Operating Mechanics
How a node actually works.
The 30-day cycle, the five roles, the decision framework, and the moments when the OS speaks — and when it steps back.
Core Principle
The OS is mostly silence.
A well-run node doesn't feel like it's running software. People meet, work, decide, eat, sleep. Life happens. The OS exists at the edges — a framework consulted when something needs to be decided, a timer that marks the rhythm, a record that remembers what people forget.
Think of it like a building's electrical system. You don't think about it while you're cooking. It's there when you need the light.
When the OS speaks
Every 90 days
OS surfaces the rotation protocol, facilitates the handoff, and updates the node registry.
When a block is raised
Any member can signal a tension. OS provides the structured resolution template.
Days 28–30
Prompts the Chronicler to complete the cycle record and the Connector to submit the federation report.
Genesis event
Guides founding members through the charter process, role assignment, and first-cycle planning.
The Operating Rhythm
The 30-Day Cycle.
Every node, regardless of what it does or how it lives, runs on the same monthly heartbeat. The content changes. The rhythm doesn't.
Opening
Monthly Council
The node gathers. Navigator chairs. The previous month's record is read aloud by the Chronicler. Each member checks in: capacity, intention, anything unresolved.
- Review last month's Chronicler record
- Each member states their bandwidth for the month (full / partial / limited)
- Navigator proposes the month's primary focus
- Consent round — does this feel good enough to try?
- Steward presents current resource picture
Planning
Work Breakdown
Builder(s) break the month's focus into concrete deliverables. Connector identifies any inter-node dependencies or support needed from the federation.
- Deliverables mapped to owners
- Resource requirements surfaced to Steward
- Inter-node requests drafted by Connector
- Chronicler opens the month's record
Build
Execution Sprint
The longest phase. The OS is mostly silent here. People work. Weekly check-ins are brief — status, blockers, anything that needs the group. The OS surfaces only if a tension is flagged.
- Weekly 30-min stand-up (Navigator facilitates)
- Any member can raise a tension at any time
- Steward tracks contribution as it happens
- Connector maintains inter-node communications
- Chronicler records notable events and decisions as they occur
Review
Retrospective
A structured review of the month. What happened? What worked? What do we carry forward? This is the reflective core of the node's learning cycle.
- Each member: one thing that worked, one thing to improve
- Steward presents contribution summary
- Unresolved tensions addressed in structured format
- Navigator synthesizes the month's learnings
- Chronicler captures the retrospective in the node's record
Close
Record & Submit
The Chronicler finalizes the month's record. The Connector submits the federation report (if the node is federated). The cycle closes. A brief rest before the next opening.
- Chronicler completes the cycle document (signed by Navigator)
- Federation report submitted: what was built, contribution logged
- Steward reconciles the ledger
- Node enters a brief rest period — no meetings, no obligations
Daily Life
A typical week in a node.
Outside the structured phases, daily life looks like this. The OS doesn't prescribe it — this is what tends to emerge.
Async check-in
A brief status signal — a physical board, a group message, or just a conversation at breakfast. Is everyone working? Does anyone need something? No meeting required.
Council Stand-up
30 minutes, Navigator chairs. Each person: what did I do, what am I doing, do I have any blockers? The OS is open on a device in the room, consulted only if a decision needs to be logged.
Tension Signals
Any member, at any time, can raise a tension — a feeling that something isn't working. The OS provides a simple template: what is the tension? what would be better? what do you need from the group?
Full Council
The structured opening and close. 2–3 hours. The only required long meeting. Everything else is lightweight by design.
Role Rotation
The OS surfaces the rotation protocol. Roles shift. A transition document is written by the outgoing role-holder for the incoming. Takes half a day.
Governance
How decisions get made.
Mastermind City uses consent-based governance, borrowed from sociocracy. The key distinction: a decision doesn't need everyone to love it — it needs no one to have a principled objection to trying it.
This removes the veto power of the most risk-averse member while preserving genuine protection for serious ethical concerns. "I don't love this" is not a block. "This violates our charter" is.
Proposal
Any member can bring a proposal: a project, a change, a purchase, a direction. It goes to the group with context.
Clarifying Questions
Members ask questions of understanding only — not evaluation. "What does this cost?" not "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
Reactions
Each member gives a brief reaction. The proposer listens. They may amend the proposal based on what they hear.
Consent Round
Navigator asks: "Does anyone have a principled objection to trying this?" No objection = it passes. An objection must come with a counter-proposal.
Logged & Assigned
The OS logs the decision, who owns it, and any relevant timeline. Chronicler notes it in the cycle record.
Starting a Node
The genesis process.
Forming a new node is the one moment the OS is most active. It's walking four to eight people through the process of becoming a coherent operating unit. After this, the OS steps back.
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01
Choose a Node Type
Select the template that most closely matches your community's purpose — homestead, studio, guild, monastery, enterprise, or define your own. This sets the default role descriptions and cycle emphases.
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02
Name & Charter
The founding members give the node its name, write a one-paragraph purpose statement, and ratify the base charter. The Chronicler's first task is to record this genesis document.
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03
First Role Assignment
Founding members self-select initial roles through a consent round. No role is permanent — the first rotation happens at day 90.
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04
First Council
The OS runs the founding group through the first Opening. What is our focus for this first cycle? What do we have? What do we need? What are our agreements?
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05
Cryptographic Identity
The node generates a keypair. This becomes its verifiable identity in the federation — enabling inter-node trust, contribution proof, and secure communication without a central authority.
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06
OS Steps Back
Formation complete. The OS fades to background. A dashboard shows where you are in the cycle. The next time it speaks is the weekly stand-up prompt on day seven.
Questions
Common questions.
The tension system handles this. Either member can raise a formal tension. The OS provides a structured format: state the tension neutrally, describe the impact, propose a resolution. The group hears both sides in a structured round.
If the group can't resolve it, the Navigator makes a provisional decision. If the Navigator is one of the parties, the Steward takes that role temporarily. Persistent unresolved conflict is a signal that the node's membership may need to change — the OS includes an exit protocol that preserves dignity for all parties.
The contribution ledger is transparent. The Steward tracks what each member contributes each cycle. This visibility is the first check — people generally self-correct when their contribution is made legible.
If it persists, any member can raise a formal tension about contribution. The structured process ensures it's addressed through the system rather than through gossip or resentment. The node's charter specifies minimum contribution thresholds for continued membership.
Yes, unconditionally. Exit rights are explicit and irreversible — a node cannot be trapped in a federation. The Connector initiates the exit protocol, a 30-day wind-down period allows for settling outstanding exchanges, and the node retains all its records and identity.
This is by design. A federation that you can't leave is a prison. The only thing that makes voluntary federation valuable is that it remains voluntary.
No. The core OS runs entirely locally — on any device, including low-power hardware suitable for off-grid environments. Federation features (inter-node communication, shared ledger) require connectivity, but can operate over a mesh network rather than the public internet.
A node in a remote location can run its full 30-day cycle with zero internet. When connectivity is available, it syncs. When it isn't, it keeps running.
The Manual is a companion project — a separate initiative that produces the human, cultural complement to the OS's structural layer. Where the OS handles roles, rhythms, and records, The Manual holds stories, mythology, traditions, and the living memory of the community. It's hand-transcribed, physical, and evolves organically.
Mastermind City is designed to interface with The Manual through the Chronicler role — the person most responsible for maintaining both the digital record and the physical one. But The Manual is not part of the OS. It can't be automated. That's the point.
Continue
See what a node can become.
The same scaffold runs a monastery, a software studio, a family homestead, and a crafts guild. Explore the node types.
Explore Node Types →