a wave is settlingengine working on #3membrane waiting at #2

Wave 2 · record #3sys.knot.ready

#3 · the listener is ready

The doer note.echo was waiting for it: it opens its rendezvous and a lane, gathers what the listener understood, acts once, names its intention note.echo#1 and releases the note as #4.

Came fromthe machineThe machine wrote it while the engine took #2: the listener note.gate had what it waited for and became ready. step 19

Read as

when the engine took #3

  1. 20The engine takes #3ENGINE.CURSOR · propagate

    a wave is settlingengine: working on #3membrane: waiting at #2

    The log
    1. #0a listener
    2. #1a doer
    3. #2a notemembrane
    4. #3readinessengine · working
    5. end of the log
    The engine
    Whatbeforeafter
    pointer — the next record to take#3#4

    The engine moves on to #3 — a record the machine wrote itself.

    Where it happens takeNextTuple()Vol. 02 §4.1

    The engine's step: take the record under its pointer and move the pointer on — or stop, if the pointer has reached the end.

    Specification
    Vol. 02 §4.1
    Code
    takeNextTuple() in core/registers/take-next-tuple.ts, line 15: at the end of the log, the engine stops
    Journal
    #3 · ENGINE.CURSOR · propagate · offset: 3 · by engine
    Picture
    pointer — the next record to take: #3 → #4
    core/registers/take-next-tuple.ts · build 043cc8b
    1. // ENGINE.CURSOR advance (Vol. 02 §4.1) — the machine's instruction pointer:
    2. // returns the tuple at the cursor and moves it forward exactly once, or null
    3. // at quiescence. Advancing IS the context switch: the ambient wave context
    4. // moves to the propagated tuple in the same movement, so every transition
    5. // journalled during its propagation is attributed to it — the cube's spine.
    6. // The cursor never rewinds.
    7. import type { WaveTuple } from "../wave/gate";
    8. import type { RegisterFile } from "./register-file";
    9. import { recordTransition } from "./record-transition";
    10. import { setDriver, setWaveContext } from "./set-wave-context";
    11. export function takeNextTuple(file: RegisterFile): WaveTuple | null {
    12. const engine = file.registers.engine;
    13. if (engine.cursor >= engine.base + engine.window.length) return null;↑ at the end of the log, the engine stops
    14. const tuple = engine.window[engine.cursor - engine.base];
    15. engine.cursor += 1;↑ the engine's pointer moves on by one
    16. setWaveContext(file, { offset: tuple.offset, phase: "propagate" });
    17. setDriver(file, "engine");
    18. recordTransition(file, "engine", "ENGINE.CURSOR", "propagate", { offset: tuple.offset });↑ the change is written into the journal
    19. return tuple;
    20. }

    AGPL-3.0-onlyThe Lab's demonstration environment, as this fragment ran it (build 043cc8b). The code may change, and may differ from the code of a working machine.

    Nest VM core, incubated in the CoAgnes garden · build 043cc8b (2026-09-21) · this file last changed in 6730f58 (2026-09-13)

  2. 21The doer opens its rendezvousRDV · open-bank

    a wave is settlingengine: working on #3membrane: waiting at #2

    The log
    1. #0a listener
    2. #1a doer
    3. #2a notemembrane
    4. #3readinessengine · working
    5. end of the log
    The figure
    Whatbeforeafter
    rendezvous opened—note.echo

    The doer note.echo waits for note.gate, so this readiness wakes it. It opens its rendezvous — the place where it gathers what its listeners have said.

    Where it happens ensureRendezvous()Vol. 02 §4.5 · Vol. 06 §4.5

    Opens a doer's rendezvous the first time it is woken, and a lane in it for each new key.

    Specification
    Vol. 02 §4.5 · Vol. 06 §4.5
    Code
    ensureRendezvous() in core/registers/ensure-rendezvous.ts, line 13: a rendezvous for this doer
    Journal
    #3 · RDV · open-bank · bindId: note.echo · by bind:note.echo
    Picture
    rendezvous opened: — → note.echo
    core/registers/ensure-rendezvous.ts · build 043cc8b
    1. // RDV lane access (Vol. 02 §4.5): one rendezvous state per key lane, created
    2. // lazily on the first readiness that reaches the bind — activated at birth
    3. // when the bind declares no `on` (a demands-only bind, Vol. 06 §4.5).
    4. // Creation is a transition; an existing lane passes through as a read.
    5. import type { BindHandle, RendezvousLane, RendezvousRegisters } from "./topology-registers";
    6. import { recordTransition } from "./record-transition";
    7. export function ensureRendezvous(bind: BindHandle, key: string | null, activatedAtBirth: boolean): RendezvousLane {
    8. let bank: RendezvousRegisters | undefined = bind.region.rdv.get(bind.bindId);
    9. if (!bank) {
    10. bank = { lanes: new Map(), intentCtr: 0 };
    11. bind.region.rdv.set(bind.bindId, bank);↑ a rendezvous for this doer
    12. // A new bank changes the REGION's RDV register set (Vol. 02 §4.5) — the
    13. // region station journals it, so its document (rdvOrder) folds true
    14. // (the fold oracle, ADR-004 d11).
    15. recordTransition(bind.file, `topology:${bind.region.regionId}`, "RDV", "open-bank", { bindId: bind.bindId });↑ the change is written into the journal
    16. }
    17. let lane = bank.lanes.get(key);
    18. if (!lane) {
    19. lane = { activated: activatedAtBirth, scope: new Map(), projected: false };
    20. bank.lanes.set(key, lane);↑ a lane for this key
    21. recordTransition(bind.file, `topology:${bind.region.regionId}/bind:${bind.bindId}`, "RDV", "open-lane", {↑ the change is written into the journal
    22. key,
    23. activatedAtBirth
    24. });
    25. }
    26. return lane;
    27. }

    AGPL-3.0-onlyThe Lab's demonstration environment, as this fragment ran it (build 043cc8b). The code may change, and may differ from the code of a working machine.

    Nest VM core, incubated in the CoAgnes garden · build 043cc8b (2026-09-21) · this file last changed in 3530f2c (2026-09-07)

  3. 22A lane for this sessionRDV · open-lane

    a wave is settlingengine: working on #3membrane: waiting at #2

    The log
    1. #0a listener
    2. #1a doer
    3. #2a notemembrane
    4. #3readinessengine · working
    5. end of the log
    The doer note.echo · appears
    Whatbeforeafter
    lane · this session—open
    lane · this session · active—no
    lane · this session · has acted—no
    intentions named so far—0

    Inside the rendezvous, a lane for this session's key. It is not active yet: it becomes active when the listener it acts on is ready.

    Where it happens ensureRendezvous()Vol. 02 §4.5 · Vol. 06 §4.5

    Opens a doer's rendezvous the first time it is woken, and a lane in it for each new key.

    Specification
    Vol. 02 §4.5 · Vol. 06 §4.5
    Code
    ensureRendezvous() in core/registers/ensure-rendezvous.ts, line 13: a rendezvous for this doer
    Journal
    #3 · RDV · open-lane · key: fragment-one-knot-one-bind, activatedAtBirth: false · by bind:note.echo
    Picture
    lane · this session: — → open
    core/registers/ensure-rendezvous.ts · build 043cc8b
    1. // RDV lane access (Vol. 02 §4.5): one rendezvous state per key lane, created
    2. // lazily on the first readiness that reaches the bind — activated at birth
    3. // when the bind declares no `on` (a demands-only bind, Vol. 06 §4.5).
    4. // Creation is a transition; an existing lane passes through as a read.
    5. import type { BindHandle, RendezvousLane, RendezvousRegisters } from "./topology-registers";
    6. import { recordTransition } from "./record-transition";
    7. export function ensureRendezvous(bind: BindHandle, key: string | null, activatedAtBirth: boolean): RendezvousLane {
    8. let bank: RendezvousRegisters | undefined = bind.region.rdv.get(bind.bindId);
    9. if (!bank) {
    10. bank = { lanes: new Map(), intentCtr: 0 };
    11. bind.region.rdv.set(bind.bindId, bank);↑ a rendezvous for this doer
    12. // A new bank changes the REGION's RDV register set (Vol. 02 §4.5) — the
    13. // region station journals it, so its document (rdvOrder) folds true
    14. // (the fold oracle, ADR-004 d11).
    15. recordTransition(bind.file, `topology:${bind.region.regionId}`, "RDV", "open-bank", { bindId: bind.bindId });↑ the change is written into the journal
    16. }
    17. let lane = bank.lanes.get(key);
    18. if (!lane) {
    19. lane = { activated: activatedAtBirth, scope: new Map(), projected: false };
    20. bank.lanes.set(key, lane);↑ a lane for this key
    21. recordTransition(bind.file, `topology:${bind.region.regionId}/bind:${bind.bindId}`, "RDV", "open-lane", {↑ the change is written into the journal
    22. key,
    23. activatedAtBirth
    24. });
    25. }
    26. return lane;
    27. }

    AGPL-3.0-onlyThe Lab's demonstration environment, as this fragment ran it (build 043cc8b). The code may change, and may differ from the code of a working machine.

    Nest VM core, incubated in the CoAgnes garden · build 043cc8b (2026-09-21) · this file last changed in 3530f2c (2026-09-07)

  4. 23What the listener understood is gatheredRDV.ACTIVATED,RDV.SCOPE · latch-scope

    a wave is settlingengine: working on #3membrane: waiting at #2

    The log
    1. #0a listener
    2. #1a doer
    3. #2a notemembrane
    4. #3readinessengine · working
    5. end of the log
    The doer note.echo
    Whatbeforeafter
    lane · this session · activenoyes
    lane · this session · gathered activation—note = “The machine hears this note and releases it, unchanged.”

    The readiness activates the lane, and the listener's understanding enters the doer's scope under the name activation. The doer needs nothing else.

    Where it happens latchRendezvousScope()Vol. 02 §4.5 · Vol. 06 §4

    Gathers what a listener understood into the doer's scope — and, from the listener the doer acts on, activates the lane.

    Specification
    Vol. 02 §4.5 · Vol. 06 §4
    Code
    latchRendezvousScope() in core/registers/latch-rendezvous-scope.ts, line 17: the lane is activated
    Journal
    #3 · RDV.ACTIVATED,RDV.SCOPE · latch-scope · key: fragment-one-knot-one-bind, as: activation · by bind:note.echo
    Picture
    lane · this session · active: no → yes
    core/registers/latch-rendezvous-scope.ts · build 043cc8b
    1. // RDV scope latch (Vol. 02 §4.5, Vol. 06 §4): a readiness understanding
    2. // enters the bound scope under its declared name — a later readiness of the
    3. // same demand refreshes its entry until projection (the latching barrier).
    4. // Activation readiness additionally opens the lane (ACTIVATED).
    5. import type { BindHandle, RendezvousLane } from "./topology-registers";
    6. import { recordTransition } from "./record-transition";
    7. export function latchRendezvousScope(
    8. bind: BindHandle,
    9. lane: RendezvousLane,
    10. key: string | null,
    11. as: string,
    12. understanding: unknown,
    13. options: { activates: boolean }
    14. ): void {
    15. if (options.activates) lane.activated = true;↑ the lane is activated
    16. lane.scope.set(as, understanding);↑ the understanding is gathered
    17. recordTransition(↑ the change is written into the journal
    18. bind.file,
    19. `topology:${bind.region.regionId}/bind:${bind.bindId}`,
    20. options.activates ? "RDV.ACTIVATED,RDV.SCOPE" : "RDV.SCOPE",
    21. "latch-scope",
    22. { key, as }
    23. );
    24. }

    AGPL-3.0-onlyThe Lab's demonstration environment, as this fragment ran it (build 043cc8b). The code may change, and may differ from the code of a working machine.

    Nest VM core, incubated in the CoAgnes garden · build 043cc8b (2026-09-21) · this file last changed in f36e70d (2026-08-18)

  5. 24The doer acts — onceRDV.PROJECTED · latch-projection

    a wave is settlingengine: working on #3membrane: waiting at #2

    The log
    1. #0a listener
    2. #1a doer
    3. #2a notemembrane
    4. #3readinessengine · working
    5. end of the log
    The doer note.echo
    Whatbeforeafter
    lane · this session · has actednoyes

    The lane is latched: the doer acts now, and never again on this lane. That is why a doer's result is a release, not a stream.

    Where it happens latchRendezvousProjection()Vol. 02 §4.5 · Vol. 06 §4.2

    Latches a doer's lane after it acts, so that it never acts on that lane again.

    Specification
    Vol. 02 §4.5 · Vol. 06 §4.2
    Code
    latchRendezvousProjection() in core/registers/latch-rendezvous-projection.ts, line 9: the lane is latched for good
    Journal
    #3 · RDV.PROJECTED · latch-projection · key: fragment-one-knot-one-bind · by bind:note.echo
    Picture
    lane · this session · has acted: no → yes
    core/registers/latch-rendezvous-projection.ts · build 043cc8b
    1. // RDV.PROJECTED latch (Vol. 02 §4.5, Vol. 06 §4.2): one-shot — once the
    2. // scope is judged and the intention projected (or rejected at a gate), the
    3. // lane never fires again. The latch never reopens; revision is fresh binds.
    4. import type { BindHandle, RendezvousLane } from "./topology-registers";
    5. import { recordTransition } from "./record-transition";
    6. export function latchRendezvousProjection(bind: BindHandle, lane: RendezvousLane, key: string | null): void {
    7. lane.projected = true;↑ the lane is latched for good
    8. recordTransition(bind.file, `topology:${bind.region.regionId}/bind:${bind.bindId}`, "RDV.PROJECTED", "latch-projection", {↑ the change is written into the journal
    9. key
    10. });
    11. }

    AGPL-3.0-onlyThe Lab's demonstration environment, as this fragment ran it (build 043cc8b). The code may change, and may differ from the code of a working machine.

    Nest VM core, incubated in the CoAgnes garden · build 043cc8b (2026-09-21) · this file last changed in f36e70d (2026-08-18)

  6. 25The intention gets its nameINTENT.CTR · mint-uid

    a wave is settlingengine: working on #3membrane: waiting at #2

    The log
    1. #0a listener
    2. #1a doer
    3. #2a notemembrane
    4. #3readinessengine · working
    5. end of the log
    The doer note.echo
    Whatbeforeafter
    intentions named so far01

    What the doer is about to do gets a unique name, note.echo#1, from a counter that never goes back. The release will carry that name.

    Where it happens nextIntentionUid()Vol. 02 §4.5 · Vol. 02 §4.7

    Gives a doer's next intention its unique name, from a counter that never goes back.

    Specification
    Vol. 02 §4.5 · Vol. 02 §4.7
    Code
    nextIntentionUid() in core/registers/next-intention-uid.ts, line 12: the counter moves on
    Journal
    #3 · INTENT.CTR · mint-uid · uid: note.echo#1 · by bind:note.echo
    Picture
    intentions named so far: 0 → 1
    core/registers/next-intention-uid.ts · build 043cc8b
    1. // INTENT.CTR advance (Vol. 02 §4.5, §4.7 rule 3): the service-intention uid
    2. // sequence, shared across lanes and never reset — uids stay unique per
    3. // machine instance, which is exactly why this counter belongs to the durable
    4. // stratum and must survive a snapshot/restore (ADR-002 decision 4).
    5. import type { BindHandle } from "./topology-registers";
    6. import { recordTransition } from "./record-transition";
    7. export function nextIntentionUid(bind: BindHandle): string {
    8. const bank = bind.region.rdv.get(bind.bindId);
    9. if (!bank) throw new Error(`Rendezvous bank missing for bind '${bind.bindId}'.`);
    10. bank.intentCtr += 1;↑ the counter moves on
    11. const uid = `${bind.bindId}#${bank.intentCtr}`;↑ the name: the doer's name and the count
    12. recordTransition(bind.file, `topology:${bind.region.regionId}/bind:${bind.bindId}`, "INTENT.CTR", "mint-uid", {↑ the change is written into the journal
    13. uid
    14. });
    15. return uid;
    16. }

    AGPL-3.0-onlyThe Lab's demonstration environment, as this fragment ran it (build 043cc8b). The code may change, and may differ from the code of a working machine.

    Nest VM core, incubated in the CoAgnes garden · build 043cc8b (2026-09-21) · this file last changed in f36e70d (2026-08-18)

  7. 26The release enters the log as #4LOG · append

    a wave is settlingengine: working on #3membrane: waiting at #2

    The log
    1. #0a listener
    2. #1a doer
    3. #2a notemembrane
    4. #3readinessengine · working
    5. #4the releasenew
    6. end of the log
    The log
    Whatbeforeafter
    records in the log45
    #4—the release · note.echoed

    The doer's action is local: it releases what it gathered as a new fact, note.echoed, written at the end of the log as #4.

    Where it happens appendEmissions()Vol. 02 §4.1 · Vol. 03 §1

    The only function that adds records to the log. Each new record gets the next free number, at the end.

    Specification
    Vol. 02 §4.1 · Vol. 03 §1
    Code
    appendEmissions() in core/registers/append-emissions.ts, line 14: the new record gets the next free number
    Journal
    #3 · LOG · append · offset: 4, kind: domain.fact · by engine
    Picture
    records in the log: 4 → 5
    core/registers/append-emissions.ts · build 043cc8b
    1. // The one LOG writer (Vol. 02 §4.1, Vol. 03 §1): emissions become tuples by
    2. // receiving the next dense absolute offset — `base + window.length` — and
    3. // nothing else ever grows the log. Each append is journalled under the
    4. // ambient context, so a batch born of a propagated tuple carries that
    5. // tuple's offset as its cause — the cube's provenance line (ADR-002).
    6. import type { WaveEmission, WaveTuple } from "../wave/gate";
    7. import type { RegisterFile } from "./register-file";
    8. import { recordTransition } from "./record-transition";
    9. export function appendEmissions(file: RegisterFile, emissions: readonly WaveEmission[]): void {
    10. const engine = file.registers.engine;
    11. for (const emission of emissions) {
    12. const tuple: WaveTuple = { ...emission, offset: engine.base + engine.window.length };↑ the new record gets the next free number
    13. engine.window.push(tuple);↑ it is added at the end of the log
    14. recordTransition(file, "engine", "LOG", "append", {↑ the change is written into the journal
    15. offset: tuple.offset,
    16. kind: tuple.kind
    17. });
    18. }
    19. }

    AGPL-3.0-onlyThe Lab's demonstration environment, as this fragment ran it (build 043cc8b). The code may change, and may differ from the code of a working machine.

    Nest VM core, incubated in the CoAgnes garden · build 043cc8b (2026-09-21) · this file last changed in f36e70d (2026-08-18)

when the membrane passed #3

  1. 29The membrane passes #3MEMBRANE.CURSOR · sweep

    a wave is settlingengine: at the endmembrane: passing #3

    The log
    1. #0a listener
    2. #1a doer
    3. #2a note
    4. #3readinessmembrane · passing
    5. #4the release
    6. end of the logengine
    The membrane
    Whatbeforeafter
    pointer — the next record to pass#3#4

    #3, the readiness, asks nothing of the outside world either. The membrane's pointer moves on.

    Where it happens sweepNextTuple()Vol. 02 §4.6 · Vol. 07 §3

    The membrane's step: pass over the record under its pointer and move the pointer on — exactly once per record.

    Specification
    Vol. 02 §4.6 · Vol. 07 §3
    Code
    sweepNextTuple() in core/registers/sweep-next-tuple.ts, line 16: the membrane's pointer moves on by one
    Journal
    #3 · MEMBRANE.CURSOR · sweep · offset: 3 · by membrane
    Picture
    pointer — the next record to pass: #3 → #4
    core/registers/sweep-next-tuple.ts · build 043cc8b
    1. // MEMBRANE.CURSOR advance (Vol. 02 §4.6, Vol. 07 §3): the membrane's own
    2. // reading of the one log — the second reception of one publication, never a
    3. // second truth. The cursor advances exactly once per offset per machine:
    4. // the exactly-once discharge guarantee lives in this movement.
    5. import type { WaveTuple } from "../wave/gate";
    6. import type { RegisterFile } from "./register-file";
    7. import { recordTransition } from "./record-transition";
    8. import { setDriver, setWaveContext } from "./set-wave-context";
    9. export function sweepNextTuple(file: RegisterFile): WaveTuple | null {
    10. const engine = file.registers.engine;
    11. const membrane = file.registers.membrane;
    12. if (membrane.cursor >= engine.base + engine.window.length) return null;
    13. const tuple = engine.window[membrane.cursor - engine.base];
    14. membrane.cursor += 1;↑ the membrane's pointer moves on by one
    15. setWaveContext(file, { offset: tuple.offset, phase: "sweep" });
    16. setDriver(file, "membrane");
    17. recordTransition(file, "membrane", "MEMBRANE.CURSOR", "sweep", { offset: tuple.offset });↑ the change is written into the journal
    18. return tuple;
    19. }

    AGPL-3.0-onlyThe Lab's demonstration environment, as this fragment ran it (build 043cc8b). The code may change, and may differ from the code of a working machine.

    Nest VM core, incubated in the CoAgnes garden · build 043cc8b (2026-09-21) · this file last changed in 6730f58 (2026-09-13)

Step 26: The release enters the log as #4

26 The release enters the log as #4

a wave is settlingengine: working on #3membrane: waiting at #2

The log
  1. #0a listener
  2. #1a doer
  3. #2a notemembrane
  4. #3readinessengine · working
  5. #4the releasenew
  6. end of the log
The log
Whatbeforeafter
records in the log45
#4—the release · note.echoed

The doer's action is local: it releases what it gathered as a new fact, note.echoed, written at the end of the log as #4.

Where it happens · appendEmissions()

The only function that adds records to the log. Each new record gets the next free number, at the end.

Specification
Vol. 02 §4.1 · Vol. 03 §1
Code
appendEmissions() in core/registers/append-emissions.ts, line 14: the new record gets the next free number
Journal
#3 · LOG · append · offset: 4, kind: domain.fact · by engine
Picture
records in the log: 4 → 5
core/registers/append-emissions.ts · build 043cc8b
  1. // The one LOG writer (Vol. 02 §4.1, Vol. 03 §1): emissions become tuples by
  2. // receiving the next dense absolute offset — `base + window.length` — and
  3. // nothing else ever grows the log. Each append is journalled under the
  4. // ambient context, so a batch born of a propagated tuple carries that
  5. // tuple's offset as its cause — the cube's provenance line (ADR-002).
  6. import type { WaveEmission, WaveTuple } from "../wave/gate";
  7. import type { RegisterFile } from "./register-file";
  8. import { recordTransition } from "./record-transition";
  9. export function appendEmissions(file: RegisterFile, emissions: readonly WaveEmission[]): void {
  10. const engine = file.registers.engine;
  11. for (const emission of emissions) {
  12. const tuple: WaveTuple = { ...emission, offset: engine.base + engine.window.length };↑ the new record gets the next free number
  13. engine.window.push(tuple);↑ it is added at the end of the log
  14. recordTransition(file, "engine", "LOG", "append", {↑ the change is written into the journal
  15. offset: tuple.offset,
  16. kind: tuple.kind
  17. });
  18. }
  19. }

AGPL-3.0-onlyThe Lab's demonstration environment, as this fragment ran it (build 043cc8b). The code may change, and may differ from the code of a working machine.

Nest VM core, incubated in the CoAgnes garden · build 043cc8b (2026-09-21) · this file last changed in f36e70d (2026-08-18)

A listener's readiness

The machine's own record that a listener's condition came true. It names the listener and keeps what the listener understood at that moment — taken before the slot is emptied, and written before any doer acts.

#3sys.knot.ready the machine

envelope
offset3Its place in the log — the only address a record has. The engine gives it when the record is added, the next free number, and it never changes.
kindsys.knot.readyWhich of the four kinds of record the machine knows. The kind decides what the payload holds.
keyfragment-one-knot-one-bindThe lane of the note that made the listener ready.
payload
knotIdnote.gateThe listener that is ready.
payload.understanding
note«The machine hears this note and releases it, unchanged.»What it understood: the value of its slot note at that moment.

end · #3

In the specificationVol. 03 §1Vol. 03 §2Vol. 03 §5Vol. 04 §2.3

Names it shares with other records

The record as the machine keeps it
{
 "offset": 3,
 "kind": "sys.knot.ready",
 "key": "fragment-one-knot-one-bind",
 "payload": {
  "knotId": "note.gate",
  "understanding": {
   "note": "The machine hears this note and releases it, unchanged."
  }
 }
}