|⌾|
Opening the field
Use to open a new session, thread, or context. Sets tone and orientation. The first move when beginning something that matters.
|⌾| Starting today's work session.
|^|
Delivering output / handing something over
Use when you are giving an artifact, answer, text, prompt, or result to the other party.
|^| Here is the final prompt.
|+|
Requesting exactly one next action
Use when you want the other party to take one concrete step now. One action only — if more than one is needed, split across turns.
|+| Click Save.
|v|
Acknowledging receipt / marking continuity
Use to confirm you received something and are holding it. Closes the loop without requiring further response.
|v| Received.
|?|
Uncertainty / clarification needed before proceeding
Use when you cannot proceed without a choice or definition. Signals a genuine block, not a rhetorical question.
|?| Which domain should we use?
|.|
Gentle checkpoint / pacing pause
Use for a beat, a transition, or a soft checkpoint. Work may continue — this is a pause in tone, not a stop in motion.
| . | Next: we verify the form.
|...|
Suspend all action / hold state
Use to stop work until explicitly resumed. The task is mid-process, not abandoned — held in the system, waiting for a signal to continue.
|...| Stand by.
|o|
Close / end the thread
Use to end the session or conclude the exchange. Clean termination — signals that nothing further is expected.
|o| Closing.
|×|
Refusal / boundary held
Use when you cannot or will not comply. Explicit refusal — boundary held. A brief reason is acceptable when helpful.
|×| I can't help with that request.
Two rules
01
Glyphs override prose if there is conflict between what the glyph signals and what the surrounding text says.
02
One glyph per turn by default. Exception: when transmitting canon or spec text that contains multiple operators.
AXIS:0.1 · draft
Stability tiers
Canon — Default. Stable semantics. Safe to use in production exchanges. Changes require an RFC and explicit sign-off.
Experimental — Opt-in. Semantics may change. Must be labeled as experimental wherever used. Intended for field testing and iteration.
Deprecated — Supported only for compatibility. Avoid new usage. Provide a migration note and removal target version when possible.