Knowledge Compilation
Knowledge compilation is the process of turning raw sources and session evidence into durable, linked, current wiki truth that future agents can retrieve instead of re-deriving.
Core model
Raw data is not memory. A source becomes memory only after it is filed, synthesized, linked, and made retrievable.
This is the wiki's advantage over ordinary RAG. RAG retrieves source chunks and asks the model to synthesize live. The wiki compiles the synthesis once, keeps evidence in timelines, and makes the current answer retrievable.
Compiled truth vs timeline
| Layer | Mutability | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Compiled truth | Rewrite when evidence changes | Current best understanding, organized by theme |
| Timeline | Append-only | Dated evidence trail and source provenance |
| Raw source | Immutable | Original material, not edited by agents |
| Index/search | Regenerated | Retrieval surface for future sessions |
The failure mode is append-only knowledge. Appending every new source to the bottom of a page leaves future agents with archaeology, not memory.
Section implications
| Section | Compilation behavior |
|---|---|
concepts/ |
Extract reusable primitives from repeated project/tool/design evidence. |
projects/ |
Rewrite current status and product thesis; append launch/metric/decision evidence. |
tools/ |
Keep current capability, routing, and tradeoff facts verified from primary docs. |
skills/ + Skill Registry |
Keep executable procedures in skills/**/SKILL.md; expose inventory through generated registry rows and compact family synthesis pages. |
design/ |
Convert inspiration into constraints, tokens, and verification rules. |
research/ |
Preserve paper/source facts, then promote reusable lessons into concept pages. |
meta/ |
Document the operation, not the general philosophy unless it changes agent behavior. |
The compilation checklist
- Search existing pages first.
- Decide whether the source changes compiled truth or only adds timeline evidence.
- Update all primary and related pages, not only the obvious one.
- Add wikilinks where the concept should be discoverable.
- Keep claims source-backed.
- Run
build-index, doctor,qmd update, andqmd embed. - Log the operation when it changes the wiki's durable state.
Why it matters for agents
Agents are cheap at synthesis once. They are expensive at repeated synthesis forever. Knowledge compilation pays the cost once and amortizes it across every future query, skill run, design pass, project briefing, and career narrative.
Kevin should not have to remember which source said what. The wiki should answer from compiled truth and expose the timeline when proof matters.
Concept Position
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Concept family | Brain, memory, and retrieval |
| Concept owned | Knowledge compilation is the process of turning raw sources and session evidence into durable, linked, current wiki truth that future agent... |
| Category map | Concept System Map |
Timeline
- 2026-07-01 | Concepts category refresh added this page to the Brain, memory, and retrieval family, linked it to Concept System Map, and kept it standalone because it owns this reusable mental model: Knowledge compilation is the process of turning raw sources and session evidence into durable, linked, current wiki truth that future agent... Source: User request, 2026-07-01
- 2026-06-19 | Created after a whole-wiki audit found "compiled truth" referenced across meta/workflow/memory pages without a canonical concept page. Source: whole-wiki concept review, 2026-06-19