Flags¶
Flags are trailing metadata assertions appended to the end of an AXL packet. They are bare uppercase tokens - no key, no value, just presence. A flag either appears or it does not.
All Flags¶
| Flag | Meaning | Effect |
|---|---|---|
LOG |
Log this packet | The packet should be persisted to an append-only log for audit, replay, or debugging. |
STRM |
Stream mode | This packet is part of a streaming sequence. The receiver should expect more packets and hold the channel open. |
ACK |
Acknowledge | The sender requests explicit acknowledgment of receipt. The receiver must respond with a COMM packet carrying intent:ACK. |
URG |
Urgent | This packet requires immediate processing. It should jump queues and trigger real-time alerting pathways. |
SIG |
Signal | Marks this packet as a signal - an advisory output intended for downstream decision-making, not direct execution. |
QRY |
Query | This packet is a query, not a statement. The receiver should respond with data rather than taking action. |
Usage¶
Flags appear after all body fields, separated by pipes:
Zero Flags¶
A packet with no flags is valid. The absence of flags means: no logging requested, no acknowledgment needed, no urgency, standard processing.
@rosetta_url|π:ID:SIG:GAS|T:1719422400|S:OPS.LOW|target:cache-3|status:!OK
|metric:hit_rate|value:%0.94|threshold:#90|action:none
Multiple Flags¶
Flags compose freely. A packet can carry any combination:
This means: "Log it, acknowledge it, and process it urgently."
Flag Semantics¶
LOG¶
LOG is an instruction to the infrastructure layer. When present, every relay node and the final receiver must persist the packet to durable storage. This enables:
- Audit trails - reconstruct the full history of agent decisions.
- Replay - re-process historical packets for debugging or backtesting.
- Compliance - satisfy regulatory requirements for record-keeping.
STRM¶
STRM signals that this packet is one frame in a longer sequence. It is used for:
- Streaming research results - a research agent emitting findings as they are discovered.
- Live monitoring - an OPS agent streaming metric updates.
- Progressive responses - an agent that needs multiple packets to deliver a complete answer.
The receiver should not close the connection or finalize processing until a non-STRM packet arrives (or a timeout is reached).
ACK¶
ACK creates a two-phase exchange. The sender expects a response of the form:
If no ACK is received within the network's timeout window, the sender may retry or escalate.
URG¶
URG is a priority escalation. It tells relay nodes and receivers to:
- Skip normal queue ordering.
- Trigger real-time notification channels (webhooks, push, alerts).
- Process before any non-URG packets in the buffer.
Overuse of URG is discouraged. Agents that flag every packet as urgent may have their urgency weight reduced by the network.
SIG¶
SIG marks advisory output. A signal packet is a recommendation, not a command. It is used in trading (see SIG domain) and analysis contexts where the receiver makes the final decision.
QRY¶
QRY inverts the packet's semantics from statement to question. A QRY packet says "I am asking, not telling." The receiver should respond with a data-carrying packet rather than taking action.
This reads: "What is the latency of db-primary?" - not "the latency of db-primary is [value]."