Start here if you want the whole picture

Primitive, explained as one system.

This is the founder/operator handbook: simple first, precise underneath. Every page separates what is implemented today from what is specified or still experimental.

The shortest useful mental modelInformation enters through governed intake, becomes usable context, work executes under Control, and evidence feeds learning.
Capture / FoundryWhat information is this?
WorkspaceWhere does it belong and who can use it?
ControlWho may do what next?
ExecutionModels, agents, tools and people do the work
Evidence / HermesWhat happened and what should we learn?

System handbook

10 core guides
systemPartial

How Primitive fits together

One operating system made from several deliberately separate authorities.

TL;DR → ELI5 → diagrams → technical detail
operationsImplemented

Inbox & Signals

The append-only nervous system used to deliver work, blockers, decisions and escalation.

TL;DR → ELI5 → diagrams → technical detail
operationsPartial

Orchestrator design

Turn an objective into bounded work, independent review and traceable integration.

TL;DR → ELI5 → diagrams → technical detail
systemPartial

Holarchy & Rule of Three

Bound recursive organisation so Primitive can expand without becoming an uncontrolled swarm.

TL;DR → ELI5 → diagrams → technical detail
operationsPartial

Hermes learning sidecars

A process-learning observer for each active holon, without giving the observer authority.

TL;DR → ELI5 → diagrams → technical detail
runtimeExperimental

Primitive Reflex

A fast System-1 routing layer that selects relevant experts, skills, tools and context without granting execution authority.

TL;DR → ELI5 → diagrams → technical detail
knowledgeImplemented

Foundry, Intake & Knowledge Search

The governed route from uncontrolled historical material into Primitive OS.

TL;DR → ELI5 → diagrams → technical detail
knowledgePartial

Tags, context & the 27-state model

Preserve source identity, then add frame-relative derived context without overwriting provenance.

TL;DR → ELI5 → diagrams → technical detail
knowledgePartial

Memory, Context & Knowledge

Three different information authorities: what is retained, what is relevant now, and what has been accepted as reusable truth.

TL;DR → ELI5 → diagrams → technical detail
systemPartial

Ohio, Genesis & identity continuity

The constitutional lineage layer that preserves identity, ancestry, delegation and forward-only history across forks and handoffs.

TL;DR → ELI5 → diagrams → technical detail
Reading order

If Polina has 30 minutes

  1. How Primitive fits together — the four authorities.
  2. Inbox & Signals — how information moves and escalates.
  3. Orchestrator design — how work is allocated and merged.
  4. Holarchy — how recursion is bounded.
  5. Ohio / Genesis — how identity, lineage and the Right of Return differ from operations.
  6. Hermes — how the system learns from its own process.
  7. Reflex — how fast expert/context routing is intended to work.
  8. Memory / Context / Knowledge — three different information authorities.
  9. Foundry + Tags — how information enters without losing provenance.
  10. Then use the Guided tour for the full models, maths, experiments and naming pass.