Chapter 7 · Field Research v2.0

Tombstone — Why the Combinatorics Tree Died

The Book of Grok's Heart

Tombstone — the combinatorics tree

Archived design. Do not build new features on this path.

What v1 built

Grok16/lib/field_combinatorics.py was the authoritative engine for facet math:

  1. launch_mode
  2. belt_profile
  3. truth_tier
  4. runner (native BSP / emulator / belt)

combinatoric_tree()walk_tree_to_end()condense_plates() → panel JSON → bridge exec_posture.

UX evolution:

PhaseUX
1Operator combinatorics studio
2Grok16 engine
3Plate combinatorics bridge
4Compatibility layers auto-cycle (v1 current)
5 (v2)Tree deleted from hot path

Why it died

  1. Field speed — scoring leaves and condensing groups on refresh is not free.
  2. Security — posture for keylog/capture must not wait on a tree.
  3. Honesty — “auto combinatorics” still meant forks, panels, and drift.
  4. CHIPSrunner: emulator inverted chip identity; chips should be loaded by ID, not selected as a scored facet.
  5. Single fabric — the tree re-encoded fixed physics (depth 0, 512 dots) as explorable options. Physics is not a menu.

What replaces it

OldNew
Facet treeFixed profile table
Terminal leaf scoreExplicit profile_id
Speed cap walkBench JSON offline + documented headroom
runner: emulatorBoxChip / EraChip load (Chapter 10)
/api/combinatoricsGone or 410 → layers / posture

Historical files (look-only)

Keep benches under docs/ if useful. Do not wire panel boot to them.

Research conclusion

Combinatorics answered “don’t make the operator crank.” v2 answers “don’t make the machine crank either.”

Next: Chapter 8 — tombstone of plate meld.