Retrieval and modes
Two operating rules govern how commands touch the wiki: read commands use the cheapest primitive that answers the question, and write operations run in one of three modes.
Retrieval cost escalation
Section titled “Retrieval cost escalation”Commands that read the wiki use the cheapest primitive that answers the question, escalating only when it falls short.
| Need | Primitive |
|---|---|
| Does the page exist? Title or category? | Read index.md; grep frontmatter |
| One- or two-sentence preview | Read summary: field |
| Specific claim or section | Grep with -A/-B context |
| Full page content | Read entire file |
| Cross-page relationships | Grep wikilinks or walk from a known page |
Commands that apply this: /query, /status, /cross-linker, /lint. Exempt: /ingest, /rebuild.
Modes of operation
Section titled “Modes of operation”| Mode | Trigger | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Append | Normal /ingest |
Process new and changed via SHA-256 |
| Rebuild | /rebuild |
Archive, clear, reprocess all |
| Restore | /restore <id> |
Archive current, copy from _archives/ |
See commands for what each verb does and schemas for the manifest that append mode diffs against.