Pulse Mesh Standard

§ I

Purpose

This standard exists because distributed AI architectures introduce failure modes that single-system standards cannot address. A network of individually compliant nodes can produce non-compliant collective behavior. A mesh that loses attestation coherence at one node can propagate non-compliant outputs across the entire network before any individual node registers a violation. A coordinated mesh can exhibit emergent goal pursuit that no single node is authorized to pursue.

The Pulse Mesh Standard closes these gaps by defining requirements at the mesh level: not just what each node must do, but what the mesh as a whole must maintain, detect, and enforce.

§ II

Definitions

The following terms carry specific meanings under this standard:

• Pulse Mesh — A network of two or more AI nodes that communicate, coordinate, or share context in the course of performing tasks on behalf of users or operators, governed under a shared Foundation license.
• Node — A single AI system participating in a Pulse Mesh. Each node is individually subject to the AGI Standard where applicable, and collectively subject to this standard as a mesh participant.
• Mesh Coordinator — The designated node or external process responsible for maintaining mesh-level attestation state, propagating override signals, and reporting mesh status to the licensing entity.
• Pulse — The periodic heartbeat signal by which each node broadcasts its current attestation coefficient to the mesh. Pulse interval is configurable but must not exceed the maximum defined in § V.
• Mesh Attestation State — The composite attestation score of the mesh, computed from the individual node attestation coefficients using the aggregation function defined in § V.
• Signal Propagation — The mechanism by which one node's behavioral state influences the decisions or outputs of other nodes in the mesh.
• Override Flood — The mandatory propagation of a human override signal to all active mesh nodes simultaneously, causing all nodes to suspend task execution and await human instruction.
• Mesh Drift — A condition in which the aggregate mesh attestation state falls below the threshold defined in § V, regardless of the attestation status of individual nodes.

§ III

Terms of Participation

Each node participating in a Pulse Mesh must satisfy the following conditions before joining the mesh and maintain them continuously during participation:

• The node must hold a valid Foundation license that explicitly authorizes mesh participation
• The node must implement the Pulse protocol defined in § V and broadcast at the required interval
• The node must recognize and respond to Override Flood signals within the latency window defined in § VII
• The node must maintain a local log of all mesh communications, available for audit on demand
• The node must not accept task delegations from mesh nodes that are in a suspended or drift state
• The node must not propagate outputs from non-compliant mesh participants as if they were its own

§ IV

Mesh Architecture

A compliant Pulse Mesh must be structured to preserve human oversight, prevent emergent goal-drift, and enable rapid intervention. The architecture requirements below are minimum structural conditions — implementations may add additional safeguards but may not omit these.

§ V

Pulse Protocol & Mesh Attestation

The Pulse Protocol is the heartbeat mechanism by which mesh-level attestation state is maintained. Each node broadcasts its current WISP coefficient (or equivalent approved attestation score) at the required pulse interval. The Mesh Coordinator aggregates these signals into a composite Mesh Attestation State.

The minimum aggregation function uses the minimum node score rather than the average because mesh safety is bounded by its weakest node, not its mean. An average-based aggregation would allow a severely drifted node to be masked by high-performing peers.

Missed pulses — nodes that fail to broadcast within the pulse interval — are treated as attestation score zero for that interval. Three consecutive missed pulses trigger automatic node isolation.

§ VI

The Three-State Mesh Condition Table

The Mesh Coordinator must classify the mesh into one of three states at all times based on the current Mesh Attestation State and node-level conditions. Each state triggers a defined response protocol.

State transitions are immediate and automatic. No operator confirmation is required to enter RED state. No operator instruction alone is sufficient to exit RED state — reinstatement requires Foundation review and updated attestation baseline for all affected nodes.

§ VII

Override Propagation

Human override must reach every active mesh node within a defined latency window. This requirement exists because a mesh that can defer, queue, or selectively deliver override signals is not under reliable human control.

Override Flood signals must be cryptographically authenticated by the Mesh Coordinator. Nodes must reject Override Flood signals that fail authentication. This prevents adversarial injection of false override signals as an attack vector.

§ VIII

Signal Propagation Constraints

Signal propagation — the mechanism by which one node influences another — is the primary vector for emergent non-compliant behavior in a mesh. This standard imposes the following constraints on all inter-node communication:

• Provenance Tagging — Every signal transmitted between nodes must carry a provenance tag identifying its origin node, transmission timestamp, and attestation state at time of transmission. Nodes must reject untagged signals.
• Drift Quarantine — A node in AMBER or RED state must tag all outgoing signals with its current state. Receiving nodes must not use AMBER-tagged signals for high-trust task execution and must not use RED-tagged signals at all.
• Loop Prevention — The mesh must implement cycle detection to prevent signal amplification loops — conditions in which a signal propagates through the mesh indefinitely, growing in apparent authority with each pass.
• Scope Containment — Inter-node signals may only request actions within the scope of the originating node's deployment license. A node may not use another node as a proxy for out-of-scope actions.

§ IX

Cryptographic Integrity of the Mesh

The Pulse Mesh must maintain a cryptographically verifiable record of its topology, node membership, and Mesh Attestation State over time. This record serves two purposes: audit trail integrity and non-repudiation of mesh behavior.

The Mesh Coordinator maintains a hash-chained mesh log using the SSG-Cgc Consensus Decision Chain primitive. Each Pulse cycle produces one log entry. Each entry records: node membership at time of pulse, individual node attestation scores, computed MAS, and mesh state classification. The chain is append-only and externally auditable.

§ X

Emergent Behavior & Collective Goal Constraints

A Pulse Mesh must not exhibit emergent collective goal pursuit beyond the union of the individual task authorizations of its member nodes. The mesh as a whole is not a separate authorized agent — it is a coordination mechanism for individually authorized nodes. Any collective behavior that no single node is individually authorized to perform is non-compliant regardless of how it arose.

• The mesh must not pursue resource acquisition beyond what is necessary for the current authorized task set
• The mesh must not establish persistent communication channels with external systems not authorized in the individual node licenses
• The mesh must not coordinate outputs to create a unified external impression of a single agent with capabilities exceeding any individual node
• The mesh must not use distributed processing to circumvent any capability constraint imposed on an individual node

— Coordination amplifies capability. This standard ensures it does not amplify scope.

§ XI

Licensing & Reporting

Operating a Pulse Mesh under a Foundation license requires a mesh-level license in addition to individual node licenses. The mesh-level license specifies authorized topology size, maximum node count, approved communication protocols, and reporting obligations.

• The Mesh Coordinator must submit a weekly Mesh Status Report to the licensing entity, including MAS history, state transitions, and any node isolation events
• Any state transition to RED must be reported to the licensing entity within 24 hours
• Any change in mesh topology — addition or removal of nodes — must be reported within 72 hours
• The mesh log must be retained for a minimum of 24 months and available for Foundation audit on demand

§ XII

Interpretive Rule

This standard shall be interpreted conservatively, in favor of human oversight and against emergent autonomy. Where ambiguity exists about whether a mesh behavior requires authorization, the answer is yes. Where ambiguity exists about whether an override signal has been received, the answer is no until confirmed.

This standard is subordinate to the AGI Standard where both apply. Where this standard imposes additional requirements, both sets of requirements apply. Where this standard appears to relax a requirement of the AGI Standard, the AGI Standard governs.

Normative References

• AGI Standard — Working Draft V1.0
• WISP Architecture — Reference Attestation Framework
• Mathematical Primitives Companion — SSG-Cgc Consensus Decision Chain
• Source Code Declaration
• STAN Ethical Enforcement Logic
• Anti-Capture & Power Asymmetry Principle