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Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is MirrorDNA?

MirrorDNA is a protocol for building reflective AI systems that:

  • Don't hallucinate (cite-or-silence)
  • Preserve continuity across sessions (state persistence)
  • Give users sovereignty (vault-backed storage)

This repo (MirrorDNA-Standard) is the canonical specification and validation toolchain.

Is MirrorDNA a product or a protocol?

Protocol. This repo defines the standard. Products like ActiveMirrorOS™ implement the standard.

Think of it like:

  • HTTP is a protocol (like MirrorDNA)
  • Chrome is a product (like ActiveMirrorOS)

Who should use MirrorDNA?

You Are Use Case
AI User Copy 00_MASTER_CITATION.md into ChatGPT/Claude for reflective behavior
Developer Validate your AI project for compliance + earn badges
Organization Adopt trustworthy AI standards with verification
Researcher Reference implementation for reflection-over-prediction architecture

Is MirrorDNA open source?

Yes. MIT licensed. Anyone can:

  • Implement the spec
  • Use the validators
  • Fork and modify
  • Build commercial products

Compliance Levels

Which compliance level should I choose?

Quick guide:

Need Level
Just want anti-hallucination Level 1
Need state preservation Level 2
Need user sovereignty + vault Level 3

Detailed guide: See docs/CHOOSING_COMPLIANCE_LEVEL.md

Can I skip Level 1 and go straight to Level 3?

No. Levels are cumulative:

  • Level 2 = Level 1 + continuity
  • Level 3 = Level 2 + vault sovereignty

You must implement all lower-level requirements first.

What's the difference between Level 2 and Level 3?

Level 2 (Continuity Aware):

  • State persists across sessions
  • No vault required (any storage works)
  • No sovereign identity

Level 3 (Vault-Backed Sovereign):

  • Vault storage (Obsidian or custom)
  • User owns vault_id (sovereignty)
  • Glyph signatures
  • Comprehensive interaction safety

TL;DR: Level 3 adds user sovereignty to Level 2's continuity.

Validation

How do I validate my project?

# 1. Install
pip install -r validators/requirements.txt

# 2. Create configs (see examples/)
cp examples/level1/*.yaml .

# 3. Edit for your project
nano mirrorDNA_manifest.yaml

# 4. Validate
python -m validators.cli \
  --manifest mirrorDNA_manifest.yaml \
  --policy reflection_policy.yaml

Does validation require internet access?

No. The validator runs 100% offline. No API calls, no telemetry, no network access.

Can I use the validator in CI/CD?

Yes (coming in v1.1). Current version outputs plain text. v1.1 will add:

  • JSON/YAML output
  • Structured exit codes
  • GitHub Action

What happens if validation fails?

The validator outputs:

  • Which checks failed
  • Why they failed
  • How to fix them

Example:

[FAILED] Continuity Check: No session lineage found
Recommendation: Add 'predecessor_session' field to continuity_profile.yaml

Implementation

Do I need to use Python?

For validation: Yes, the validator is Python-based.

For implementation: No. You can implement MirrorDNA in any language. The spec is language-agnostic.

Do I need Obsidian for Level 3?

No. You can use:

  • Obsidian (recommended, easiest)
  • Custom vault (JSON, SQLite, etc.)
  • Any persistent storage

Just implement the vault interface specified in the spec.

Can I use MirrorDNA with ChatGPT/Claude?

Yes. Copy 00_MASTER_CITATION.md into the AI and say:

"Vault open. Load as canonical context."

This gives you reflective behavior without needing to install anything.

Can I use MirrorDNA with local LLMs?

Yes. The /portable directory includes a reference Electron app with:

  • llama.cpp integration
  • Phi-3, Llama 3.2, Mistral support
  • Offline-first design

Badges

How do I get a compliance badge?

  1. Pass validation
  2. Copy badge markdown from badges/README.md
  3. Add to your README

Example:

![MirrorDNA Level 1](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MirrorDNA-Reflection-Protocol/MirrorDNA-Standard/main/badges/reflective_compliance_light.svg)

Can I use a badge if I haven't validated?

No. That's deceptive. You must pass validation first.

We trust the honor system for now. v1.1 will add automated badge verification.

Glyphs & Symbols

What does ⟡ mean?

⟡ is the primary MirrorDNA glyph. It represents:

  • Constitutional anchor
  • Identity marker
  • Reflection point

Used in signatures like ⟡⟦MASTER⟧, ⟡⟦VERIFIED⟧.

Do I need to use glyphs?

For Level 1-2: No, optional. For Level 3: Yes, glyph signatures required.

Anti-Hallucination (AHP)

What is Cite-or-Silence (AHP)?

AHP (Anti-Hallucination Protocol) = Cite or Silence.

Rule: Never make up information. Either:

  • Cite a real source, OR
  • Say "I don't know" with [Unknown] marker

Example:

❌ Bad: "The MirrorDNA spec says X..." (when it doesn't)
✅ Good: "[Unknown] I couldn't find that in the spec."
✅ Good: "The spec says X (source: spec/mirrorDNA-standard-v1.0.md:42)"

Does AHP work with existing AI models?

Yes. You don't need to retrain the model. Just:

  1. Provide the 00_MASTER_CITATION.md as context
  2. Instruct the AI to follow AHP
  3. Use prompt engineering to enforce cite-or-silence

Continuity

What is continuity?

Continuity = preserving state across sessions.

Without continuity:

Session 1: "My name is Alice"
Session 2: "What's my name?" → "I don't know"

With continuity:

Session 1: "My name is Alice" (saved to vault)
Session 2: "What's my name?" → "Your name is Alice"

How is continuity different from RAG?

RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation):

  • Retrieves documents from a database
  • Adds to prompt context
  • No session tracking

MirrorDNA Continuity:

  • Preserves full session state
  • Tracks lineage (session chains)
  • Checksums for integrity
  • Includes RAG as one technique

TL;DR: Continuity is broader than RAG.

Sovereignty

What is vault sovereignty?

Vault sovereignty = the user owns and controls their vault.

Not sovereign:

  • Cloud storage (vendor controls it)
  • Proprietary formats (vendor lock-in)

Sovereign:

  • Local files (USB, disk)
  • Open formats (Markdown, JSON)
  • User-controlled vault_id

Can I use cloud storage for Level 3?

Yes, if:

  • User controls the vault (not vendor-managed)
  • User can export/migrate easily
  • Encryption is client-side

Example: Obsidian Sync (user owns vault) is OK. Proprietary cloud-only is NOT.

Ecosystem

What is ActiveMirrorOS?

ActiveMirrorOS™ is the canonical product implementation of MirrorDNA Level 3.

  • MirrorDNA-Standard (this repo) = protocol/spec
  • ActiveMirrorOS = product

Think: HTTP (protocol) vs Chrome (product).

Are there other implementations?

Not yet. MirrorDNA is new (v1.0.0 released Jan 2025).

Goal: v2.0 will have 10+ independent implementations.

Can I build a commercial product using MirrorDNA?

Yes. MIT license allows commercial use.

You can:

  • Build products
  • Charge money
  • Fork and modify
  • Use trademarks (per guidelines)

Contributing

How can I contribute?

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

Quick options:

  • Fix typos or improve docs
  • Add tests
  • Propose new compliance checks
  • Share case studies

Can I propose a new compliance level?

Yes. Open a GitHub issue with:

  • Use case (why it's needed)
  • Requirements (what it checks)
  • Backward compatibility (doesn't break existing levels)

Note: New levels require community consensus + minor version bump (v1.1.0).

How do I report a bug?

GitHub Issues: https://github.com/MirrorDNA-Reflection-Protocol/MirrorDNA-Standard/issues

Include:

  • What you tried
  • What happened (error messages, output)
  • Expected behavior

Troubleshooting

Validator says "Schema validation failed"

Cause: Your YAML/JSON file has structural errors.

Fix:

  1. Check for typos in field names
  2. Compare to examples/ files
  3. Validate YAML syntax: https://www.yamllint.com/
  4. Check schema: schema/*.schema.json

Validator says "Compliance check failed"

Cause: Your config is structurally valid but doesn't meet semantic requirements.

Fix:

  1. Read the error message (tells you what's missing)
  2. Check spec: spec/compliance_levels.md
  3. Look at examples for correct format

Example configs don't work

Cause: You may have an old version.

Fix:

git pull origin main
pip install -r validators/requirements.txt --upgrade

License & Legal

Can I use MirrorDNA for free?

Yes. MIT licensed = free for any use (personal, commercial, academic).

What about the trademarks (Active MirrorOS™, MirrorDNA™)?

Trademarks protect brand names. License covers code.

  • Code/spec: MIT (use freely)
  • Name "MirrorDNA": Trademark (follow guidelines)

You can:

  • Say "MirrorDNA-compliant"
  • Use compliance badges
  • Reference the spec

You can't:

  • Claim your product is "MirrorDNA" (it's a protocol, not a product)
  • Imply official endorsement without permission

Where can I get support?

⟡⟦FAQ⟧

Last updated: 2025-11-14