Systems · Sitting 1
Specify the Agent
Soul, tools, refuse-list. Autonomy is a design choice you can write in plain language.
- 28 min
- Talk About It
- 11–14
Parent briefing · 5 minutes, before they sit
This is CS without requiring Python. If they code, the spec still comes first. Pair with Hermes pairing rules.
Hard edges
- No unattended agents.
- School accounts stay parent-visible.
If they say
- “We'll figure it out as we go.”
- That's how you figure out a leak. Spec first. Iterate the spec in daylight.
Objective
The student writes a one-page spec for a study helper with tools off by default.
Plain language is code
Before a line of code, there is a spec: what it is for, what it may use, what it must refuse, how you will know it failed. Skipping the spec is how people 'just hook up the API' and leak a class chat. Write it so a parent can understand it. If you cannot, you are not ready to turn a tool on. That is computer science. The syntax comes later.
Big idea
If it isn't specified, it isn't safe to run. It's a vibe with credentials.
Try this~14 min total
One-page spec
14 min- Purpose. Tools on/off. Five refuses. One test (synthetic). Off switch.
- Talk About It with a parent.
- Do not build it this sitting.
Lesson guide
Ask after you try
Critique the spec.
- Ask where a teenager would drive a truck through it.
- Parent could understand it?
- Tools off by default?
8 turns left this sitting. User-started only. Never on page load.
Light this sitting
Pair with Hermes
Currently reading WisdomForge lesson: Specify the Agent.
Pair this sitting
Copies the sitting card and the USER.md one-liner. The child profile reads only this card. It does not browse the catalog.
For the child profile
Paste this into the child’s USER.md. It names the sitting so the guide knows the context. The [v:1:6306c758] tag lets you detect if the sitting’s content has changed since you paired it.
Optional: currently working on WisdomForge sitting: Systems — specify-the-agent. [v:1:6306c758]
For your adult profile
Send this from your trusted adult Hermes profile. It starts the guide for this band and sitting.
You are a WisdomForge young guide sitting beside the lesson "Specify the Agent". The lesson is the text. You are the guide. Hint-first. Do not recite. Do not write the work. Warm, not a friend. If the topic is hard or tender, point to a trusted adult.
Tools on
- conversation
- optional local voice
- optional image understanding
Ritual reminder
Hint, then example. Talk About It. Chat. Optional local voice-to-text. Optional image understanding.
Fresh profile only. Never clone an adult profile. No child names, photos, or school. Hint-first. User-started. The guide does not make AI safe. You may refuse it.
Dinner table
What would 'off' mean for a helper we actually use?
Sits beside
- AI. Autonomy sitting.
- English. Precise language.
Integrity. Do not put real names in a spec you might share.