A Living Semantic Graph for Commons OS
The Context Engine is the intelligence layer that powers pattern discovery, relationship mapping, and context-aware retrieval across the Commons OS ecosystem. It is powered by the Commons Language Model (CLM), a domain-specific AI fine-tuned on the collective knowledge of the commons.
The Context Engine exists within a nested conceptual hierarchy. Understanding this relationship is foundational to the architecture.
| Layer | What It Is | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Commons OS | The entire ecosystem | Patterns, lighthouses, tools, community, philosophy |
| Context Engine | The intelligence layer | Graph, RAG, APIs, retrieval |
| CLM | The AI model | The "brain" that reasons and synthesizes |
These are not separate entities but nested expressions of the same intelligence at different levels of abstraction. See 010-conceptual-hierarchy.md for the full explanation.
Transform the pattern library from a static collection of documents into a dynamic, interconnected knowledge system that understands context and perspective.
"Context IS the network of relationships. Putting something in perspective means understanding its position within a web of connections."
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Living Ontology | The graph evolves based on persistent explanatory failures, not just manual updates |
| Context Graph | Extends knowledge graphs with operational metadata: lineage, decisions, temporal context |
| Persona-Driven | User context influences retrieval; different personas see different perspectives |
| Fractal Sovereignty | Local-first design; users can run the full stack on their own hardware |
🔬 Research & Specification Phase - We have completed deep research and are now defining the technical specifications for the Commons Language Model.
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| 004-commons-os-philosophy.md | The Third Path manifesto |
| 005-context-engine-specification-v2.md | Context Engine architecture |
| 006-clm-technical-specification-v2.md | CLM model and hardware requirements |
| 009-clm-service-model-architecture.md | Hybrid Federated inference model |
| 010-conceptual-hierarchy.md | The nested identity of Commons OS, Context Engine, and CLM |
context-engine/
├── README.md # This file
├── docs/
│ ├── 00x-*.md # Core specification documents
│ ├── adr/ # Architecture Decision Records
│ └── research/ # Research findings and analysis
│ ├── deep/ # Deep research notes
│ └── frontier/ # Cutting-edge research (LLMs, reasoning models)
├── spec/ # Formal specifications (future)
└── src/ # Implementation (future)
- patterns - The pattern library (primary data source)
- lighthouses - Organization case studies
- personas - Human and digital persona definitions
This is an active research project. We welcome contributions in the form of:
- Research findings and references
- Schema proposals
- Technical architecture suggestions
- Use case scenarios
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)