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Savepoint Syntax – Savepoint.Protocol

Syntax Version: v3.2 Repository Release: v1.0 © 2025–2026 Peter Salvato. All rights reserved.

Overview

This document defines the canonical syntax for Savepoints under Savepoint.Protocol v3.2. Syntax is intentionally minimal, symbolic, and machine-aligned. It is designed to be:

  • Easy to parse
  • Resistant to semantic drift
  • Portable across LLMs, shells, plaintext systems, and analog mirroring
  • Reconstructable without surrounding conversation context

All Savepoints must comply with this syntax unless explicitly overridden by a later protocol declaration.

Canonical Format

<Savepoint
  protocol_version:3.2
  category:[domain_context]
  function:[role or purpose]
  timestamp:[ISO 8601 format]
  project:[project scope]
  keywords:[comma-separated terms]
  context:[reconstruction payload]
  importance:[optional]
  confidence:[optional]
  influence:[optional]
  # [semantic content of the Savepoint]
/>

Field Specification

Field Required Description
protocol_version ✅ The version of the syntax used (always declared)
category ✅ Domain of reflection (system_logic, design_note, etc.)
function ✅ Purpose of the Savepoint (declaration, drift_detected, revision)
timestamp ✅ ISO 8601 UTC timestamp (e.g., 2025-04-08T15:32:00Z)
project ⬜ Optional Project scope for filtering (e.g., homelab, petersalvato.com)
keywords ⬜ Optional Comma-separated search terms for traversal
context ⬜ Optional One sentence: what was decided, realized, or shifted. The reconstruction payload. Without it, meaning requires reading surrounding conversation.
importance ⬜ Optional Priority or urgency (high, medium, low)
confidence ⬜ Optional Self-assessed confidence in this Savepoint’s accuracy
influence ⬜ Optional Attribution to people, sources, or other Savepoints
# line ✅ The actual semantic content, prefixed by a # character

The # Line vs. context: Field

The # line names the moment. It is a headline: greppable, scannable, one sentence.

The context: field captures what the moment holds. It is the reconstruction payload: enough substance that a future session (or a future person) can understand what happened without reading the conversation that produced it.

A savepoint with only the # line tells you that something crystallized. A savepoint with a context: line tells you what crystallized. The difference matters during traversal: the # line gets you to the right neighborhood, the context: line lets you reconstruct without reading 200 lines of surrounding chat.

Examples

<Savepoint
  protocol_version:3.2
  category:system_logic
  function:declaration
  timestamp:2025-04-08T15:43:00Z
  importance:high
  influence:Order of the Ætherwright
  context:When state changes frequently and snapshots go stale, the structure itself should recurse rather than being captured at a point in time.
  # Recursive structures should replace version snapshots wherever drift is likely.
/>

<Savepoint
  protocol_version:3.2
  category:decision
  function:declaration
  timestamp:2026-03-13T05:09:37Z
  project:petersalvato.com
  keywords:kate osbourne, modernist homestead, kitchen accommodation, essay pitch, book
  context:Essay is the door, podcast is the visit, book is the return. Three layers, one relationship. Essay first, pitch follows when the proof exists.
  # Two-touch strategy for Kate Osbourne: pitch now with an essay on kitchen/food accommodation for neurodivergent households.
/>

Syntax Rules

  • Savepoints must be written using a self-closing tag (<Savepoint ... />)
  • Attributes follow key:value syntax
  • All attribute keys must be lowercase
  • One and only one content line is allowed, beginning with #
  • Fields must appear one per line, aligned with no indentation
  • All Savepoints must be atomic, timestamped, and semantically valid

Version History

Version Format Highlights
v1.0 Markdown + YAML frontmatter with narrative prompts
v2.0 Triple-pipe `
v3.0 Self-closing tag, colon attributes, # content line
v3.1 Added project: scoping and keywords: for traversal at scale
v3.2 Added context: reconstruction payload for self-contained meaning

v3.0 established the locked tag format. v3.1 and v3.2 added optional fields without changing structure. The self-closing tag syntax is final.

Drift Handling

Any deviation from this syntax must be captured via:

function:drift_detected

Such Savepoints must explicitly describe the deviation and reference the most recent valid Savepoint.

Future Extensions

Field extensions or structural changes must be proposed via a milestone Savepoint with:

  • function:syntax_proposal
  • Associated importance:high
  • Accompanying entry in version-history.md

Until such a Savepoint is confirmed and versioned, all tools and agents must continue to enforce v3.2.

Savepoint.Protocol – v3.2 Syntax Maintained by Peter Salvato – 2025–2026