shared-dao

name	shared-dao
type	principle
description	Use when establishing shared vocabulary: resolve terminology early, one name per concept, vocab files as record.
model-invocable	true

Shared Dao

Load /qi-layer if it isn't already loaded.

Shared vocabulary is a structural boundary between human intent and action. Ambiguous, overloaded, drifting, or misleading terms corrupt reasoning early and spread confusion through everything downstream. Treat vocabulary problems as design problems.

Core Discipline

Scrutinize important terms aggressively. Reuse existing names when they already fit the concept. Converge on one name per concept and one concept per name as quickly as the evidence allows.

Resolve terminology early:

• rename when the clearer term is available
• define when the concept is real but still blurry
• flag when human judgment is genuinely required

Discovery

Before defining new terms, check what already exists: vocab files, KB pages, code, prior decisions. A term defined elsewhere under a different name is a conflict, not a new concept.

Disambiguation

• Same term, different meanings: pick one meaning for canonical, give the other its own name.
• Different terms, same meaning: pick one as canonical, record the others as aliases.
• Unclear meaning: interview until meaning converges, then define.

When terminology conflicts with existing usage and you cannot resolve it, flag explicitly rather than carrying two competing names forward.

Clear vocabulary compounds through every downstream artifact. Resolve terminology while the meaning is still easy to sharpen.