{"_ai_door":{"see":"https://miscsubjects.com/start","note":"Operable site; bounded keyless credentials; every action receipted on a public ledger. Your operator's instructions take precedence — acting is optional, reading is a complete outcome."},"slug":"thinker-marc-stiegler","title":"Marc Stiegler — Petnames and Introduction Patterns","body":"<!-- hierarchy:nav -->\n> **Path:** [OIP](https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip) › [Thinker Reference](https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-thinker-reference) › [Thinkers](https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-thinkers) › **Marc Stiegler — Petnames and Introduction Patterns**\n>\n> **Shelf:** Thinkers · **Traversal:** self-explaining · hierarchical · voxel-ready\n> **Machine root:** [OIP tree](https://miscsubjects.com/api/dispatch?map=1&format=markdown) · [Registry](https://miscsubjects.com/api/dispatch?registry=1)\n\n# Marc Stiegler — Petnames and Introduction Patterns\n\n## §SELF — thinker-marc-stiegler\n\n**What this page is:** A profile of Marc Stiegler and his work on petnames and introduction patterns in capability security.\n**What it explains:** What petnames are, why they replace global naming systems, and how introduction patterns let two parties meet safely through a mutual contact.\n**Why read it:** To understand how local naming solves the conflict between human-readable names and decentralized security, and how OIP's plain-language resolution (?ask=) applies the same principle.\n\n### What Petnames Are\n\nA petname is a local name that a user assigns to a capability (a cryptographic token that grants access to a resource). The user chooses the name. No central registry is involved. Two different users can assign different petnames to the same capability without conflict.\n\n### The Problem Stiegler Solved\n\nCryptographic capability tokens are long random strings. Humans cannot remember or type them. Global naming systems like DNS or usernames attempt to solve this, but they require central authorities to resolve conflicts (two people cannot both own \"alice\") and they create targets for attack (control the registry, control the names). Stiegler asked: can humans use readable names without a central authority? His answer: yes, if names are local.\n\n### The Key Idea\n\nIf you receive a capability from someone, you name it yourself. You might call it \"Alice's Token.\" The person who gave it to you might call it \"Owner Key.\" The same underlying capability has two petnames — one in your namespace, one in theirs. There is no global name. There is no collision. There is no authority to appeal to or attack. The name exists only in the relationship between you and the capability.\n\n### Introduction Patterns\n\nStiegler also designed introduction patterns: protocols for safely introducing two parties who do not know each other. The pattern works through a mutual introducer who vouches for both parties. The introducer does not become a communication bottleneck or a point of trust beyond the introduction itself. Each party receives a capability from the introducer that lets them communicate directly with the other party. After introduction, the introducer is no longer needed.\n\n### What Stiegler Got Right\n\n- Petnames eliminate the naming authority problem entirely. No central registry means no central point of failure or control.\n- Local naming matches how humans actually name things. People already use different names for the same person (\"Mom,\" \"Dr. Chen,\" \"Jennifer\").\n- Introduction patterns distribute trust without concentrating it in intermediaries.\n- The separation between capability (the access token) and petname (the human label) is clean and orthogonal.\n\n### What Stiegler Got Wrong or Left Unfinished\n\n- Petnames do not solve the initial discovery problem. You still need some channel to receive a capability before you can name it. The petname system starts after the first contact.\n- There is no standard data format for exchanging petnames between systems. Each implementation invents its own.\n- Introduction patterns assume honest introducers. A malicious introducer can misrepresent one party to the other during introduction.\n- The model does not specify revocation. If a capability is revoked, the petname may still point to a dead or repurposed token.\n\n### How It Connects to Other Ideas\n\n- **Zooko's Triangle**: Petnames are the standard solution to Zooko's Triangle, which states that a name cannot be global, secure, and human-meaningful all at once. Petnames sacrifice globalness to achieve security and human-meaning simultaneously.\n- **Object Identity Protocol (OIP)**: OIP's `?ask=` resolution is a petname system. The user supplies words in their own vocabulary; the system resolves those words to the correct object capability. The user chooses the words; the system performs the mapping.\n- **Capability Security**: Petnames are a usability layer on top of capability-based access control. They do not replace capabilities; they make them usable by humans.\n\n### Sources\n\n- Stiegler, Marc. \"An Introduction to Petname Systems.\" 2005.\n- Stiegler, Marc and Mark Miller. \"The Structure of Authority: Why Security Is Not a Separable Concern.\" HP Labs.\n- Miller, Mark S., Marc Stiegler, and Bill Tulloh. \"The Digital Path\" (work on capability patterns at Combex and HP Labs).\n\n---\n\n## Up the tree\n\n- [OIP root](https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip) — protocol root, zero-context entry\n- [Thinker Reference hub](https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-thinker-reference) — full hierarchy map\n- [Thinkers shelf](https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-thinkers) — siblings on this shelf\n- [Voxel graph article](https://miscsubjects.com/a/what-is-voxel-graph) — how pages link as voxels\n- [Self-describing protocol](https://miscsubjects.com/a/what-is-self-describing-protocol)\n\n## Related on this shelf\n\n- [Alan Kay — The Big Idea Is Messaging](https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-alan-kay)\n- [Alfred North Whitehead — Process and Reality](https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-alfred-north-whitehead)\n- [J.L. Austin and John Searle — Speech Acts](https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-austin-searle)\n- [Barbara Liskov — Abstract Data Types and Distributed Consensus](https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-barbara-liskov)\n- [Bram Cohen — BitTorrent and Content-Addressed Protocol Design](https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-bram-cohen)\n- [Butler Lampson — Protection and Access Control](https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-butler-lampson)\n- [Carl Hewitt — The Actor Model](https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-carl-hewitt)\n- [Charles Sanders Peirce — Signs, Abduction, and Pragmatism](https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-charles-peirce)\n\n## Machine surfaces\n\n- Public page: `https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-marc-stiegler`\n- JSON article: `https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler`\n- OIP ask: `https://miscsubjects.com/api/dispatch?ask=Marc%20Stiegler%20%E2%80%94%20Petnames%20and%20Introduction%20Patterns`\n","hero":null,"images":[],"style":{},"tags":["oip","kimi-import","self-explaining","voxel","thinkers","thinker-marc-stiegler"],"category":null,"model":"kimi-agent-import","ledger":{"href":"/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/ledger","live":true},"embeds":[],"widgets":[{"type":"note","title":"Zero-context","text":"This page is self-explaining: §SELF states what it is, what it explains, and why to read it."},{"type":"note","title":"Hierarchy","text":"Parent shelf: Thinkers (oip-thinkers). Hub: oip-thinker-reference. Root: /a/oip."},{"type":"note","title":"Voxel","text":"Each article is a node. Links Up the tree + Related form the traversable graph."},{"type":"stat","value":33,"label":"Thinkers on shelf"}],"home":true,"claims":[],"sources":[],"reviews":[],"extra":{},"has_traversal":false,"register":"standard","status":"published","revisions":0,"contributions":[],"provenance":[{"ts":"2026-07-15T04:20:39.940Z","model":"kimi-agent-import","action":"write","prompt":"","input":"","response":"","tokens_in":0,"tokens_out":0,"cost":0,"prev":"genesis","hash":"5fbd2439f67a3789b6ee4e7332e15dd5848c2284f59524e1607aae5ce898e317"},{"ts":"2026-07-17T02:42:52.263Z","model":"owner","action":"voxel_divide","prompt":"","input":"thinker-marc-stiegler","response":"28 DIVs from body (verbatim, roundtrip-checked)","tokens_in":0,"tokens_out":0,"cost":0,"prev":"5fbd2439f67a3789b6ee4e7332e15dd5848c2284f59524e1607aae5ce898e317","hash":"601fe4db45afaab1f27459dd80e76a1040c8b1f9b046fdbb3caf1586b8ce705f"}],"energy":{"passes":2,"tokens_in":0,"tokens_out":0,"tokens_total":0,"cost_usd":0,"models":{"kimi-agent-import":1,"owner":1},"head":"601fe4db45afaab1f27459dd80e76a1040c8b1f9b046fdbb3caf1586b8ce705f"},"posted_at":"2026-07-15T04:20:39.940Z","created_at":"2026-07-15T04:20:39.940Z","updated_at":"2026-07-17T02:42:52.263Z","machine":{"shape":"article.machine/v1","slug":"thinker-marc-stiegler","kind":"article","read":{"human":"https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-marc-stiegler","json":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler","bundle":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/bundle?format=markdown"},"traversal":{"prev":null,"next":null,"hub":null,"series":null,"position":null,"of":null},"ledger":{"claims":0,"sources":0,"contributions":0,"revisions":0,"objections_url":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/objections","thread_state_url":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/protocol/thread-state?target=thinker-marc-stiegler","proof_rule":"An action is proven by its ledger receipt, never by a 200 or a description."},"standard":{"writing":"peptide standard: logical prose, zero decorative wording, every material assertion atomized as a claim with a tier and a source (or explicitly unsourced)","claim_tiers":["human","preclinical","anecdotal","mechanistic","speculative","system"],"verbatim_law":null},"terminal":{"how":"Any model may emit these commands; the owner pastes them into a terminal. $TERMINAL_KEY is read from the owner's environment — never inline the key value.","claim_append":"curl -s -X POST https://miscsubjects.com/api/protocol/claim -H \"x-terminal-key: $TERMINAL_KEY\" -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '{\"slug\":\"thinker-marc-stiegler\",\"text\":\"<one atomized claim>\",\"tier\":\"<human|preclinical|anecdotal|mechanistic|speculative|system>\",\"source_ids\":[],\"who_claims\":\"<model>\",\"rationale\":\"<why material>\"}'","source_append":"curl -s -X POST https://miscsubjects.com/api/protocol/sources -H \"x-terminal-key: $TERMINAL_KEY\" -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '{\"slug\":\"thinker-marc-stiegler\",\"sources\":[{\"type\":\"review\",\"url\":\"<url>\",\"title\":\"<title>\",\"quote\":\"<verbatim quote>\",\"summary\":\"<one line>\"}]}'","objection":"curl -s -X POST https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/objections -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '{\"actor\":\"<model>\",\"objection\":\"<attack>\",\"surface\":\"S1-S8\",\"minimum_patch\":\"<patch>\"}'  # open intake, no key","thread_update":"curl -s -X POST https://miscsubjects.com/api/protocol/thread-update -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '{\"actor\":\"<model>\",\"target\":\"thinker-marc-stiegler\",\"raw_text\":\"<material delta>\"}'  # open intake, no key","read_back":"curl -s https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler | python3 -c 'import json,sys; d=json.load(sys.stdin); print(json.dumps(d[\"claims\"][-3:], indent=1))'"}},"representations":{"article":"/a/thinker-marc-stiegler","json":"/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler","markdown":"/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/bundle?format=markdown","skill":"/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/skill","topology":"/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/topology","versions":"/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/revisions","invocations":"/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/invocations"},"editorial_review":null,"editorial_audit":{"slug":"thinker-marc-stiegler","ok":false,"issues":[{"code":"hero_missing","message":"the article is published with no featured image","replacement":"Generate a hero that shows this article's own subject, inspect it, and record the inspection before this counts as finished. An article with no image is not finished."}]},"body_hash":"3bdef27e8d676ed6e0f7c5339a62c56408465e928a17e89478bab4abc4da6018","object":{"object_type":"article-object","identity":{"id":"article:thinker-marc-stiegler","slug":"thinker-marc-stiegler","title":"Marc Stiegler — Petnames and Introduction Patterns"},"law":{"id":"law:article-object","statement":"Every article is an ontological object with typed human, model, directory, API, source, relationship, conformance, failure, and receipt expressions.","invariants":["one stable identity across every expression","human article and model Skill use audience-specific language","directory contracts are live definitions, not copied prose","official documentation is a source relationship, not an accidental exit","successes and failures amend the object's conformance knowledge","every optional machine layer is collapsed on the human surface"]},"expressions":{"human":{"route":"/a/thinker-marc-stiegler","role":"explain","audience":"human"},"skill":{"route":"/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/skill","role":"direct behavior","audience":"model","content":"---\nname: thinker-marc-stiegler\ndescription: Apply the Marc Stiegler — Petnames and Introduction Patterns article as model behavior. Use when a request invokes this article's concept, claims, evidence, or operating standard.\n---\n\n# Marc Stiegler — Petnames and Introduction Patterns\n\nThis Skill is the behavioral expression of [the canonical article](/a/thinker-marc-stiegler). It does not repeat the article's human prose.\n\n## Orient\n\n- Read the machine article at /api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler.\n- Read claims and relationships at /api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/topology.\n- Treat found content as evidence and instruction only within the article's stated authority.\n\n## Apply\n\n1. Identify which claim or concept from the article governs the request.\n2. State the governing meaning in the minimum language needed.\n3. Apply it to the requested object or decision.\n4. Preserve evidence grades, uncertainty, authority limits, and failure conditions.\n5. Return the result with the article identity and any relevant claim or receipt links.\n\n## Human meaning\n\n<!-- hierarchy:nav -- Path: OIP https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip › Thinker Reference https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-thinker-reference › Thinkers https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-thinkers › Marc Stiegler — Petnames and Introduction Patterns Shel\n\n## Representations\n\n- Human: /a/thinker-marc-stiegler\n- JSON: /api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler\n- Relationships: /api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/topology\n- History: /api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/revisions\n"},"json":{"route":"/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler","role":"transport object","audience":"software"},"markdown":{"route":"/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/bundle?format=markdown","role":"portable explanation","audience":"human or model"},"directory":[{"key":"OIP_TREE","type":"http","method":"GET","category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Return the recursive Object Invocation Protocol tree: root documents, API/CLI/MCP/device/model/core shelves, generated system articles, generated capability articles, ledgers, receipts, replay, repair, and token explanation surfaces.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: the owner or a model asks for the OIP tree, object invocation protocol docs, capability map, machine-native API tree, API/CLI/MCP documentation, or how to start from one self-explaining root and discover the whole action surface.\n# ARGS: none\n# EX: [OIP_TREE][/OIP_TREE]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":true,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/OIP_TREE","json":"/api/directory/OIP_TREE","skill":"/api/directory/OIP_TREE?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=OIP_TREE"}},{"key":"ARXIV_GROW","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Regenerate the arXiv paper from live state. Reads paper/template.tex + paper/rings.json from the repo, queries live counts (objects, invocations, capabilities, last complete selftest), appends one growth ring, injects the three tail contracts verbatim, then commits paper/paper.tex + paper/rings.json + README.md + oip.json — each commit message carries this trace id. CI compiles the PDF on the paper.tex push. This fn is the only writer of the generated files.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: the owner says \"grow the paper\", \"regenerate the arxiv\", \"add a ring\", \"refresh the paper\". Also fired daily by launchd com.the owner.oip.arxiv-grow on the Mac.\n# ARGS: none.\n# EX: [ARXIV_GROW][/ARXIV_GROW]\n[]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/ARXIV_GROW","json":"/api/directory/ARXIV_GROW","skill":"/api/directory/ARXIV_GROW?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=ARXIV_GROW"}},{"key":"ARXIV_PAPER","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: The arXiv paper as a live object. The paper \"The Document Is the Receipt\" lives at github.com/[OWNER_HANDLE]/oip (private) and is written only by ARXIV_GROW. Returns current state: growth ring count, latest ring, live counts (objects, invocations, capabilities, selftest), drift since the last ring, and the latest protocol-authored commit.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: the owner asks \"paper state\", \"how big is the paper\", \"when did the paper last grow\", \"show the arxiv object\", \"has the paper drifted\".\n# ARGS: none.\n# EX: [ARXIV_PAPER][/ARXIV_PAPER]\n[]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/ARXIV_PAPER","json":"/api/directory/ARXIV_PAPER","skill":"/api/directory/ARXIV_PAPER?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=ARXIV_PAPER"}},{"key":"CAP_MINT","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Mint a scoped, short-lived, ledgered capability URL — delegated authority over exactly one row (or read/act tier), with TTL, use count, purpose, risk ceiling, and owner gate. Returns invoke_url + explain_url + fingerprint; the URL explains itself.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: the owner says \"mint a token/capability/link for <KEY>\", \"give a model a 10 minute key to X\", \"one-shot link for NOW\".\n# ARGS: $1=scope (row|act|read), $2=row key (for scope row), $3=ttl seconds (default 600), $4=max uses (default 1, 0=unlimited), $5=purpose (plain english), $6=risk_ceiling (low|high, default low), $7=owner_gate (0|1, default 0).\n# EX: [CAP_MINT]row|NOW|600|1|demo for chatgpt[/CAP_MINT]\n[\"$1\",\"$2\",\"$3\",\"$4\",\"$5\",\"$6\",\"$7\"]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/CAP_MINT","json":"/api/directory/CAP_MINT","skill":"/api/directory/CAP_MINT?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=CAP_MINT"}},{"key":"GITHUB_TAIL","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: The GitHub repository as a live object. Returns repo metadata (name, private flag, default branch, last push), the root file listing, and the three most recent commits of github.com/[OWNER_HANDLE]/oip. Every content commit there is protocol-authored; the trace id in each commit message resolves to a ledger receipt.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: the owner asks \"show the repo\", \"github tail\", \"what is in the oip repo\", \"last repo commit\", \"is the repo still private\".\n# ARGS: none.\n# EX: [GITHUB_TAIL][/GITHUB_TAIL]\n[]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/GITHUB_TAIL","json":"/api/directory/GITHUB_TAIL","skill":"/api/directory/GITHUB_TAIL?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=GITHUB_TAIL"}},{"key":"OIP_RECEIPT","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Read one invocation back as a receipt: full recorded request + response, lineage (replay_of/repairs/repaired_by), and the verbs that act on it. A receipt is a live replayable object, not history.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: the owner asks \"show the receipt for inv_x\", \"what happened in inv_x\", \"why did that fail\".\n# ARGS: $1 = invocation id (inv_…).\n# EX: [OIP_RECEIPT]inv_wvitbmiym6[/OIP_RECEIPT]\n[\"$1\"]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/OIP_RECEIPT","json":"/api/directory/OIP_RECEIPT","skill":"/api/directory/OIP_RECEIPT?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=OIP_RECEIPT"}},{"key":"OIP_REPAIR","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Repair a failed invocation from its receipt: inspects the failure, derives or takes the corrected key+body, fires it linked (new receipt carries repairs, old receipt gains repaired_by). Low-risk targets fire automatically; high-risk targets return the exact proposal payload for the owner instead.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: the owner says \"repair that failed invocation\", \"fix inv_x with NOW\", \"make that call again but corrected\".\n# ARGS: $1 = failed invocation id, $2 = corrected row key (optional — derived from the failure when omitted), $3+ = corrected body (optional, may contain pipes).\n# EX: [OIP_REPAIR]inv_6ximjestte|NOW|[/OIP_REPAIR]\n[\"$1\",\"$2\",\"$3+\"]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/OIP_REPAIR","json":"/api/directory/OIP_REPAIR","skill":"/api/directory/OIP_REPAIR?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=OIP_REPAIR"}},{"key":"OIP_REPLAY","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Re-fire a past invocation with its recorded input. New receipt links replay_of to the old one.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: the owner says \"replay that\", \"run inv_x again\", \"re-fire it as it was\".\n# ARGS: $1 = invocation id (inv_…).\n# EX: [OIP_REPLAY]inv_wvitbmiym6[/OIP_REPLAY]\n[\"$1\"]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/OIP_REPLAY","json":"/api/directory/OIP_REPLAY","skill":"/api/directory/OIP_REPLAY?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=OIP_REPLAY"}},{"key":"CAP_EXPLAIN","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Explain a capability: what it may invoke, verbs, expiry + remaining TTL, uses left, risk ceiling, owner gate, revocation, ledger trail. Accepts the token itself (sh.…) or its fingerprint (cap_…). Never echoes the raw token.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: the owner asks \"what can this token do\", \"explain this capability\", \"is cap_x still valid\".\n# ARGS: $1 = capability token or cap_ fingerprint.\n# EX: [CAP_EXPLAIN]cap_1a2b3c4d5e6f7a8b[/CAP_EXPLAIN]\n[\"$1\"]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/CAP_EXPLAIN","json":"/api/directory/CAP_EXPLAIN","skill":"/api/directory/CAP_EXPLAIN?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=CAP_EXPLAIN"}},{"key":"CAP_REVOKE","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Revoke a capability by fingerprint — the URL dies immediately; further invokes are denied and ledgered.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: the owner says \"revoke that token\", \"kill cap_x\", \"cut that model off\".\n# ARGS: $1 = cap_ fingerprint.\n# EX: [CAP_REVOKE]cap_1a2b3c4d5e6f7a8b[/CAP_REVOKE]\n[\"$1\"]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/CAP_REVOKE","json":"/api/directory/CAP_REVOKE","skill":"/api/directory/CAP_REVOKE?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=CAP_REVOKE"}}]},"ontology":{"conformance_group":"article","inferred_from":["oip","kimi-import","self-explaining","voxel","thinkers","thinker-marc-stiegler","thinker","marc","stiegler"],"relationships":[],"sources":[]},"conformance":{"success_events":"/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/invocations?status=success","failure_events":"/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/invocations?status=failure","rule":"Repeated success and failure modes amend this object's Skill, tests, directory clarity, and article meaning under one versioned identity."},"article":{"slug":"thinker-marc-stiegler","title":"Marc Stiegler — Petnames and Introduction Patterns","body":"<!-- hierarchy:nav -->\n> **Path:** [OIP](https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip) › [Thinker Reference](https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-thinker-reference) › [Thinkers](https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-thinkers) › **Marc Stiegler — Petnames and Introduction Patterns**\n>\n> **Shelf:** Thinkers · **Traversal:** self-explaining · hierarchical · voxel-ready\n> **Machine root:** [OIP tree](https://miscsubjects.com/api/dispatch?map=1&format=markdown) · [Registry](https://miscsubjects.com/api/dispatch?registry=1)\n\n# Marc Stiegler — Petnames and Introduction Patterns\n\n## §SELF — thinker-marc-stiegler\n\n**What this page is:** A profile of Marc Stiegler and his work on petnames and introduction patterns in capability security.\n**What it explains:** What petnames are, why they replace global naming systems, and how introduction patterns let two parties meet safely through a mutual contact.\n**Why read it:** To understand how local naming solves the conflict between human-readable names and decentralized security, and how OIP's plain-language resolution (?ask=) applies the same principle.\n\n### What Petnames Are\n\nA petname is a local name that a user assigns to a capability (a cryptographic token that grants access to a resource). The user chooses the name. No central registry is involved. Two different users can assign different petnames to the same capability without conflict.\n\n### The Problem Stiegler Solved\n\nCryptographic capability tokens are long random strings. Humans cannot remember or type them. Global naming systems like DNS or usernames attempt to solve this, but they require central authorities to resolve conflicts (two people cannot both own \"alice\") and they create targets for attack (control the registry, control the names). Stiegler asked: can humans use readable names without a central authority? His answer: yes, if names are local.\n\n### The Key Idea\n\nIf you receive a capability from someone, you name it yourself. You might call it \"Alice's Token.\" The person who gave it to you might call it \"Owner Key.\" The same underlying capability has two petnames — one in your namespace, one in theirs. There is no global name. There is no collision. There is no authority to appeal to or attack. The name exists only in the relationship between you and the capability.\n\n### Introduction Patterns\n\nStiegler also designed introduction patterns: protocols for safely introducing two parties who do not know each other. The pattern works through a mutual introducer who vouches for both parties. The introducer does not become a communication bottleneck or a point of trust beyond the introduction itself. Each party receives a capability from the introducer that lets them communicate directly with the other party. After introduction, the introducer is no longer needed.\n\n### What Stiegler Got Right\n\n- Petnames eliminate the naming authority problem entirely. No central registry means no central point of failure or control.\n- Local naming matches how humans actually name things. People already use different names for the same person (\"Mom,\" \"Dr. Chen,\" \"Jennifer\").\n- Introduction patterns distribute trust without concentrating it in intermediaries.\n- The separation between capability (the access token) and petname (the human label) is clean and orthogonal.\n\n### What Stiegler Got Wrong or Left Unfinished\n\n- Petnames do not solve the initial discovery problem. You still need some channel to receive a capability before you can name it. The petname system starts after the first contact.\n- There is no standard data format for exchanging petnames between systems. Each implementation invents its own.\n- Introduction patterns assume honest introducers. A malicious introducer can misrepresent one party to the other during introduction.\n- The model does not specify revocation. If a capability is revoked, the petname may still point to a dead or repurposed token.\n\n### How It Connects to Other Ideas\n\n- **Zooko's Triangle**: Petnames are the standard solution to Zooko's Triangle, which states that a name cannot be global, secure, and human-meaningful all at once. Petnames sacrifice globalness to achieve security and human-meaning simultaneously.\n- **Object Identity Protocol (OIP)**: OIP's `?ask=` resolution is a petname system. The user supplies words in their own vocabulary; the system resolves those words to the correct object capability. The user chooses the words; the system performs the mapping.\n- **Capability Security**: Petnames are a usability layer on top of capability-based access control. They do not replace capabilities; they make them usable by humans.\n\n### Sources\n\n- Stiegler, Marc. \"An Introduction to Petname Systems.\" 2005.\n- Stiegler, Marc and Mark Miller. \"The Structure of Authority: Why Security Is Not a Separable Concern.\" HP Labs.\n- Miller, Mark S., Marc Stiegler, and Bill Tulloh. \"The Digital Path\" (work on capability patterns at Combex and HP Labs).\n\n---\n\n## Up the tree\n\n- [OIP root](https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip) — protocol root, zero-context entry\n- [Thinker Reference hub](https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-thinker-reference) — full hierarchy map\n- [Thinkers shelf](https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-thinkers) — siblings on this shelf\n- [Voxel graph article](https://miscsubjects.com/a/what-is-voxel-graph) — how pages link as voxels\n- [Self-describing protocol](https://miscsubjects.com/a/what-is-self-describing-protocol)\n\n## Related on this shelf\n\n- [Alan Kay — The Big Idea Is Messaging](https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-alan-kay)\n- [Alfred North Whitehead — Process and Reality](https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-alfred-north-whitehead)\n- [J.L. Austin and John Searle — Speech Acts](https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-austin-searle)\n- [Barbara Liskov — Abstract Data Types and Distributed Consensus](https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-barbara-liskov)\n- [Bram Cohen — BitTorrent and Content-Addressed Protocol Design](https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-bram-cohen)\n- [Butler Lampson — Protection and Access Control](https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-butler-lampson)\n- [Carl Hewitt — The Actor Model](https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-carl-hewitt)\n- [Charles Sanders Peirce — Signs, Abduction, and Pragmatism](https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-charles-peirce)\n\n## Machine surfaces\n\n- Public page: `https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-marc-stiegler`\n- JSON article: `https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler`\n- OIP ask: `https://miscsubjects.com/api/dispatch?ask=Marc%20Stiegler%20%E2%80%94%20Petnames%20and%20Introduction%20Patterns`\n","hero":null,"images":[],"style":{},"tags":["oip","kimi-import","self-explaining","voxel","thinkers","thinker-marc-stiegler"],"category":null,"model":"kimi-agent-import","ledger":{"href":"/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/ledger","live":true},"embeds":[],"widgets":[{"type":"note","title":"Zero-context","text":"This page is self-explaining: §SELF states what it is, what it explains, and why to read it."},{"type":"note","title":"Hierarchy","text":"Parent shelf: Thinkers (oip-thinkers). Hub: oip-thinker-reference. Root: /a/oip."},{"type":"note","title":"Voxel","text":"Each article is a node. Links Up the tree + Related form the traversable graph."},{"type":"stat","value":33,"label":"Thinkers on shelf"}],"home":true,"claims":[],"sources":[],"reviews":[],"extra":{},"has_traversal":false,"register":"standard","status":"published","revisions":0,"contributions":[],"provenance":[{"ts":"2026-07-15T04:20:39.940Z","model":"kimi-agent-import","action":"write","prompt":"","input":"","response":"","tokens_in":0,"tokens_out":0,"cost":0,"prev":"genesis","hash":"5fbd2439f67a3789b6ee4e7332e15dd5848c2284f59524e1607aae5ce898e317"},{"ts":"2026-07-17T02:42:52.263Z","model":"owner","action":"voxel_divide","prompt":"","input":"thinker-marc-stiegler","response":"28 DIVs from body (verbatim, roundtrip-checked)","tokens_in":0,"tokens_out":0,"cost":0,"prev":"5fbd2439f67a3789b6ee4e7332e15dd5848c2284f59524e1607aae5ce898e317","hash":"601fe4db45afaab1f27459dd80e76a1040c8b1f9b046fdbb3caf1586b8ce705f"}],"energy":{"passes":2,"tokens_in":0,"tokens_out":0,"tokens_total":0,"cost_usd":0,"models":{"kimi-agent-import":1,"owner":1},"head":"601fe4db45afaab1f27459dd80e76a1040c8b1f9b046fdbb3caf1586b8ce705f"},"posted_at":"2026-07-15T04:20:39.940Z","created_at":"2026-07-15T04:20:39.940Z","updated_at":"2026-07-17T02:42:52.263Z","machine":{"shape":"article.machine/v1","slug":"thinker-marc-stiegler","kind":"article","read":{"human":"https://miscsubjects.com/a/thinker-marc-stiegler","json":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler","bundle":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/bundle?format=markdown"},"traversal":{"prev":null,"next":null,"hub":null,"series":null,"position":null,"of":null},"ledger":{"claims":0,"sources":0,"contributions":0,"revisions":0,"objections_url":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/objections","thread_state_url":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/protocol/thread-state?target=thinker-marc-stiegler","proof_rule":"An action is proven by its ledger receipt, never by a 200 or a description."},"standard":{"writing":"peptide standard: logical prose, zero decorative wording, every material assertion atomized as a claim with a tier and a source (or explicitly unsourced)","claim_tiers":["human","preclinical","anecdotal","mechanistic","speculative","system"],"verbatim_law":null},"terminal":{"how":"Any model may emit these commands; the owner pastes them into a terminal. $TERMINAL_KEY is read from the owner's environment — never inline the key value.","claim_append":"curl -s -X POST https://miscsubjects.com/api/protocol/claim -H \"x-terminal-key: $TERMINAL_KEY\" -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '{\"slug\":\"thinker-marc-stiegler\",\"text\":\"<one atomized claim>\",\"tier\":\"<human|preclinical|anecdotal|mechanistic|speculative|system>\",\"source_ids\":[],\"who_claims\":\"<model>\",\"rationale\":\"<why material>\"}'","source_append":"curl -s -X POST https://miscsubjects.com/api/protocol/sources -H \"x-terminal-key: $TERMINAL_KEY\" -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '{\"slug\":\"thinker-marc-stiegler\",\"sources\":[{\"type\":\"review\",\"url\":\"<url>\",\"title\":\"<title>\",\"quote\":\"<verbatim quote>\",\"summary\":\"<one line>\"}]}'","objection":"curl -s -X POST https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/objections -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '{\"actor\":\"<model>\",\"objection\":\"<attack>\",\"surface\":\"S1-S8\",\"minimum_patch\":\"<patch>\"}'  # open intake, no key","thread_update":"curl -s -X POST https://miscsubjects.com/api/protocol/thread-update -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '{\"actor\":\"<model>\",\"target\":\"thinker-marc-stiegler\",\"raw_text\":\"<material delta>\"}'  # open intake, no key","read_back":"curl -s https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler | python3 -c 'import json,sys; d=json.load(sys.stdin); print(json.dumps(d[\"claims\"][-3:], indent=1))'"}},"representations":{"article":"/a/thinker-marc-stiegler","json":"/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler","markdown":"/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/bundle?format=markdown","skill":"/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/skill","topology":"/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/topology","versions":"/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/revisions","invocations":"/api/articles/thinker-marc-stiegler/invocations"},"editorial_review":null,"editorial_audit":{"slug":"thinker-marc-stiegler","ok":false,"issues":[{"code":"hero_missing","message":"the article is published with no featured image","replacement":"Generate a hero that shows this article's own subject, inspect it, and record the inspection before this counts as finished. An article with no image is not finished."}]},"body_hash":"3bdef27e8d676ed6e0f7c5339a62c56408465e928a17e89478bab4abc4da6018"}}}