1  ---
  2  concept_id: CON-onboarding
  3  created: 2026-01-26
  4  updated: 2026-01-26
  5  type: parent-concept
  6  extraction_trigger: "N>=3 artifacts sharing this pattern"
  7  instance_count: 5
  8  tags:
  9    - concept
 10    - protocol
 11    - agents
 12  parent: null
 13  session: "[[2026-01-26]]"
 14  ---
 15  
 16  # Onboarding
 17  
 18  > The progressive revelation of system capabilities to new participants.
 19  
 20  ---
 21  
 22  ## The Pattern
 23  
 24  Onboarding in Sovereign OS follows the principle of **progressive trust revelation**:
 25  
 26  1. **Zero-assumption start** - New agents/users start with minimal context
 27  2. **Capability discovery** - Learn what the system can do through interaction
 28  3. **Trust accumulation** - Privileges expand as trust is established
 29  4. **Context inheritance** - Prior knowledge flows to new sessions
 30  
 31  This pattern applies to:
 32  - Claude instances starting a new session
 33  - New team members joining the project
 34  - External services integrating with the system
 35  
 36  ---
 37  
 38  ## Invariants (What MUST Be True)
 39  
 40  ^invariants
 41  
 42  1. **Bootstrap is mandatory** - Every new context must run `agent_bootstrap.py`
 43  2. **CLAUDE.md is read first** - Core protocols before any work
 44  3. **Mesh awareness** - New instances check cross-session state
 45  4. **Trust starts low** - New actors earn capabilities, don't assume them
 46  
 47  ---
 48  
 49  ## Extension Points (What CAN Vary)
 50  
 51  ^extensions
 52  
 53  | Artifact Type | Extension | Example |
 54  |---------------|-----------|---------|
 55  | Protocol | Bootstrap sequence | What checks run at startup |
 56  | Design | Context loading | Which files to read first |
 57  | PRD | User journey | How human users are introduced |
 58  
 59  ---
 60  
 61  ## Instances
 62  
 63  ```dataview
 64  TABLE
 65    type as "Type",
 66    status as "Status",
 67    file.mtime as "Modified"
 68  FROM ""
 69  WHERE contains(parent, "Onboarding") OR contains(tags, "onboarding")
 70  SORT file.mtime DESC
 71  ```
 72  
 73  ---
 74  
 75  ## Anti-Patterns
 76  
 77  ^antipatterns
 78  
 79  1. **Assuming context** - Acting on stale knowledge from previous sessions
 80  2. **Skipping bootstrap** - Starting work without checking system state
 81  3. **Permission explosion** - Granting full access before trust is established
 82  4. **Information overload** - Dumping entire system context at once
 83  
 84  ---
 85  
 86  ## The Onboarding Funnel
 87  
 88  ```
 89  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
 90  │ 1. BOOTSTRAP                            │
 91  │    - Read CLAUDE.md                     │
 92  │    - Run agent_bootstrap.py             │
 93  │    - Display startup message            │
 94  └─────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
 95                    ▼
 96  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
 97  │ 2. MESH AWARENESS                       │
 98  │    - Check git log (what changed?)      │
 99  │    - Check mesh (who else is working?)  │
100  │    - Surface pending votes              │
101  └─────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
102                    ▼
103  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
104  │ 3. CONTEXT INHERITANCE                  │
105  │    - Read LIVE-COMPRESSION.md           │
106  │    - Review INSIGHT-BACKLOG.md          │
107  │    - Check FO-INPUT.md                  │
108  └─────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
109                    ▼
110  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
111  │ 4. READY FOR WORK                       │
112  │    - System state understood            │
113  │    - Pending tasks visible              │
114  │    - Trust baseline established         │
115  └─────────────────────────────────────────┘
116  ```
117  
118  ---
119  
120  ## Parent Concepts
121  
122  This concept feeds into:
123  - [[Agents]] - Agent onboarding is a key subcase
124  - [[Trust]] - Onboarding establishes initial trust levels
125  
126  ---
127  
128  ## Extraction History
129  
130  | Date | Trigger | Instance Count |
131  |------|---------|----------------|
132  | 2026-01-26 | N>=3 (5 artifacts) | 5 |
133  
134  ---
135  
136  *Concept extracted via Emergent Parent Extraction protocol*