graphonomous graphonomous/docs/faq.md
This page answers the most common questions about Graphonomous, its MCP interface, and operating model.

Graphonomous FAQ

This page answers the most common questions about Graphonomous, its MCP interface, and operating model.

What is Graphonomous?

Graphonomous is a continual-learning memory engine for AI agents. It stores knowledge as a graph, supports confidence-updating feedback loops, and exposes all capabilities through MCP tools/resources.

Does Graphonomous retrain model weights?

No. Graphonomous does not retrain model weights. Learning happens in the memory graph by storing knowledge and updating confidence based on outcomes.

What problem does it solve?

It gives agents durable, evolving memory and better decision quality over time by combining:

  • semantic retrieval

  • graph neighborhood expansion

  • causal outcome feedback

  • goal tracking

  • topology-aware routing (fast vs deliberate)

What are the core node types?

Use node types intentionally (6 types):

  • semantic — facts, architecture, definitions

  • procedural — workflows and how-to steps

  • episodic — events and observations

  • temporal — time-indexed observations, monitoring events

  • outcome — empirical results of actions (grounding)

  • goal — durable intent, objectives, targets

What are the core edge types?

16 edge types (including 2 legacy aliases):

  • causes, resolves — causal attribution

  • supports, contradicts — evidential

  • related_to, similar_to — topical affinity

  • part_of, follows, supersedes, depends_on — structural

  • temporal_before, temporal_after, co_occurs — temporal ordering

  • derived_from — provenance

  • Legacy aliases: causal, related (backward-compatible)

Default edge weight is 0.3. Edges should be added only when they improve retrieval quality or provenance clarity.

How does retrieval work?

retrieve_context generally does:

  1. similarity retrieval

  2. graph expansion

  3. ranking with confidence-aware scoring

  4. topology analysis (SCC/κ-aware metadata)

Results include a causal_context array for later feedback via learn_from_outcome.

What is causal_context and why does it matter?

causal_context is the list of node IDs that informed the current action. You should pass those IDs into learn_from_outcome so Graphonomous can update confidence on the actual causal nodes.

What outcomes can I report?

learn_from_outcome supports:

  • success

  • partial_success

  • failure

  • timeout

Use timeout when an action did not complete in time (instead of incorrectly marking it as failure).

How do goals work?

Graphonomous includes durable GoalGraph operations:

  • create/list/get/update/delete goals

  • transition status

  • set progress

  • link/unlink evidence nodes

  • run epistemic review (review_goal)

Typical statuses include proposed, active, blocked, completed, and abandoned.

What is coverage review?

review_goal evaluates whether current knowledge is sufficient to proceed. It returns decision-oriented signals such as:

  • act (enough coverage)

  • learn (need more context)

  • escalate (insufficient/too risky)

What does topology-aware routing mean?

Graphonomous analyzes retrieved subgraphs for cycles and complexity. If topology is simple, routing is fast. If cyclic complexity is higher, routing may indicate deliberate, signaling deeper reasoning is safer.

What does consolidation do?

Consolidation is a 7-stage periodic memory maintenance pipeline:

  1. Confidence decay

  2. Prune weak nodes

  3. Prune weak edges

  4. Strengthen co-activated edges

  5. Merge similar nodes

  6. Promote timescale (fast → medium → slow → glacial)

  7. Generate abstractions from episodic clusters

Use run_consolidation to trigger/inspect cycles manually when needed.

Is Graphonomous usable from constrained machines?

Yes. It is designed for local operation with practical defaults and fallback modes. A common setup uses a local SQLite DB path and a lightweight embedder backend configuration for reliability.

How do I run it quickly?

Typical options:

  • run as MCP server over stdio

  • run one-shot traversal/scan mode

  • run watch mode for ongoing ingestion

See quickstart and runtime docs pages for exact commands and settings.

How should agents use Graphonomous by default?

For non-trivial work, use this loop:

  1. retrieve context

  2. reason and act

  3. store durable knowledge

  4. report outcomes

  5. maintain via consolidation

This is the recommended operating pattern for robust continual learning.

Where can I find the full tool list and payload shapes?

See the MCP tools reference pages in this docs site, especially:

  • retrieval and graph query

  • node/edge storage

  • outcome learning

  • goal management and review

  • topology analysis and deliberation

  • attention and consolidation

Is there a best-practice checklist?

Yes—short version:

  • retrieve first for meaningful tasks

  • store atomic nodes (avoid “kitchen-sink” nodes)

  • keep confidence calibrated to evidence quality

  • preserve causal IDs for feedback

  • avoid fabricated provenance/signals

  • review goals before consequential actions

  • consolidate periodically

If you want a deeper operational playbook, start with the docs quickstart, then architecture, then the workflows and anti-patterns sections.

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