graphonomous graphonomous/docs/runtime-walkthrough.md
This page walks through the Graphonomous runtime from process startup to closed-loop learning, goal review, and maintenance.

Runtime Walkthrough

This page walks through the Graphonomous runtime from process startup to closed-loop learning, goal review, and maintenance.

If you want a practical mental model, think in this sequence:

  1. Boot services

  2. Retrieve context

  3. Act

  4. Store durable knowledge

  5. Learn from outcomes

  6. Review goal coverage

  7. Run consolidation

1) Boot and Supervision

Graphonomous runs as an OTP application with supervised runtime components:

  • Store

  • Embedder

  • Graph

  • Retriever

  • Learner

  • GoalGraph

  • Attention

  • Consolidator

  • MCP registry/server plumbing

What happens at startup

  • Store opens the SQLite database.

  • Schema/migrations are applied.

  • ETS hot cache is rebuilt from durable state.

  • Core services come online and MCP tools/resources are exposed.

Why this matters

You get:

  • fast reads (ETS)

  • durable writes (SQLite)

  • process-level fault isolation (OTP supervision)

2) MCP Session Entry

Most integrations begin through MCP over stdio.

Typical first checks:

  • Runtime health snapshot

  • Goal snapshot

  • Lightweight context retrieval for the current task

This gives the agent session orientation before making changes.

3) Retrieval Path (Context Before Action)

Graphonomous retrieval is not only semantic similarity. It combines:

  1. embedding similarity search

  2. graph-neighbor expansion

  3. confidence-aware ranking

  4. topology analysis (SCC/κ routing metadata)

Retrieval output you should pay attention to

  • results: ranked candidate context nodes

  • causal_context: node IDs used later for outcome learning

  • topology.routing: fast or deliberate

  • topology.max_kappa: cycle complexity signal

Routing behavior

  • fast: proceed with normal reasoning

  • deliberate: use deeper deliberation for cyclic/conflicting regions

4) Acting and Writing Memory

After retrieval, the agent reasons and executes work. New durable knowledge should be stored in atomic form.

Node types

  • semantic: facts/architecture

  • procedural: how-to/workflows

  • episodic: observed events or session outcomes

  • temporal: time-indexed observations, monitoring events

  • outcome: empirical results of actions (grounding)

  • goal: durable intent, objectives, targets

Good storage discipline

  • one claim/procedure/event per node

  • realistic confidence values

  • source attribution when possible

  • edges only when relationship quality justifies it

5) Closed-Loop Learning (Outcome Feedback)

After a meaningful action, Graphonomous can update confidence on the causal nodes that informed that action.

Learning inputs

  • action_id

  • status (success, partial_success, failure, timeout)

  • outcome confidence

  • causal_node_ids (from retrieval causal context)

  • optional evidence/trace metadata

Confidence update model

Learner applies a bounded, learning-rate blend from prior confidence and status-scaled signal, so graph trust adapts over time.

Practical effect

  • useful nodes get reinforced

  • weak/wrong assumptions are down-weighted

  • retrieval quality improves across sessions

6) GoalGraph and Coverage Gate

For multi-step work, goals provide durable intent and lifecycle management.

Goal lifecycle examples

  • proposed -> active -> completed

  • active -> blocked (if escalation needed)

  • optional pause/abandon transitions as policy requires

Coverage review

Coverage computes:

  • coverage_score

  • uncertainty_score

  • risk_score

  • decision: act | learn | escalate

This lets the runtime gate actions based on epistemic readiness, not just availability of any context.

7) Attention Loop (Prioritization Across Goals)

When many goals are in flight, attention can survey and rank what needs focus.

Autonomy modes:

  • observe (read-only prioritization)

  • advise (recommend actions)

  • act (dispatch bounded actions)

Attention combines urgency, coverage state, and topology complexity to prioritize execution.

8) Consolidation Cycle (Memory Maintenance)

Consolidation keeps memory quality healthy over time.

The 7-stage pipeline includes:

  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

Operationally, run consolidation:

  • at session boundaries

  • after heavy write bursts

  • periodically during long autonomous loops

9) End-to-End Example Walkthrough

A complete interaction often looks like this:

  1. Agent retrieves context for user task.

  2. Runtime returns ranked results + causal context + topology signal.

  3. Agent performs work and returns output.

  4. Agent stores key new semantic/procedural/episodic nodes.

  5. Agent reports outcome against causal nodes.

  6. Goal progress is updated.

  7. Coverage is reviewed before next consequential step.

  8. Consolidation runs to maintain graph quality.

10) Operational Checklist

Before ending a productive session:

  • [ ] Store key durable knowledge

  • [ ] Report outcomes for consequential actions

  • [ ] Update linked goals/progress/status

  • [ ] Trigger or verify consolidation

  • [ ] Confirm runtime remains healthy

11) Common Failure Patterns to Avoid

  • skipping retrieval on non-trivial tasks

  • losing causal context before outcome reporting

  • inflating confidence without evidence

  • storing kitchen-sink nodes

  • fabricating coverage or outcome signals

  • ignoring repeated learn/escalate routing

12) Suggested Next Reads

  • quickstart

  • architecture

  • mcp-tools

  • operations

  • skills/SKILLS

If you are integrating an autonomous agent, treat this walkthrough as the runtime backbone and the skills docs as strict operating policy.

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