Deep context is a typed graph stored in plain markdown. Every document that carries predicate wikilinks is a node; every predicate wikilink is a directed, named edge. The graph emerges from the files — no database, no external index, no tooling required. An agent or human navigating the vault follows edges between nodes to build understanding.
This gloss consolidates the graph vocabulary: structural terms from the compound document decisions, new terms from compound node research, and the full semantic predicate catalog.
Note: Any markdown document in a knowledge vault. Not source code documentation (READMEs, API docs), which has its own conventions. A note becomes a node when it participates in the typed graph.
Context node: A note that participates in the typed graph through predicate edges. Atomic or compound, garden or vault. A note with is_a:: and relates_to:: edges is a context node; a note with only YAML frontmatter and no predicates is not.
Form type: The category a node belongs to (Pattern Form, Decision Form), declared by its is_a:: edge. “Node” and “form type” are distinct: there is one Pattern Form type but many pattern nodes. When discussing individual documents, say “node” or “instance of [Form Type]”; reserve “form” for the type itself.
Typed edge: A predicate wikilink — a named, directional connection between context nodes. Written as predicate::[\[\[Target\]\]↑](../NODES.html#:~:text=Target). The predicate names the relationship type; the wikilink identifies the target. Examples: relates_to::[\[\[Deep Context Architecture\]\]](../domains/Deep%20Context%20Architecture.html), is_a::[\[\[Model Form\]\]](../forms/Model%20Form.html), derived_from::"https://example.com".
Compound node: A folder-based context node containing a lead file, optional sibling files, and optional Renditions/ and Archives/ subfolders. Generalizes “compound document” from the garden decisions to vault-wide use.
Lead file: The primary access point of a compound node — the file that gives an LLM or human the most useful context first. A single lead file serves both audiences; LLM-specific context lives in a YAML frontmatter field rather than a separate file. See [[Lead File Selection Guidance]]↑.
Rendition: A format-transformed markdown copy of an external source. Searchable. Lives in Renditions/. Created by conversion tools. Carries derived_from:: pointing to the canonical source. Defined by [[Renditions and Archives Replace Sources]]↑ and [[Renditions and Archives as Distinct Artifact Types]]↑.
Archive: A preserved original binary. Lives in Archives/ within a compound node folder. Named with [[[Descriptive Slugs for Archive Binaries |
descriptive slugs]]↑](../NODES.html#:~:text=Descriptive%20Slugs%20for%20Archive%20Binaries%7Cdescriptive%20slugs). Most don’t need sidecars. Distinct from Attachments/, which is Obsidian’s paste/drag subfolder for embedded media. Defined by [[Renditions and Archives Replace Sources]]↑ and [[Renditions and Archives as Distinct Artifact Types]]↑. |
Sidecar (.sidecar.md): A metadata envelope for a binary that cannot carry its own frontmatter. Links to its binary via artifact:: (per [[Artifact Predicate for Binary Metadata]]↑) and to the canonical source via derived_from::. Only created when the binary is actively cited or needs agent discoverability. Defined by [[Sidecar Files as Metadata Envelopes]]↑.
Four predicates classify every context node in the graph:
is_a:: — the node’s form type or vault type (is_a::[\[\[Model Form\]\]](../forms/Model%20Form.html), is_a::[\[\[Meeting Note\]\]↑](../NODES.html#:~:text=Meeting%20Note))has_status:: — lifecycle stage (has_status::[\[\[Seed Stage\]\]](../forms/Seed%20Stage.html), has_status::[\[\[Curated\]\]↑](../NODES.html#:~:text=Curated))in_precinct:: — organizational unit (in_precinct::[\[\[Garden Precinct\]\]](Garden%20Precinct.html), in_precinct::[\[\[Vault Precinct\]\]](Vault%20Precinct.html)). Garden precinct node types carry structural contracts; vault precinct types serve operational capture. See [[Precinct as Organizational Unit]]↑.in_domain:: — knowledge area (in_domain::[\[\[Deep Context Architecture\]\]](../domains/Deep%20Context%20Architecture.html)). Links a node to the domain it belongs to. A node may belong to multiple domains.The first two are required on every classified note. The latter two appear on garden nodes and are optional on vault types.
Beyond classification predicates, the graph uses semantic predicates to express relationships between nodes. These are organized into four categories by the kind of relationship they describe.
derived_from:: — this gloss synthesizes that sourcemotivated_by:: — this pattern arose from that caseinformed_by:: — this skill drew on that referenceabstracted_from:: — this principle compressed that patterngrounded_in:: — this principle derives from that valueestablished_by:: — this conviction emerged from that experienceextracted_from:: — this node was extracted from that source document. Construction predicate: when the source is archived or reincarnated as a living node, upgrade to implements:: or relates_to::implements:: — this skill enacts that patternembodies:: — this protocol expresses that principlecomposes_with:: — these nodes interoperateextends:: — this node builds on that onecontradicts:: — these nodes are in tensionconstrains:: — this boundary limits that agent’s authorityrelates_to:: — general-purpose connection (use a more specific predicate when one fits)supersedes:: — this replaced thatevolved_into:: — this became thatvalidated_by:: — this case confirms that patterninvalidated_by:: — this case broke that assumptionproposes:: — this inquiry puts forward that hypothesisdirected_at:: — this question requires that person’s or group’s judgment (a boundary marker)resolved_by:: — this inquiry was answered by that case, pattern, or referencegenerates:: — this node produced that node through investigation or useanticipates:: — this scenario imagines consequences of those forces or driverssignaled_by:: — this scenario would be confirmed by that observable developmentprepares_for:: — this scenario informs that decision or strategyPredicates are freeform strings. Consistency depends on ongoing vocabulary curation — awareness of what exists, periodic review for drift, consolidation of redundant terms, and clarification of ambiguous ones. The vocabulary above has stabilized through use but is not enforced by the system. See [[Predicate Vocabulary Stabilization]]↑ for the open question on when to formalize, and [[Informal Edges Poison the Graph]]↑ for the failure mode that curation prevents.
Extracted from the Graph Vocabulary gloss section of the compound nodes research note. Semantic predicate catalog from [[Deep Context as an Architecture for Captured Reasoning]], “The Predicate Grammar” section.