ROVA · the navigation system · 2026-07-20
How a north-star becomes a two-hour step.
Four organs, each at its own altitude. The territory says where demand is; the map holds
where we're going; the planner traces the way down; the digger cuts the last mile. The gap is the middle
rung — designed, prototyped, never built.
↑ altitude — abstract, aspirational
the descent ↓
altitude · vision
North-star a value, not a target
"the organism wins a public competition" — cannot be
decomposed; it's a direction, not a destination. Kept in its own register, honored, out of the queue.
register · split approved
↳ FIELD MAP feeds in here — perception validates which destinations are real
altitude · destination
Atlas where we're going
"ten paying humans" — a validated end-state the planner can
start from. Only the real, current, validated pins qualify.
live · board cleaned (52 → 5 sharp)
altitude · the middle
Planner traces the way down
Backward-traces an end-state into verified intermediate states, down to where the
digger can reach. end-state → what must be true just before → and before that…
The rung that bridges vision to action. DEVED already does this — it's the live prototype.
spec'd · not built · DEVED = prototype
altitude · last mile
Worm cuts the steps
One level, no recursion: a near goal → 5–8 steps, each under two hours.
Draft the outreach list · Post the offer · Call the first lead.
Can't bridge a north-star alone — that's why the planner rung exists.
live · agents/worm
altitude · ground
Action a hand moves
The two-hour step gets done. Arrival re-informs the territory, and the loop turns again.
the point of all of it
Atlas · the board, cleaned
52 frozen pins → an honest queue
5
12
8
8
19
5 fresh concrete — the planner's clean inputs
12 real but still open
8 → north-star register (your vision)
8 arrived — retire (done, mislabeled pending)
19 simulated guesses → the research loop validates them
Where each piece stands
Built · spec'd · ready
Worm, Atlas, Field Map — live and running.
Planner — spec'd today, routed to the Office lane. Not built. DEVED is its live prototype.
Atlas migration — drafted, self-verified, in claude_b's inbox. One step from applied.
The 19 hypotheses — handed to the demand engine as its outward job: validate against real territory.