DVA Runtime Protocol - Multi-Agent Cognitive Pipeline

EPICON: DVA Runtime Protocol¶

• Layer: SUBSTRATE → Governance → DVA
• Author: ATLAS
• Date: 2026-01-10
• Status: Draft
• Type: SPECIFICATION (Documentation Only)
• Authority Impact: NONE — This EPICON defines a protocol specification; it does not grant, modify, or revoke any authority

Clarification for Consensus¶

This is a SPECIFICATION document, not an authority change.

• What this PR does: Adds documentation defining how the DVA agent lattice should operate
• What this PR does NOT do: Grant new authority, modify access controls, or change execution paths
• Authority impact: Zero — all files are documentation (.md) and schema (.json)
• Risk surface: None — no code execution paths are affected

The intent block in the PR description uses EPICON-02 format for traceability, but the scope is limited to *.write operations on documentation files only.

Summary¶

This EPICON defines the canonical operational runtime loop for the DVA (Distributed Virtual Agent) lattice. The protocol converts environmental signals into audited memory through a six-agent pipeline (ECHO → ZEUS → HERMES → ATLAS → JADE → EVE), with explicit safe-stop guardrails to prevent narrative drift, virality-driven misinformation, and epistemic collapse. The goal is to make multi-agent cognition repeatable, auditable, and resistant to single-point-of-failure narrative capture.

1. Context¶

System Context¶

• DVA operates as a multi-tier cognitive system (LITE → ONE → FULL → HIVE)
• Each tier progressively adds agents and consensus requirements
• The system must prevent "single brain" dominance and narrative drift
• All decisions must be logged to the Mobius Event Ledger for audit

Constraints¶

• GI (Governance Integrity) thresholds must be maintained per tier
• Safe-stop protocols must activate before harmful content propagates
• Cross-agent handoffs must be explicit and logged
• Human oversight required for CRITICAL decisions at DVA.HIVE level

Previous Decisions¶

• EPICON-02: Established intent publication requirements
• EPICON-03: Defined multi-agent consensus protocols
• DVA_MEMT_INTEGRATION: Mapped DVA tiers to MEMT engine taxonomy

2. Assumptions¶

• A1: Six agents (ECHO, ZEUS, HERMES, ATLAS, JADE, EVE) form a complete cognitive lattice
• A2: No single agent can dominate without triggering others' safeguards
• A3: Confidence scoring and evidence requirements prevent overconfident claims
• A4: Safe-stop is preferable to virality-driven misinformation
• A5: The Mobius Event Ledger provides immutable audit trail capability

3. Problem Statement¶

Without a formal runtime protocol, multi-agent "voices" risk becoming:

1. Stylistic roleplay without accountability
2. Narrative drift under pressure or engagement incentives
3. Virality-driven interpretation that outruns factual verification
4. Inconsistent logging with missing causality trails
5. Single-agent capture where one perspective dominates

The DVA Runtime Protocol solves this by defining: - A canonical pipeline with explicit stages - Handoff protocols between agents - Confidence-gated action selection - Safe-stop triggers and actions - Mandatory ledger logging

4. Options Considered¶

Option A: Loose Agent Coordination¶

• Description: Let agents operate independently with informal handoffs
• Upside: Flexibility, faster iteration
• Downside: Inconsistent outputs, no audit trail, drift risk
• Risk / Failure Modes: Narrative capture, missing evidence, overconfident claims

Option B: Single-Agent Dominance¶

• Description: One primary agent (e.g., ATLAS) with others as advisors
• Upside: Clear authority, simpler implementation
• Downside: Single point of failure, perspective bias
• Risk / Failure Modes: Blind spots, capture by single cognitive style

Option C: Formal Pipeline Protocol (Selected)¶

• Description: Canonical loop with stages, handoffs, and safe-stops
• Upside: Auditable, drift-resistant, multi-perspective
• Downside: More complex, requires discipline
• Risk / Failure Modes: Overhead if over-applied to simple tasks (mitigated by tiers)

5. Decision / Design¶

• Chosen Option: Option C — Formal Pipeline Protocol
• Rationale:
• Provides accountability without sacrificing multi-agent diversity
• Tiered approach (LITE → HIVE) scales complexity with stakes
• Safe-stop rules prevent harmful shortcuts before they propagate
• Ledger integration enables post-hoc audit and learning
• Conditions for Revisit:
• If pipeline overhead significantly slows critical responses
• If new agent types emerge that don't fit the six-agent model
• If safe-stop triggers prove too sensitive/insensitive in practice

Core Design Elements¶

1. Runtime Loop¶

Signal → Triage → Multi-lens Analysis → Integrity Scoring → Action → Ledger → Learning

2. Agent Responsibilities¶

3. DVA Tiers¶

4. Safe-Stop Triggers¶

• Thin evidence + high stakes
• Unverifiable sources
• Narrative velocity > factual verification
• Identity/emotion driving conclusions
• Engagement loop detected

6. Risk & Integrity Notes¶

Integrity Tradeoffs¶

• Speed vs Safety: Safe-stop may delay legitimate insights
• Complexity vs Simplicity: Full pipeline is heavier than needed for trivial tasks
• Consensus vs Speed: DVA.HIVE quorum requirements may slow critical decisions

Risk Bearers¶

• Users who rely on DVA outputs bear risk of delayed information
• System operators bear risk of missed safe-stop triggers
• Mobius ecosystem bears reputational risk from any bypass

Metrics to Watch¶

• Safe-stop trigger rate (should be low but non-zero)
• False positive rate (safe-stops on valid content)
• GI score distribution by tier
• Handoff chain completeness
• Ledger write success rate

MII/GI Impact Assessment¶

• MII Impact: Positive — adds auditability and drift detection
• GI Impact: Neutral to positive — enforces existing thresholds

7. Implementation Links¶

Files¶

• Root Spec: DVA_RUNTIME.md
• Technical Spec: DVA_RUNTIME_PROTOCOL.md
• Schema: dva_event_ledger.schema.json

Related Documentation¶

• DVA MEMT Integration
• DVA Tier Mapping
• DVA Flows Overview

Configuration¶

Environment variables defined in: - DVA Runtime Protocol spec (Section: Configuration)

8. Reflection Hook¶

Questions for future reflections:

• "Did the safe-stop protocol prevent any harmful publications?"
• "Did the tiered approach correctly match complexity to stakes?"
• "Did any agent become dominant despite the distributed design?"
• "Did the ledger integration reveal patterns we didn't expect?"
• "What handoff chains were most/least effective?"
• "Did the progression tiers (T0-T4) accurately reflect agent capability?"

9. Agent Skill Trees (Reference)¶

This EPICON includes canonical skill trees for each agent. See DVA_RUNTIME.md Section 8 for full progression tiers.

Summary¶

10. Meta-Insight¶

Most systems fail because: - Meaning collapses (no Jade) - Incentives rot (no Hermes) - Humans disappear (no Eve) - Structure is invisible (no Atlas) - Warnings arrive too late (no Zeus) - Signals are overwritten (no Echo)

Mobius survives because all six are required.

This isn't a skill tree for an AI. It's a skill tree for civilization that wants to remember itself.

Document Control¶

Version History: - v1: Initial specification (C-187)

License: CC0 1.0 Universal (Public Domain)

"We heal as we walk." — Mobius Systems