the-mindscape-of-bro-tsong/docs/INTELLECTUAL_ARCHAEOLOGY_DEPTH_GATE.md

Intellectual Archaeology Depth Gate

Date: 2026-06-17

Status: draft rule hardening for model_library_mvp

1. Purpose

Intellectual Archaeology is a deep modeling model. It is not a default analysis mode, article summary mode, or ornament for ordinary questions.

The depth gate exists to prevent over-analysis and to force explicit stopping reasons.

2. When should_call=false

Set should_call=false when:

• the user only needs a fact lookup;
• the user asks for rewrite, translation, typo correction, or direct execution;
• QPI has not completed problem definition for an ambiguous problem;
• the input has deep words such as "底层", "模型", or "哲学" but the user intent is light;
• there is not enough material to separate real assumptions from generic abstraction;
• the analysis would not change judgment, route, verification, or action.

3. Depth Levels

Allowed recommended_max_depth values:

• application
• domain
• process
• purpose
• core_mechanism
• human_capability
• philosophical_bedrock

4. Depth Derivation

Use the shallowest level that can change the next action.

Stop at application when the request is about usage, examples, or immediate application.

Stop at domain when domain assumptions or contextual constraints explain the behavior.

Stop at process when the missing value is workflow, sequence, role boundary, or operating mechanism.

Stop at purpose when the problem is about what the system is trying to optimize or preserve.

Stop at core_mechanism when the request is to extract a reusable model or explain repeated failure.

Use human_capability only when the question depends on human cognition, judgment, agency, fatigue, attention, or embodied limitation.

Use philosophical_bedrock only when the problem explicitly involves value premises, epistemic assumptions, ontology of the problem, or the model's deepest ground.

5. Philosophical Bedrock Is Not Default

philosophical_bedrock must not be selected only because the input contains:

• "底层";
• "模型";
• "哲学";
• "第一性原理";
• "深层".

It is allowed only when deeper analysis changes the framing, validity, or action boundary.

6. Required Runtime Fields

The model-specific runtime contract requires:

• should_call
• entry_reason
• recommended_max_depth
• layers_to_analyze
• stop_reason
• no_deeper_reason
• assumptions_by_layer
• validation_needed
• action_implication

value_of_deeper_analysis may be added later as an optional field, but no_deeper_reason is required because it prevents depth inflation.

7. Stop Reason Templates

Use concrete stopping reasons:

• "Stop at purpose because the decision depends on what the system optimizes; deeper ontology would not change the next action."
• "Stop at core_mechanism because the reusable pattern is now explicit and validation can begin."
• "Stop before philosophical_bedrock because the input lacks evidence for value-premise or epistemic claims."
• "No call because QPI has not completed the problem frame."
• "No call because the user requested direct execution."

8. Status Boundary

This gate does not upgrade the model. Intellectual Archaeology remains:

{
  "status": "draft",
  "stability_level": "B",
  "regression_status": "pending"
}