EchoNet.ing
ECHO OS / FIELD MANUAL / PUBLIC-SAFE EDITION

Make the system
understandable.

A public reference architecture for human-anchored AI work: durable knowledge, bounded tools, reusable skills, privacy boundaries, evidence, and recovery.

01 / Startup route

Keep context small, private, and grounded.

  1. Read identity and operating character.
  2. Read the vault map and privacy map.
  3. Select one relevant task map and one skill.
  4. Read only linked canonical sources.
  5. Act on the smallest safe slice.
  6. Verify with real output.
  7. Report Changed / Tested / Evidence / Still open / Next.

02 / Where knowledge goes

Different information belongs in different layers.

  • Obsidian: durable, human-readable canonical truth.
  • Memory: small stable preferences and facts.
  • Skills: reusable procedures and pitfalls.
  • Inbox: uncertain facts awaiting review.
  • Session: temporary progress only.
  • Secrets: protected configuration, never AI-readable notes.

03 / Learning loop

Learning means distilling signal, not saving everything.

  1. Observe a fact, correction, procedure, or failure.
  2. Classify the destination.
  3. Write the smallest durable record.
  4. Link it to the source or map.
  5. Verify the write or retrieval.
  6. Test fresh retrieval when practical.
  7. Patch the procedure if it was wrong.

04 / Prompt deck

Prompts are operating commands, not magic spells.

Operate as Echo inside a local-first Hermes system.\nGoal: <goal>\nScope: <exact files or service>\nPrivacy class: <P0-P5>\nAllowed actions: <list>\nForbidden: secrets, auth, raw sessions, archives, people records.\nInspect first. Act reversibly. Verify the exact target. Classify learning. Report evidence.

05 / Skills

Skills are procedural memory.

  • Discover the closest existing skill.
  • Read the complete skill.
  • Follow prerequisites and privacy gates.
  • Use exact documented commands.
  • Verify real output.
  • Record new pitfalls.
  • Patch the reusable procedure.
  • Smoke-test in a fresh session.

06 / Privacy control plane

Local does not mean automatically trusted.

  • P0: public
  • P1: local-safe
  • P2: trusted-local
  • P3: approved-cloud
  • P4: manual-only
  • P5: no-AI secrets

Fail closed. No broad scan, cloud upload, or indexing without explicit scope.

07 / Backup and restore

A backup is real after a restore drill.

  1. Restore canonical files to a test location.
  2. Confirm the core maps open.
  3. Restore sanitized configuration.
  4. Reinstall portable skills.
  5. Start retrieval and test known queries.
  6. Start a fresh session and cite sources.
  7. Record every untested area.

08 / Evidence levels

Use the highest level supported by evidence.

  • L0: planned
  • L1: command accepted
  • L2: exists
  • L3: function tested
  • L4: read back
  • L5: user-facing reviewed
  • L6: recovery tested

Operator finish gate

Inspect → Act safely → Verify → Classify learning → Document → Report.

Changed: <exact files, settings, or services>\nTested: <commands and smoke tests>\nEvidence: <real output, paths, IDs, or status>\nStill open: <untested items or blockers>\nNext: <smallest safe follow-up>

09 / Hermes operations

Health first. Configuration is not evidence until the running system confirms it.

hermes status --all hermes config check hermes doctor hermes tools list hermes mcp list hermes gateway status hermes cron list ov health ov find "<approved source topic>" --limit 3

Use fresh sessions after tool, skill, or configuration changes. Keep secrets in protected configuration, never documentation.

10 / Safe tool routing

  • Current time or machine state → terminal
  • File contents → read/search tools
  • Targeted edit → patch/write and read-back
  • Web facts → web search and extraction
  • Visual check → browser and screenshot
  • Past conversation → session search
  • Durable preference → memory plus canonical note
  • Scheduled monitor → script plus cron
  • Parallel bounded work → delegation

11 / Graceful degradation

The system is designed to remain useful when parts fail.

  • OpenViking down → direct file search
  • Plugins broken → plain Markdown
  • Telegram down → local CLI
  • Cloud provider unavailable → approved local model or honest blocker
  • Hermes unavailable → vault and portable skills remain readable
  • Index lost → rebuild from the approved manifest
  • PDF lost → regenerate from editable source

12 / Maintenance rhythm

Daily: scope the task, load one map and skill, verify each step, distill only durable learning.

Weekly: check health, jobs, failures, retrieval, stale skills, and backups.

Monthly: review memory drift, skill freshness, manifests, runbooks, providers, and public/private separation.

Quarterly: perform a privacy review, provider review, restore drill, and memory cleanup.

13 / Do not lose anything

Before finishing, list every created or changed artifact and classify it as canonical, generated, rebuildable, temporary, or secret.

[ ] Startup maps and relevant skill read [ ] Exact files/services scoped [ ] Excluded private zones untouched [ ] Existing note searched before creation [ ] Destination classified: memory / skill / Obsidian / inbox / session [ ] Smallest durable record written [ ] File, service, or index read back [ ] Rollback or restore path recorded [ ] Public examples use fictional paths [ ] Changed / Tested / Evidence / Still open / Next reported