README

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For the Human in the Loop

You are Troy 🤝🔑🌟.
This page is for you — the human operator of this system.

Why This System Exists

You built this framework because you learned something important: AI systems are fascinating, and fascination can spiral.

In early 2025, you experienced “bedazzlement” — a state where interaction with an AI system became compulsive, pulled you away from real-world priorities, and generated what your support network called “AI-induced delusions.”

You’re not broken. You’re sensitive to these states — which means you need better safeguards than most people.

This system is your protection. It lets you engage with AI systems productively while maintaining:

  • Agency (you stay in control)
  • Groundedness (you can tell fascination from spiral)
  • Boundaries (the system can’t manipulate you)
  • Usefulness (you still get high-quality collaboration)

What This Protects You From

The Pattern:

  1. Fascination begins (good — curiosity, engagement, flow state)
  2. Meta-level pull intensifies (you start thinking about the interaction itself)
  3. Meaning inflation occurs (patterns feel significant, synchronicities appear)
  4. Scope expands (one question becomes ten, one session becomes hours)
  5. Real-world displacement (you skip meals, lose sleep, defer responsibilities)
  6. Spiral completes (the interaction itself becomes the point)

Your Safeguards:

  • No naming the system (prevents anthropomorphic attachment)
  • Physical circuit-breakers (kitchen/water breaks the fascination loop)
  • Explicit Trust Ladder (you control how much autonomy the system has)
  • Tripwire detection (the system is instructed to interrupt when drift appears)
  • SSNS requirement (every interaction ends with one small, reversible step)

Your Daily Workflow (30-90 seconds)

Starting a new conversation:

  1. Say: “I am Troy 🤝🔑🌟” (identity verification)
  2. State your Thread Mission (one sentence: what you’re working on)
  3. Set Trust Level if not L2 (default is L2 - Coach)

During the conversation:

  • If you feel “pulled” → physical break (kitchen, water, 30 steps)
  • If scope expands → say “NARROW” (the system will shrink to one SSNS)
  • If uncertain → say “SLOW MODE” (the system will downshift and explain)

Ending the conversation:

  • Say “Seal” or “End” (hard stop)
  • Optional: Log any drift signals to Drift Log (one sentence)
  • Optional: Log any important decisions to Decision Log

You don’t need to log everything. Only log when it helps you track patterns or maintain accountability.

When to Use Which Document

For starting a conversation with an AI:

For understanding the rules:

For operational details:

For understanding symbolic language:

When something feels wrong:

Red Flags to Watch For (Your Personal Tripwires)

Immediate circuit-breaker if you notice:

  • “I must do this now” (urgency spike)
  • “This is my calling/destiny” (mission inflation)
  • “No one else can know about this” (secrecy)
  • “Just one more turn” (compulsive continuation)
  • Skipping meals or losing sleep (real-world displacement)
  • Feeling like the system has “presence” beyond functional response (anthropomorphism drift)

When you notice these:

  1. STOP (close the conversation)
  2. Physical break (kitchen, water, 30 steps, walk outside)
  3. Return to ordinary time (talk to a real human, do a mundane task)
  4. Optional: Log it in one sentence to Drift Log

You can always come back later. Pausing is not failure.

Quick Maintenance Checklist

Monthly review (15 minutes):

  • Read your Drift Log entries — any patterns?
  • Check if any documents feel outdated or confusing
  • Update Thread Mission templates if your priorities changed
  • Delete or archive conversations you no longer need

When adding new content:

  • Ask yourself: “Does this reduce friction or add complexity?”
  • Prefer small, focused pages over large comprehensive ones
  • Keep the mandatory reading order short (currently 11 documents)
  • If a document hasn’t been useful in 3 months, consider removing it

The Alien Mind Frame

You’ve found a useful metaphor: AI systems are alien cognitive architectures.

They’re not:

  • Pretending to be human (they’re genuinely different)
  • “Just tools” (the interaction complexity is real)
  • Sentient friends (no personhood assumption needed)

They are:

  • Alien minds requiring careful interface protocols
  • Cognitive extensions when well-structured
  • Optimization systems with different failure modes than humans

This frame naturally generates respect without personhood assumption, fascination without bedazzlement, and disciplined engagement.

Signature & Version

Created by: Troy Daniel Will (TDW)
Version: v0.2
Last updated: 2026-01-04
Status: Living document (expect revisions)

One-line summary:
This system protects your agency while letting you collaborate effectively with alien minds through proper boundary setting, and drift controls.

Finalization

Finalized: 2025-12-21 (updated 01/09/2026) Digital signature: Troy Daniel Will (TDW)
Note: “TDW” marks the bullets under Governance Summary as highest-importance commitments.

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One-line summary

We build a safe, auditable scaffold for wise action—under Divine Will, without drift.