew/kael.md|crew/wren.md|crew/harlan.mdcrew/collective.md— The crew as gestalt entity (read after individual characters)
Infrastructure & Systems (implemented)
tick-engine.md— Tick Engine architecture (LIVE — Context Bus + telemetry + structured logs)context-bus.md— Context Bus (LIVE — central nervous system of the crew)
Components (the anatomy of every universe)
Each component has its own top-level directory with an overview.md and specialized sub-files:
- Pipeline (
pipeline/) — The Machinepipeline/overview.md— Living intelligent throughputpipeline/boards.md— Work tracks and Intake Boardpipeline/intake.md— How work enters the systempipeline/projects.md— Product-area containerspipeline/value-streams.md— Multi-stream universe topology
- Observatory (
observatory/) — Research portalobservatory/overview.md— Research visor modeobservatory/intel.md— Kano studies, UVP methodology, PMF gateobservatory/personas.md— Synthetic user research
- HUD (
hud/) — The helmet interfacehud/overview.md— Lens, controls, visor modes
- Wormholes (
wormholes/) — Channels between worldswormholes/overview.md— Email, Slack, webhooks, the Beacon
- Universe (
universe/) — World-level configurationuniverse/overview.md— Human-friendly onboardinguniverse/physics.md— Three dials and four lawsuniverse/metabolism.md— Energy credits, tiers, metabolic statesuniverse/mainframe.md— Universe admin interfaceuniverse/blueprint.md— TOML config, export/deploy, GitOpsuniverse/constitution.md— Complete foundation: themes, the human, ideology, constitution, operationsuniverse/genesis-protocol.md— The Creator’s mandateuniverse/unit-economics.md— Workshop economics
Dependency Graph
README.md (entry point) ├── universe/overview.md ← brand.md, universe/unit-economics.md │ └── universe/genesis-protocol.md ← universe/overview.md, universe/constitution.md ├── releases.md ← universe/overview.md, crew/sal.md, universe/constitution.md ├── universe/constitution.md ← universe/overview.md, crew/collective.md, universe/genesis-protocol.md, universe/unit-economics.md ├── universe/unit-economics.md ← universe/overview.md, universe/genesis-protocol.md, universe/constitution.md, observatory/intel.md ├── crew/README.md ← crew/*.md │ └── crew/collective.md ← crew/*.md, universe/constitution.md ├── voice.md ← brand.md, crew/README.md ├── context-bus.md (live, standalone) ├── tick-engine.md ← context-bus.md, universe/constitution.md ├── hud/overview.md ← universe/overview.md, brand.md ├── observatory/overview.md ← crew/harlan.md, crew/wren.md, crew/margot.md │ ├── observatory/intel.md ← observatory/overview.md, universe/unit-economics.md │ └── observatory/personas.md ← observatory/overview.md, crew/margot.md ├── pipeline/overview.md ← universe/overview.md, universe/constitution.md, universe/genesis-protocol.md │ ├── pipeline/boards.md ← pipeline/overview.md │ ├── pipeline/intake.md ← pipeline/overview.md, pipeline/boards.md │ ├── pipeline/projects.md ← pipeline/overview.md, pipeline/value-streams.md │ └── pipeline/value-streams.md ← pipeline/overview.md, universe/blueprint.md, universe/constitution.md ├── wormholes/overview.md ← universe/overview.md, crew/harlan.md, context-bus.md ├── universe/physics.md ← universe/genesis-protocol.md, universe/overview.md, universe/constitution.md ├── universe/metabolism.md ← universe/genesis-protocol.md, universe/overview.md, universe/constitution.md, universe/physics.md ├── universe/mainframe.md ← universe/overview.md, crew/sal.md, universe/blueprint.md ├── universe/blueprint.md ← universe/genesis-protocol.md, universe/constitution.md, pipeline/overview.md └── universe/unit-economics.md ← universe/overview.md, universe/genesis-protocol.md, observatory/intel.mdKey Concepts (cross-cutting)
| Concept | Defined In | Referenced By |
|---|---|---|
| Delta (unit of work) | universe/constitution.md | crew/sal.md, releases.md |
| Campaign (strategic arc) | releases.md | crew/margot.md |
| The Record (release arcs) | releases.md | universe/overview.md, crew/sal.md |
| The Other Side | universe/overview.md | README.md |
| The Machine | universe/overview.md | README.md, brand.md |
| Pipeline States | universe/constitution.md | crew/sal.md, context-bus.md |
| Taste Authority | crew/wren.md | crew/README.md, universe/constitution.md |
| The Transporter | crew/harlan.md | observatory/overview.md, universe/overview.md |
| HUD Color Tokens | brand.md | voice.md, crew/README.md |
| The 10 Rules | universe/constitution.md | crew/README.md |
| The Override Record | universe/constitution.md | crew/sal.md |
| Design Principles | crew/wren.md | crew/README.md, voice.md |
| Customer Signal Report | crew/README.md | crew/harlan.md, crew/margot.md |
| The Collective | crew/collective.md | crew/README.md |
| Orientation Protocol | crew/collective.md | — |
| Human Profile | crew/collective.md | crew/README.md |
| Steel-Manning Protocol | crew/collective.md | universe/constitution.md |
| The Scoreboard | crew/collective.md | universe/constitution.md |
| Network States | universe/constitution.md | universe/overview.md |
| Three Temporal Horizons | universe/constitution.md | crew/collective.md |
| The Grand Slam Offer | README.md | universe/unit-economics.md |
| The Workshop (Act 6) | README.md | universe/unit-economics.md |
| Hormozi Value Equation | README.md | universe/unit-economics.md, universe/constitution.md |
| Workshop Unit Economics | universe/unit-economics.md | README.md |
| Code Leverage | universe/unit-economics.md | universe/constitution.md |
| Universe Value Potential (UVP) | observatory/intel.md, universe/unit-economics.md | README.md |
| Intel-to-Pricing Pipeline | README.md | observatory/intel.md, universe/unit-economics.md |
| Likelihood Coefficient | observatory/intel.md | universe/unit-economics.md |
| Universe Health Score | universe/unit-economics.md | README.md |
| PMF Validation Gate | observatory/intel.md | README.md |
| Mission Alignment Scoring | README.md | crew/harlan.md |
| Universe Portfolio | universe/overview.md, universe/unit-economics.md | README.md |
| The Execution Moat | universe/constitution.md | universe/unit-economics.md |
| The Genesis Protocol | universe/genesis-protocol.md | universe/overview.md, universe/constitution.md |
| Objective Function | universe/genesis-protocol.md | universe/constitution.md, crew/sal.md |
| Dynamic Control Plane | universe/genesis-protocol.md | universe/constitution.md, crew/sal.md |
| U_global (Universal Health) | universe/genesis-protocol.md | universe/constitution.md, universe/overview.md |
| The Constitution (5 Articles) | universe/constitution.md | crew/collective.md |
| The 7-Day Window | universe/constitution.md, universe/overview.md | crew/collective.md |
| Universe Stabilization | universe/overview.md | universe/constitution.md, crew/collective.md |
| Human Taxonomy | universe/constitution.md | hud/overview.md, wormholes/overview.md |
| Human Sovereignty as Physics | universe/constitution.md, universe/genesis-protocol.md | crew/collective.md |
| Translation (core theme) | universe/constitution.md | README.md |
| Team Manifesto | crew/README.md | universe/constitution.md |
| Conflict Patterns | crew/README.md | — |
| Feedback Loops (3) | crew/README.md | — |
| Component Ownership | ||
| Visor Modes | hud/overview.md | observatory/overview.md, pipeline/overview.md, library/overview.md |
| Wormholes (Channels) | wormholes/overview.md | crew/harlan.md |
| Agent-Component Duality | crew/README.md | pipeline/overview.md |
| Mechanism Chain (Issues > Projects > Releases) | hud/overview.md | pipeline/overview.md |
| The Beacon (Public Wormhole) | wormholes/overview.md | universe/overview.md |
| Energy & Metabolism | ||
| The Metabolism | universe/metabolism.md | universe/overview.md, universe/genesis-protocol.md, universe/constitution.md, universe/physics.md, crew/sal.md |
| Energy Credits (E_i unit) | universe/metabolism.md, universe/genesis-protocol.md | universe/physics.md, universe/constitution.md |
| Metabolic States (Abundant/Conserving/Critical/Dormant) | universe/metabolism.md | universe/constitution.md, universe/overview.md, crew/sal.md |
| Dormant (Fifth Pipeline State) | universe/metabolism.md, universe/genesis-protocol.md | universe/constitution.md, universe/overview.md |
| Tier Model (Observer/Builder/Architect) | universe/metabolism.md | universe/constitution.md, crew/harlan.md |
| The Recursive Ethic | ||
| The Recursive Ethic | universe/genesis-protocol.md | universe/constitution.md, crew/collective.md, crew/sal.md |
| U_meta (Meta-Universe Health) | universe/genesis-protocol.md | universe/constitution.md, crew/collective.md, crew/sal.md, universe/physics.md, universe/metabolism.md |
| The Sustaining Equation | universe/genesis-protocol.md | universe/constitution.md, universe/metabolism.md, universe/physics.md |
| Meta-Universe (Sector 137) | universe/overview.md, universe/genesis-protocol.md | universe/constitution.md, crew/collective.md, universe/physics.md, universe/metabolism.md |
| The Energy Circuit | universe/overview.md, universe/metabolism.md | universe/genesis-protocol.md, universe/constitution.md, crew/collective.md, universe/physics.md |
| The Blueprint | ||
| Universe Blueprint (TOML Manifest) | universe/blueprint.md | pipeline/overview.md, library/overview.md, universe/genesis-protocol.md, releases.md |
| Universe Seasons (Strategic Eras) | releases.md, universe/genesis-protocol.md, hud/overview.md | pipeline/overview.md |
| Streams (Work Channels) | pipeline/value-streams.md | pipeline/overview.md, hud/overview.md |
| Universe Inbox (Unsorted Triage) | pipeline/overview.md, pipeline/value-streams.md | hud/overview.md |
| Boards (Work Tracks) | ||
| Intake Board (Universe Front Gate) | pipeline/boards.md | pipeline/value-streams.md, hud/overview.md |
| Named Boards (Discovery, Delivery) | pipeline/boards.md | pipeline/value-streams.md |
| Board-Scoped Labels | pipeline/boards.md | — |
| Issue Permanence (board_id immutable) | pipeline/boards.md | universe/constitution.md |
| Season Indicator (HUD) | hud/overview.md | releases.md |
| Crew Reconciliation (deploy semantics) | universe/blueprint.md | universe/constitution.md |
| Release Gate (config accountability) | universe/blueprint.md | pipeline/overview.md, universe/constitution.md, releases.md |
| Pipeline / Observatory Sub-Components | ||
| Intel Missions (Kano Studies) | observatory/intel.md | observatory/overview.md, crew/margot.md |
| Synthetic Personas | observatory/personas.md | observatory/overview.md, crew/margot.md |
| Projects (Value Stream Containers) | pipeline/projects.md | pipeline/overview.md, pipeline/value-streams.md |
| Intake (Work Entry) | pipeline/intake.md | pipeline/overview.md, pipeline/boards.md |
File Status
All files are active unless marked otherwise:
Root Files
README.md— Status: active (updated 2026-03-04 — restructured as entry point with offer and workshop arc merged in)releases.md— Status: active (updated 2026-03-03 — Campaign arcs through v0.14.0)voice.md— Status: activebrand.md— Status: active (updated March 2026 — crew portraits marked LIVE in product UI)tick-engine.md— Status: live (updated 2026-03-04 — signals published via Context Bus; VictoriaMetrics as time-series storage)context-bus.md— Status: live (updated 2026-03-04 — Context Bus as central nervous system)
Universe (universe/)
universe/overview.md— Status: active (rewritten 2026-03-04 — human-friendly onboarding, Universe Portfolio, The Feed LIVE)universe/physics.md— Status: active (updated 2026-03-03 — Blueprint Schema[physics]IN DESIGN; Meta-Physics section)universe/metabolism.md— Status: in-design (updated 2026-03-03 — Blueprint Schema[metabolism]IN DESIGN; Energy Circuit)universe/mainframe.md— Status: active (moved fromcrew/mainframe.md2026-03-04 — universe admin interface, boot health check)universe/blueprint.md— Status: active (LIVE — 2026-03-03 — TOML config, export/deploy, release gate, crew reconciliation)universe/constitution.md— Status: active (expanded 2026-03-04 — absorbed the-human.md + operations.md + themes.md; now the complete ideological, operational, and thematic foundation)universe/genesis-protocol.md— Status: active (moved to universe/ 2026-03-04 — Recursive Ethic, U_meta, Sustaining Equation)universe/unit-economics.md— Status: active (moved to universe/ 2026-03-04 — UVP formula, Universe Health Score, Universe Portfolio Layer)
HUD (hud/)
hud/overview.md— Status: active (restructured 2026-03-04 — Context Bus wiring, visor modes, mechanism chain)
Observatory (observatory/)
observatory/overview.md— Status: active (restructured 2026-03-04 — component ownership, actions, MCP tools, events)observatory/intel.md— Status: active (extracted 2026-03-04 — Kano studies, UVP Methodology, PMF Validation Gate)observatory/personas.md— Status: active (extracted 2026-03-04 — synthetic personas, AI ask/survey/scenario)
Pipeline (pipeline/)
pipeline/overview.md— Status: active (restructured 2026-03-04 — The Machine, self-awareness, Campaign arc)pipeline/boards.md— Status: active (extracted 2026-03-04 — Intake Board LIVE, named work tracks, board-scoped labels, issue permanence)pipeline/intake.md— Status: active (extracted 2026-03-04 — how work enters the system)pipeline/projects.md— Status: active (new 2026-03-04 — product-area containers, project-scoped entities)pipeline/value-streams.md— Status: active (LIVE — multi-stream universe, Blueprint[[projects]])
Wormholes (wormholes/)
wormholes/overview.md— Status: in-design (restructured 2026-03-04 — email/webhook/Slack: LIVE; WhatsApp/Teams/bidirectional: NOT STARTED)
Crew (crew/)
crew/README.md— Status: active (expanded 2026-03-04 — absorbed dynamics.md; now includes The Collective, conflict patterns, feedback loops, team manifesto)crew/sal.md— Status: active (updated 2026-03-02 — metabolism relationship, Meta-Perspective on Recursive Ethic)crew/margot.md— Status: activecrew/kael.md— Status: activecrew/wren.md— Status: activecrew/harlan.md— Status: activecrew/collective.md— Status: active (updated 2026-03-04 — reframed as 5-person crew, Scoreboard self-tracked)
Grounding Pass (Feb 2026)
System-facing files that describe product mechanics include inline implementation status markers using a four-level vocabulary:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| LIVE | Implemented and shipping — references actual routes, pages, schema tables, or SDK types |
| PARTIAL | Core infrastructure exists, full vision not yet realized |
| IN DESIGN | Architecture defined, implementation path identified, not built |
| ASPIRATIONAL | Design intent or crew culture — no implementation path |
Grounded files: universe/overview.md, context-bus.md, crew/collective.md, releases.md, tick-engine.md, hud/overview.md, observatory/overview.md, observatory/intel.md, observatory/personas.md, pipeline/overview.md, pipeline/boards.md, pipeline/intake.md, pipeline/projects.md, pipeline/value-streams.md, library/overview.md, wormholes/overview.md, universe/physics.md, universe/metabolism.md, universe/mainframe.md, universe/blueprint.md
Package links (March 2026): System-facing files include an ## Implementation section at the bottom with a Packages table linking to the monorepo code that implements them.
Not grounded (by design): Character files (crew/*.md except collective.md) remain pure narrative. universe/constitution.md and brand.md and voice.md are design philosophy and ideology. Economics files (universe/unit-economics.md) describe a service offering, not product features.