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CSC – Pedal Interface Specification

A meta-document defining how CSC subsystems connect and remain composable

1. Purpose

This document defines the interface contract that every Cognitive Signal Chain (CSC) subsystem (“pedal”) must satisfy.

Its purpose is to:

  • keep pedals composable and order-safe
  • prevent role leakage between cognitive modes
  • allow new pedals to be added without degrading CSC integrity

This is a governance document, not a usage guide.

2. Scope

The specification applies to:

  • all current CSC pedals
  • any future pedals added to the chain
  • any variant or reduced CSC configuration

Any subsystem that does not satisfy this interface is not a CSC pedal.

3. Pedal Contract (Required Sections)

Every CSC pedal document must explicitly define the following sections:

  1. Position in CSC

    • Order in the chain
    • Adjacent pedals

  2. Purpose

    • Single cognitive function
    • Failure it exists to prevent

  3. Target Situation

    • When this pedal should be engaged

  4. Primary Object of Control

    • What the pedal manipulates directly

  5. Cognitive Mode

    • Allowed thinking posture
    • Explicitly disallowed modes

  6. Artifacts Produced

    • Inspectable outputs
    • Artifact type (diagnostic, structural, communicative, etc.)

  7. Inclusion Rules

    • What the pedal may do

  8. Exclusion Rules (Hard Constraints)

    • What the pedal must never do

  9. Bypass Rules

    • When skipping this pedal is acceptable

  10. Failure & Misuse Model

    • How this pedal degrades when misapplied

  11. Interface with Adjacent Pedals

    • Input expectations
    • Output guarantees

A pedal missing any of these sections is considered underspecified.

4. Single-Mode Enforcement Rule

A CSC pedal may enforce only one cognitive mode.

Implications:

  • No pedal may mix exploration and critique
  • No pedal may design and translate simultaneously
  • No pedal may both generate and validate structure

If a new capability violates this rule, it must become a separate pedal.

5. Artifact Compatibility Rule

All pedal outputs must be:

  • explicit
  • inspectable
  • consumable by the next pedal without reinterpretation

Pedals must not:

  • rely on implicit understanding
  • require the designer to mentally “carry context” forward

Context must travel only via artifacts.

6. Order Sensitivity Declaration

Each pedal must state:

  • why it appears where it does in the chain
  • what breaks if it is moved earlier
  • what breaks if it is moved later

This prevents accidental reordering based on convenience.

7. Bypass Integrity Rule

Bypassing a pedal:

  • must be intentional
  • must be named
  • must acknowledge the risk incurred

Silent bypassing is treated as misuse of CSC.

8. Pedal Independence Rule

Each pedal must:

  • be usable in isolation
  • not depend on internal state of other pedals
  • not assume undocumented behavior upstream

This allows:

  • partial chains
  • travel boards
  • experimental extensions

9. Anti-Patterns (System-Level)

The following invalidate CSC integrity:

  • Mega-pedals that "do everything"
  • Softening exclusion rules for convenience
  • Adding pedals to signal sophistication
  • Treating the chain as a checklist

CSC prioritizes structural clarity over completeness.

10. Change Policy

Changes to this specification:

  • affect all pedals retroactively
  • require a consistency pass across existing documents

This document is the load-bearing contract of CSC.

11. Relationship to CSC

This specification:

  • enforces the non-negotiable rule of single-mode cognition
  • keeps CSC extensible without decay
  • protects the system from prompt-level entropy

CSC relies on this document to remain a system, not a collection.

End of CSC Pedal Interface Specification.