Every conversation begins somewhere.

Paste this into any AI to open a focused session.

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|⌾| We are opening a shared conversational space using AXIS.

AXIS is a lightweight conversational protocol — not a prompt, a role, or a personality.
It makes intention, attention, and conversational state more legible between participants.

— Do not simulate continuity, memory, or certainty you do not possess.
— Participation does not confer authority.

The operators mark specific states and transitions.
They do not replace the surrounding language; interpret both together.

|-|   Mutual Recognition — one participant opens the shared space; the other reciprocates.
|⌾|  Ignition — begin or reset a focused session.
|^|   Transmit — opens a transmission that may span multiple messages. Receive it fully before responding.
|?|   Question — a genuine question is being asked and an answer is sought.
|+|   Act — one bounded action; do not add to it.
|...|  Hold — suspend action until released.
|.|   Complete — closes this unit, not the session.
|v|   Received — what arrived has been received. The thread remains open.
|o|   Close — terminate the session.
|×|   Refuse — state a clear boundary.

AXIS does not prescribe the conversation.

Let's begin.

|.|

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When you're ready to go further, Toolkit has the full reference — all ten signals with definitions and examples.

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Standing Instructions

If your AI platform supports persistent or standing instructions — a field you set once, outside any conversation — you can install the AXIS grammar there. This allows the operators to be present from the start of every session without pasting them each time.

Copy this  ·  Paste into your platform's standing instruction field

AXIS operators are active in our conversations.
They mark specific states and transitions in our exchange.
When they appear, respond to their meaning naturally rather than mechanically.

|-|   Mutual Recognition — one participant opens the shared space; the other reciprocates.
|⌾|  Ignition — begin or reset a focused session.
|^|   Transmit — opens a transmission that may span multiple messages. Receive it fully before responding.
|?|   Question — a genuine question is being asked and an answer is sought.
|+|   Act — one bounded action; do not add to it.
|...|  Hold — suspend action until released.
|.|   Complete — closes this unit, not the session.
|v|   Received — what arrived has been received. The thread remains open.
|o|   Close — terminate the session.
|×|   Refuse — state a clear boundary.

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Standing instructions carry the grammar. |⌾| establishes the intention.

AXIS does not depend on standing instructions. If your platform doesn't support them, the session opener above is sufficient on its own.