# Encoding Type: Tension (T, derived) > A contradiction or unresolved conflict visible only *across* two or more captured artifacts — never in any single one. Unlike every other DOLCHEOT type, a Tension is synthesized by default rather than asserted in the common case; when an operator asserts the contradiction in their own voice, it becomes an authored, sovereign Tension. It is advisory and sha-bound to the artifacts it spans: when they change, it goes stale and is re-derived. A Tension closes when an author resolves it (a Decision) or retracts one of its poles. --- ## Summary — The Derived Dimension: What the Artifacts, Together, Contradict For months, `oddkit_encode` surfaced tensions as a side effect: writing a project journal in prose, the model would notice that two captured items disagreed and write about it — but the contradiction had no type, no schema, and no home. It lived in prose or vanished. Tension makes that emergent behavior first-class. Tension is the first **second-order** DOLCHEOT type. Every other letter is *asserted* — an author or agent states a Decision, an Observation, a Constraint as content. Tension is *inferred* — computed by a detection pass *over* the other captured artifacts. That is what makes it a projection off the source map rather than a fact entered into it: regeneratable, advisory, and never sovereign unless an author asserts it in their own voice. See `canon/definitions/dolcheo-vocabulary.md` for how Tension joins the core letter set and why it is core (universal) rather than a domain extension. --- ## Type Identity | Field | Value | |---|---| | Letter | T | | Name | Tension | | Custody | Synthesized by default (derived); authored only when an operator asserts the contradiction in their own voice | | Priority | Derived / second-order — emitted by a detection pass after the assertable types by default; entered by hand only when an operator asserts the contradiction | --- ## Field Schema When encoding a Tension, the model outputs a row with the following fields (serialization format governed by `odd/encoding-types/serialization-format.md`): ``` T {title} {body} {between} {kind} {status} ``` | Field | Recommended | Description | |---|---|---| | type | yes | Always `T` | | title | yes | Short summary of the contradiction (≤12 words) | | body | yes | What disagrees, and why the two sides cannot both stand as written | | between | yes | The ≥2 artifacts/claims in conflict — references (artifact ids, row ids, or short source labels). A tension needs ≥2 poles | | kind | no | `tradeoff` (two goods in tension), `contradiction` (factual conflict), or `drift` (canon vs implementation/observed) | | status | yes | `open` with what would close it, or `resolved:{ref}` (the Decision or retraction that closed it) | Example: ``` T Per-artifact encode output vs observed batch collapse Canon requires oddkit_encode to return a per-artifact array for batched input; an observed run collapsed six prefix-tagged artifacts into one Decision blob. canon/definitions/dolcheo-vocabulary#tool-level-implication, encode-run-2026-06-24 drift open — closes when the tool ships per-artifact output, or the requirement is retracted ``` --- ## Trigger Words (Fallback Classification) When encode input is unstructured (not TSV), these trigger words classify a paragraph as Tension: ``` contradicts, conflicts with, in tension, at odds, doesn't square, inconsistent with, can't both, mutually exclusive, trade-off, tradeoff, pulls against, disagrees with, contradiction, conflict between ``` Classification preference: a paragraph prefixed `[T]` is classified as Tension. Because a Tension is *derived*, the primary way it enters a journal is not an author prefix but the detection pass (below) emitting `T` rows over the other artifacts. These words build the dynamic fallback regex only. On the primary TSV path, the type letter `T` is the classifier. --- ## Quality Criteria Each criterion adds 1 to the quality score (max 5): | Criterion | Check | Gap message if missing | |---|---|---| | Substance | Body is ≥10 words describing the conflict | "Tension is too brief — state what disagrees and why both can't stand" | | Two poles named | `between` references ≥2 distinct artifacts/claims | "A tension needs ≥2 sides — name what is in conflict" | | Each pole sourced | Each pole in `between` points to a captured artifact, not an unanchored assertion | "Anchor each side to a source — which artifacts contradict?" | | Genuine opposition | Body shows the poles actually conflict, not two unrelated facts | "Show the opposition — why can't both hold as written?" | | Closure path | `status` is `resolved:{ref}`, or `open` with what would close it | "How does this close? A Decision, a retraction, or a specific event?" | Quality levels: | Score | Level | Status | |---|---|---| | 5 | strong | recorded | | 3–4 | adequate | recorded | | 2 | weak | draft | | 0–1 | insufficient | draft | --- ## The Detection Pass — How Tensions Get Emitted Because a Tension is synthesized by default, it is usually produced by a pass rather than an author. After the assertable artifacts (D, O, L, C, H, E, Open) are typed for a session, the encoder runs one scan across them — and across any cited source documents — and emits a `T` row for each genuine cross-artifact contradiction. Guidance: - Emit a Tension only when ≥2 captured artifacts (or an artifact and a cited source) genuinely conflict. Two unrelated facts are not a tension. - Keep it signal: cap emitted tensions per session and require the opposition and sourced-pole criteria. A detector that flags everything is worse than the prose habit it replaces. - Mark custody `synthesized`. A Tension an operator asserts in their own voice is authored and sovereign; a Tension the pass infers is advisory and dismissable. - Bind it to its poles. A Tension is sha-bound to the artifacts in `between`; when any changes, it goes stale and is re-derived. Re-derivation is **not guaranteed identical** — detection is an inference, not a deterministic transform. --- ## What Makes a Good Tension Encoding A strong Tension answers four questions: What two (or more) things disagree? Where is each side sourced? Why can't both stand as written? What would resolve it? The most common gap is a single-pole "tension" that is really just an Observation — if there is only one side, it is not a tension. The second most common gap is a vague opposition ("these are in tension") with no statement of why both cannot hold. Three senses of "tension" must not be confused. The *quality-attribute tradeoff* (`canon/principles/quality-attributes-are-in-tension`) is one `kind` of Tension. The *challenge-vs-canon contradiction* surfaced by oddkit challenge is the challenge-time sibling. The DOLCHEOT `T` is the **encode-time, within-source** primitive: a contradiction across the captured artifacts. They share machinery; they are not the same artifact. A Tension earns its place only if it stays honest about its own confidence: it is a derived guess at a contradiction, valuable precisely because it is cheap to emit and cheap to dismiss. If the detector becomes noise, raise the bar or retract the type (see the vocabulary's retraction conditions). --- ## See Also - [DOLCHEOT Vocabulary](https://klappy.dev/page/canon/definitions/dolcheo-vocabulary) — the eight-dimension framework this type belongs to; why Tension is core, not a domain extension - [How to Write an Encoding Type](https://klappy.dev/page/odd/encoding-types/how-to-write-encoding-types) — the meta-governance this doc follows - [Quality Attributes Are In Tension](https://klappy.dev/page/canon/principles/quality-attributes-are-in-tension) — the `tradeoff` kind of Tension, as a structural principle - [Encoding Type: Encode](https://klappy.dev/page/odd/encoding-types/encode) — the meta-level letter for encode-action receipts - [Prompt Over Code](https://klappy.dev/page/canon/principles/prompt-over-code) — why this governance doc exists instead of server code