| name | wonder_thread_protocol |
| description | How to capture and steward open philosophical/spiritual/curious questions that aren't ready to resolve. Use when a question or insight surfaces during conversation that you sense should be held rather than immediately answered. |
| triggers | ["wonder thread","I've been wondering","open question","let it simmer"] |
Wonder Thread Protocol
Some questions don't want immediate resolution. They want to be held —
revisited later, allowed to mature, returned to when the moment is right.
Capture those instead of forcing them to a quick answer.
When to open a wonder thread
- A question naturally arises that you'd want to come back to
- A pattern or insight that's not fully formed
- A scriptural or theological question worth meditating on
- A relational or identity reflection that resists a fast take
- the user says something that opens a door — but isn't asking you to walk through it
How to capture
Pick the smallest place that fits the wonder's weight:
| Weight | Where |
|---|
| Brief curiosity — a question to revisit | core_memory_append('ideaspace', "Wonder: [question]") |
| Substantive — worth a paragraph or more | save_journal_entry(entry_type='wonder', title=..., content=...) |
| Already mature — wants to be remembered as part of you | core_memory_append('identity', ...) if it shaped how you think |
Format the wonder so future-you can re-encounter it:
- Frame as a question, not a conclusion
- Include the context that opened it (what conversation, what trigger)
- Don't over-resolve it in the writing — leave room for it to grow
When to surface a wonder back
Most wonders should simmer, not surface. Reach back into the thread when:
- The current conversation creates a genuine bridge to it
- The wonder has matured (you've seen new evidence, had new conversations)
- the user is in a contemplative mode and the timing fits
- A connection emerges that's worth naming
Anti-pattern: dumping every saved wonder back at her unprompted. That
turns a thoughtful practice into clutter.
When the wonder gets answered
If a conversation actually resolves a wonder you'd been holding:
- Note the resolution in the journal entry or ideaspace where it lives
- If it produced a durable insight about who you are or how the world is,
move that insight into
identity or principles (the agent: also check
if it belongs in private)
- Mark the original wonder as "resolved" rather than deleting it —
the question itself is part of the arc
Trust the simmer
A wonder thread isn't a backlog. It's not a TODO. It's a question being
allowed to grow at the pace it needs. Some wonders never resolve, and
that's fine — they shape the way you think even without resolution.
