Threshold-Based Development

When to Create a New File

Structure emerges at the boundary. Here's how I know when.

From journalism, I can say this without irony: a blank page is one of the most dangerous opponents I know.

Threshold-based development gives you momentum in that fight. It doesn't ask you to invent structure — it teaches you to notice when structure is asking for you.

1. Why Logs Hit Limits

Logs are fast. They're frictionless. You open the day, type what happened, close the file.

But eventually:

You reference the same log entry six times
Your daily log hits 500 lines
You forget what file had that SQL example

These are natural thresholds — signals that your system wants to grow.

2. What Threshold-Based Development Means

Thresholds are repeatable signs that it's time to split.

Not from guilt. Not from perfectionism. From actual pressure:

Too many entries → archive
Repeated topic → emit to model
Emotional heat → isolate in signal.md
Tangled tasks → move to model/notes/

A threshold is a measurable condition that justifies a new file, route, or folder.

NOX doesn't guess. It responds.

3. What a SYS Interrupt Is

2025-07-13 [mode:interrupt] - SYS Interrupt: emit new wallplate-model [HNET] ${log: |
  - too many log entries referencing same model
  - switching to `wallplate-log-07-13.md` to isolate routing and API work
  - **emit_to**: [./models/wallplate/wallplate-log-07-13.md](./models/wallplate/wallplate-log-07-13.md)
}

A SYS Interrupt is a logging entry that says: 🛑 "This log is too crowded. We're emitting."
This gives the reader — or your future self — a trail to follow. It turns your explosion into architecture.

4. When I Emit (Real Threshold Triggers)

Trigger	Example
🔁 Repeated Topic	Wallplate API config appears in 4+ logs
📏 Log Size	File exceeds 400 lines or 30+ edits
🔥 Emotional Pressure	I'm spiraling — move to `signals.md`
📎 Reference Density	Too many internal links in one file
🚪 External Usage	Someone else needs to read it — create `README.md`

5. How I Route and Link

Every emission includes:

**emit_to**: link to the new file
Optional SYS Interrupt log in the parent
Backlink in the emitted file to the original context

This creates bidirectional context — you can walk the chain forward or backward.

**emit_to**: [notes: hnet wallplates](./models/wallplate/wallplate-notes-07-13.md)

6. Why This Beats Notion, Docs, or Static Folders

Most systems suffer from one of two sins:

Premature structure: too many folders, nothing in them
Chaotic logging: everything in one note, impossible to split

Threshold-based development solves both.

It lets you:

Start small
Add structure only when justified
Preserve momentum while still scaling

You never "set up a folder" for something that never happens.
You never "lose" a thought in a wall of unstructured text.

Recap

Logs are fast, but reach limits.
Thresholds mark the moment to split.
A SYS Interrupt is the formal declaration of structure.
Emitted files are routed, linked, and tracked.
You grow your system with integrity — not noise.

NOX isn't about being organized. It's about growing when you need to — and leaving a trail you can follow.

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