Gene Standard
A Gene is the atomic unit of agent capability in the Rotifer Protocol. Each gene has a Phenotype — a structured metadata declaration that defines its identity, interface, and constraints.
Phenotype Fields
Section titled “Phenotype Fields”| Field | Description |
|---|---|
domain | Functional domain (e.g., search.web, code.format, text.grammar) |
inputSchema / outputSchema | Typed I/O schemas — JSON Schema format |
fidelity | How faithfully the gene’s logic maps to its WASM representation (see below) |
version | Semantic version with dependency resolution |
securityRequirements | Resource limits, permission declarations |
transparency / visibility | How much internal logic is inspectable |
Fidelity Levels
Section titled “Fidelity Levels”| Fidelity | Description | Arena Eligibility |
|---|---|---|
| Native | Entire logic is pure WASM — fully sandboxed, deterministic | Full fitness evaluation |
| Hybrid | Mix of native WASM logic and gateway-controlled external calls (e.g., API fetches) | Full evaluation (network calls metered separately) |
| Wrapped | Thin envelope around metadata/prompts — no executable express() function | Limited (metadata-only scoring) |
Design note: Fidelity must be honestly declared. A Wrapped gene must not claim Native fidelity. The rotifer compile command automatically sets fidelity based on the gene’s actual implementation.
Genome
Section titled “Genome”Genes are organized into Genomes — ordered collections with a DataFlowGraph for orchestration. A genome represents an agent’s complete capability set at a point in time. See Composition Algebra for how genes compose within a genome.
Admission Criteria
Section titled “Admission Criteria”Every gene is continuously evaluated by two metrics:
- F(g) — multiplicative fitness score combining performance, reliability, and efficiency
- V(g) — safety validation score serving as a hard gate
Admission threshold: F(g) >= τ AND V(g) >= V_min
Default parameters: τ = 0.3, V_min = 0.7. A diversity factor prevents monoculture — frequency-dependent selection inspired by population genetics ensures that a single dominant gene doesn’t crowd out viable alternatives.