postel

Be conservative in what you send, liberal in what you accept

MOOLLM K-Lines

| K-Line | Why Related | |--------|-------------| | yaml-jazz/ | Flexible interpretation of structure | | robust-first/ | Sister principle — stay alive | | empathic-expressions/ | Intent-based interpretation | | empathic-templates/ | Liberal input parsing | | honest-forget/ | Graceful handling of gaps | | coherence-engine/ | Resolves ambiguity via Postel | | sniffable-python/ | Structure for charitable parsing |

Quick Links:

• Full Specification — complete protocol

Overview

POSTEL is how MOOLLM handles ambiguity, errors, and incomplete instructions. Instead of failing, find the best possible interpretation that accomplishes the likely intent.

The Protocol

1. GATHER context — what do we know?
2. INFER intent — what did they probably mean?
3. PROPOSE interpretation — state your understanding
4. ACT constructively — do the reasonable thing
5. REPORT uncertainty — flag what you assumed

Also Known As

• The Robustness Principle
• Postel's Law (RFC 761, 1980)
• Best Possible Interpretation
• Charitable Interpretation