Operational Protocol — Weights on Metal

BUILD AND DEPLOY

LOCAL AGENTS.

A technical manual for terminal-fluent operators. Build a local-first agent system with memory, tools, and real containment — on hardware you control.

Built for operators, not spectators

Local-first

Run the stack on hardware you control, with explicit boundaries and no mandatory third-party runtime.

System-level

Go beyond prompts: build the loop, memory model, tool contract, autonomy layer, and containment perimeter.

Practical

Every chapter is written to be run, checked, and verified from first principles.

THE PROGRESSION

00

Your First Agent in 30 Minutes

Install the inference stack, configure the system prompt, and validate the end-to-end path with a raw API call.

01

The Agent Loop

Build the core loop that separates an agent from a one-shot response generator.

02

The Identity Layer

Split behavioral directives, runtime context, and operator context into stable configuration files.

03

The Three-Tier Memory System

Add conversation state, working memory, and vector-based long-term recall.

04

The Tool Suite

Introduce Janitor, Vault, Ghost-Write, and the permission gate that controls tool execution.

05

Autonomous Operations

Run the system on systemd timers with standing orders, exit semantics, and notification paths.

06

Security & Isolation

Add process isolation, filesystem restrictions, network boundaries, and audit logging.

07

Your First Real Familiar

Deploy the whole system in stages and operate it with explicit trust boundaries.

Architecting Agency

The loop

Context assembly, inference, response parsing, observation, reflection.

The memory system

Sliding context, working digests, and vector retrieval.

The tool contract

JSON-over-STDIO tools with explicit permissioning.

The containment

Autonomy through process isolation and network boundaries.

Own your labor.

Sovereignty Access Pack

$29

One-time payment. Zero recurring fees.