Pattern Catalog — Foundation Set (v1.0)

Ratified 2026-07-13. Each entry summarizes the pattern; the full constitutional prose lives in src/platform/stewardship/pattern-language/pattern-registry.ts.

001 · Preparation#

Understanding should be arranged before a person arrives, not reconstructed after they get there.

002 · Invitation#

A sincere opening extended to a specific person into work that has been prepared for them.

003 · Arrival#

The first moment should answer, quietly and without asking, where the person is and why they are there.

004 · Orientation#

A person should be able to see, quickly and honestly, where to begin — with the option to begin differently if they know better.

005 · Context#

An artifact should carry, or clearly point to, the reason it exists.

006 · Quiet Contribution#

The conditions of a room should let a person contribute in the way that respects how they actually think.

007 · Shared Understanding#

Understanding is not shared until it survives being restated by another person.

008 · Reflection#

There should be room, after an experience, for a person to make sense of it before moving on.

009 · Decision#

A decision, once made, should carry the reasoning that produced it so future readers can honor it or amend it honestly.

010 · Continuity#

Understanding should survive the departure of any single person.

011 · Steward Transition#

Stewardship is transferred, not abandoned. The departing steward is responsible for the arriving steward's ability to understand.

012 · Institutional Memory#

Institutional memory is measured by what a new arrival can understand, not by what has been stored.

013 · Return#

The system should meet the returning person where they left themselves.

014 · Departure#

A person should be able to leave in a way that preserves what was built and what was learned.