tai/research/INDEX.md

Research Archive Index

Molodetz Institute — Research & Retrieval Division. This is the living registry of every subject in research/. It is updated in the same pass as any new research, per the standing rule in README.md §4. Never edit a subject's documents without also updating its row here.

Global statistics

Metric	Value
Subjects	5
Total source documents	346
— Tier 1 (Source Dossier, independently analyzed)	103
— Tier 2 (Source Citation Card, listed only)	243
Total conclusion documents	6
Archive opened	2026-10-09
Last updated	2026-10-10

Subjects

Subject	Sources (T1 / T2)	Conclusions	Opened	Last updated	Driving task
sqlite-rag-hybrid-search	32 (10 / 22)	1	2026-10-09	2026-10-09	Designing tmux-log export + chunked retrieval; settled on BM25-only, no vector DB
agent-memory-recency-tracking	63 (16 / 47)	1	2026-10-09	2026-10-09	Designing an LRU-style last-used/use-count tracker for vault records and chunks
async-pty-process-testing	59 (20 / 39)	1	2026-10-09	2026-10-09	Designing tai_test.py (pty vs. pipes, non-blocking stdin, process-group cleanup, test-framework shape) — backfilled after it was initially skipped, see activity log
shell-multiplexer-auto-attach	138 (48 / 90)	2	2026-10-09	2026-10-10	Designing a tai-managed terminal multiplexer + bashrc auto-attach: tmux-as-substrate recommendation, interactive-vs-automation shell detection; extended 2026-10-10 to cover zsh/fish hook syntax
tui-framework-design	54 (9 / 45)	1	2026-10-10	2026-10-10	Designing tai's in-house TUI framework (retained DOM, cuts/chops compositor, SGR mouse, bubbling events, VT sub-terminals); extended 2026-10-10 with synchronized-output verification (DEC 2026); implementation approved and in progress

Recent activity log

Date	Subject	Event
2026-10-09	—	Archive created: specification (README.md), index (this file), and both subjects above backfilled from the day's research in full, per explicit instruction to retroactively capture every source consulted that day.
2026-10-09	sqlite-rag-hybrid-search	32 sources (10 Tier 1 / 22 Tier 2) + 1 conclusion recorded (the conclusion: pure SQLite FTS5/BM25 chunked search, deliberately no embeddings/vector DB — see conclusions/). Counts verified directly against the written files, not taken from the authoring agent's self-report.
2026-10-09	—	Spec change: Tier split into its own standalone metadata row (1 / 2 / N/A) instead of a parenthetical inside Document type, so it's directly filterable. All 97 existing documents across both subjects backfilled to match in the same pass; counts re-verified afterward (unchanged: 26 Tier 1, 69 Tier 2, 2 Conclusions).
2026-10-09	agent-memory-recency-tracking	63 sources (16 Tier 1 / 47 Tier 2) + 1 conclusion recorded (the conclusion: last_used/use_count tracking proposal for records and chunks, throttled-write pattern, no eviction policy yet — see conclusions/). One source (glama-code-index-mcp-bm25-hybrid.md) was promoted from the originally-planned Tier 2 to Tier 1 by the authoring agent mid-task because it contained specific attributable numeric findings — exactly the judgment call §3 of README.md calls for, logged here rather than silently absorbed. Counts verified directly against the written files.
2026-10-09	async-pty-process-testing	New subject, opened as a correction: the eight WebSearch calls behind tai_test.py's design (pty vs. pipes, non-blocking stdin, process-group cleanup, test-framework patterns) were initially skipped from the archive under the reasoning "informal engineering reference, not a design decision" — a silent, unilateral exception to the Research Rule, and wrong (see README.md §4's added "no exception, ever" paragraph). Backfilled: 59 sources (20 Tier 1 / 39 Tier 2) + 1 conclusion (conclusions/tai-test-framework-design.md). Counts verified directly against the written files via research/audit.py, not taken from the authoring agent's self-report alone. A PostToolUse/WebSearch hook (.claude/settings.json) was also added the same day specifically to stop this from recurring.
2026-10-09	shell-multiplexer-auto-attach	71 sources (38 Tier 1 / 33 Tier 2) + 1 conclusion recorded (the conclusion: build on tmux as a substrate rather than a from-scratch multiplexer; reliable human-vs-automation shell detection has no single solution, only a combination of weaker signals plus a safety-file escape hatch). Counts verified directly against the written files via research/audit.py. Hook fired correctly for all 8 underlying WebSearch calls during this task.
2026-10-10	shell-multiplexer-auto-attach	Extended with 67 more sources (10 Tier 1 / 57 Tier 2) + 1 more conclusion (conclusions/cross-shell-hook-syntax-bash-zsh-fish.md), covering 7 WebSearch calls on zsh/fish command-not-found and plexer-hook syntax (fish_command_not_found, zsh command_not_found_handler, fish's isatty builtin vs. a missing test -t, status is-interactive/is-login, config.fish always being sourced, and the fish -i flag). Subject total now 138 sources (48 Tier 1 / 90 Tier 2), 2 conclusions. The research backed a same-session implementation (tai.py's shell_rc_path/ZSH_NOTFOUND_BLOCK/FISH_NOTFOUND_BLOCK/FISH_PLEXER_BLOCK/op_zsh_hook/op_fish_hook/op_zsh_plexer_hook/op_fish_plexer_hook, new tests in test_tai.py and tests/bashrc.py, and zsh/fish added to tests/docker/Dockerfile) rather than remaining a proposal. Counts verified directly against the written files via research/audit.py (PASS).
2026-10-10	tui-framework-design	New subject: 44 sources (7 Tier 1 / 37 Tier 2) + 1 conclusion (conclusions/retained-dom-compositor-tui.md), covering 4 WebSearch calls plus 7 direct page fetches on TUI architecture (Textual events/layout/animation guides, pyte repo, SGR mouse protocol, rabbitui Textual synthesis, tmux popup-removal commit). Decision: retained-DOM framework in tai.py with cuts/chops compositor, named layers, bubbling events, SGR mouse, tick animations, reimplemented VT sub-terminals. Nothing built yet; implementation plan presented, awaiting go. Counts hand-verified (shell unavailable for research/audit.py in this session).
2026-10-10	tui-framework-design	Extended with 10 more sources (2 Tier 1 / 8 Tier 2) verifying synchronized-output framing (DEC mode 2026, CSI ? 2026 h/l, harmless no-op where unsupported). Subject total now 54 sources (9 Tier 1 / 45 Tier 2), 1 conclusion. Implementation approved by retoor the same session; framework being built into tai.py.

How to use this index

• Before starting new research, search this table for an existing subject before opening a new one (see README.md §2, "one subject, one home").
• Every subject folder is self-contained: its sources live flat inside it, its conclusions live in its conclusions/ subfolder.
• Tier 1 vs Tier 2 is a statement about how deeply a source was actually read, not about its importance — see README.md §3 for the exact distinction.