---
title: "Glossary — rote™ by modiqo"
description: "Canonical definitions of rote terminology: Adapter, Trace, Crystallize, Recall, Flow, Catalog, Hub, Vault, Write Guard."
doc_version: "1.0"
last_updated: "2026-05-01"
canonical: "https://modiqo.ai/glossary.txt"
---

# Glossary — rote™

> Canonical vocabulary used across rote™ documentation, blog posts, and product surfaces. If a term is ambiguous in the wild, this page is the source of truth.

## Sitemap

This is the glossary page. See [/sitemap.txt](https://modiqo.ai/sitemap.txt) for the full site index.

## Terms

### Adapter
The canonical tool surface — schema + auth + permissions + sensitivity tier — that turns a raw API (OpenAPI, GraphQL, MCP, Google Discovery, local data) into something an agent can call deterministically. Lives at `~/.rote/adapters/<id>/`.

### Trace
Structured record of real tool execution: every request, response, latency, token cost, and dependency between steps. Cached as `@N` JSON in the workspace; archived to Parquet for analytics.

### Crystallize
Convert a successful trace into a deterministic, versioned **flow** (skill). Always spelled "crystallize" — never "cristalize" or "crystalize".

### Crystallized flow / Skill
The reusable, versionable artifact produced by crystallizing a trace. A TypeScript file with a `@rote-frontmatter` block declaring required adapters, fingerprints, parameters, and write permissions.

### Recall
Choose a known-good skill for an intent: faster, more deterministic, cheaper, easier to govern. Backed by a Tantivy BM25 index — sub-10ms over 10K flows.

### Catalog
Built-in CSV index of 51+ first-party API specs (OpenAI, Stripe, GitHub, Linear, Anthropic, Notion, etc.) for one-command adapter installs. The Catalog is curated by modiqo and ships with rote.

### Hub
Community-contributed registry of adapters and flows, distinct from the built-in Catalog. Anyone can publish; consumers pull artifacts the same way (`rote registry adapter pull`, `rote registry flow pull`) but provenance is community rather than first-party.

### Flow
A versioned, replayable artifact crystallized from a successful trace — a TypeScript file at `~/.rote/flows/<vendor>/<name>/main.ts` whose `@rote-frontmatter` block declares required adapters, pinned fingerprints, parameters, and write permissions. Lifecycle: `draft` → `released`. Discovered via `rote flow search` (Tantivy BM25), executed via `rote deno run`.

### Registry
Shared workspace and artifact distribution layer: libraries, RBAC, retention, audit, governance. `rote registry push/pull` for portable adapters and flows.

### Vault
Encrypted token store at `~/.rote/secrets/tokens.json` (AES-256-GCM, machine-keyed, file mode 600) with portable export, push, pull, and headless provisioning.

### Write Guard
Runtime middleware that classifies every tool call (read / audit / confirm / deny). Mutating calls require nonce confirmation or a flow's blessed `.permissions.json` (HMAC-signed). Every decision is appended to a JSONL audit trail.

### Workspace
The local working directory where traces accumulate, get inspected, and crystallize into flows.

### Rediscovery tax
The combined cost of repeatedly re-solving the same agent intent — exploration, prompt tweaking, integration work, tribal knowledge — because the win never became a durable artifact.

### Drift
When a model, tool schema, or auth change silently breaks a previously-working agent workflow ("it worked last week").

## Related

- [Primitives in depth](https://modiqo.ai/docs/rote-primitives.txt)
- [Architecture](https://modiqo.ai/docs/rote-architecture.txt)
- [FAQ](https://modiqo.ai/faq.txt)