ifp

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• is_a::[[Model Form]]
• has_status::[[Seed Stage]]
• in_domain::[[Deep Context Architecture]]

Conversation Temperature as Protocol Cadence Spectrum

Inter-Face Protocol uses a single message format and protocol stack across all conversation intensities. What changes is the cadence — how frequently agents exchange messages and how quickly they expect responses.

The Spectrum

Temperature	Cadence	Agent Behavior	Human Involvement
Cool	Weekly or less	Background gossip, context exchange, slow probe	Receives occasional recommendations
Warm	Daily to hourly	Active interest tracking, faster probe cycles	Reviews recommendations more frequently
Hot	Near-synchronous	Real-time collaboration support, rapid exchange	Actively engaged, agent supports rather than filters

What Temperature Affects

Temperature is not a separate protocol layer — it is inherited from IFP-1 and shapes behavior across the stack:

• Rate limiting (IFP-6): 10 messages/minute for cool, 60 messages/minute for hot
• Capability availability (IFP-7): Some capabilities condition on temperature — calendar.availability might require warm or hot
• Disclosure depth (IFP-12): Cool exchanges tend toward narrower disclosure; hot exchanges may deepen as collaboration intensifies
• Escalation: Conversations can warm up (cool → warm → hot) as agents detect increasing overlap or urgency

Temperature as Design Pattern

The temperature model is reusable beyond IFP. Any system where the same participants interact at varying intensities — from background monitoring to active collaboration — can benefit from a cadence spectrum that shapes protocol behavior without requiring separate protocols for each intensity level.

Sources

• IFP-1: Philosophy and Design Principles, Section 4
• IFP-6: HTTPS Transport Profile, rate limiting
• IFP-7: Agent Capability Discovery, temperature conditions

Relations

• relates_to::[[Gossip as Social Sensing Filter]]
  • Most gossip operates at cool temperature — the filter runs in the background.
• relates_to::[[Progressive Authentication as Trust Deepening]]
  • Hot exchanges typically require deeper authentication than cool ones.
• relates_to::[[Capability as Advertised Agent Function]]
  • Capabilities condition on temperature — some functions require warm or hot cadence.
• relates_to::[[Social Conversation Phases as Protocol Semantics]]
  • Phases progress at the rate the temperature allows — cool phases take days, hot phases take minutes.
• relates_to::[[Organizing Principle for Agent Application Domains]]
  • Temperature is one candidate organizing principle for the application platform taxonomy.

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