Memex Operating System

Memex runs on a simple loop:

Capture → Distill → Connect → Apply → Review

The harness layer adds one more operating loop around the knowledge loop:

Prepare -> Execute -> Trace -> Verify -> Govern -> Learn

1. Capture

Capture promising raw material quickly, without over-processing.

Examples:

• book passages
• article excerpts
• meeting insights
• founder/investor/operator lessons
• market signals
• regulatory observations
• strategic questions

Capture belongs in content/sources/.

2. Distill

Turn sources into memex items.

A distilled item should answer:

• What is the core thesis?
• Why does it matter?
• What are the key ideas?
• What mental model does it strengthen or challenge?
• Where might this apply?
• What question should we keep asking?

Distillation belongs in content/items/.

3. Connect

Connect new ideas to existing themes.

Useful connection prompts:

• What does this remind us of?
• Which assumption does this challenge?
• What second-order consequence follows?
• Which decision could this improve?
• Which strategic theme does this reinforce?
• What would inversion say?

Future maps will live in content/maps/.

4. Apply

The system is only valuable if it improves judgment.

Apply notes to:

• strategy memos
• investment or product decisions
• regulatory positioning
• market expansion questions
• leadership and hiring principles
• personal learning plans

A note that never changes thinking is probably just storage.

Harness operating modes

Every agent run trades off cost, quality, and speed. Use the lightest mode that is appropriate for the risk.

Mode	Use when	Required behavior
Fast	Read-only lookup or low-risk synthesis	Search, cite, answer, no durable writes unless requested
Standard	Normal ingest, docs, or repo edits	Retrieve, cite, update files, run relevant validation
Strict	Private data, public release, governance-sensitive work, or long-running automation	Run readiness checks, trace important actions, validate, preserve state, require human approval where policy says so

Default to Standard for framework changes. Use Strict for public release, private-vault exposure, permission expansion, or external actions.

5. Review

Review periodically to compound the system.

Suggested cadence:

• Weekly: clean new captures and create distilled items.
• Monthly: merge repeated tags, update maps, identify emerging themes.
• Quarterly: ask which ideas changed decisions or deserved deletion.

Quality bar

A memex item is ready when it contains at least one of:

• a clear thesis
• a reusable mental model
• a decision-relevant insight
• a high-quality question
• a cross-domain connection

If it has none of these, keep it as a source or discard it.