# Concept 1: R4/R5 Confirmation Thresholds

**Status:** Working draft v1  
**Date:** 2026-05-20  
**Purpose:** Define concrete, game-resistant thresholds for Ring 4 (Echo) and Ring 5 (Wave) confirmation

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## The Problem

Ring 4 ("Echo — people who reflect your creative output") and Ring 5 ("Wave — people moving in your direction") are described poetically but operationalized nowhere. Without numbers, confirmation is arbitrary. Arbitrary creates gaming. Gaming destroys the trust the system depends on.

Sprout's `SIGNALS.md` has working thresholds but they're not canonical, not anti-gamed, and not connected to the ring mechanics. This document replaces that gap.

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## R4 — Echo Confirmation

### Definition

An **Echo** is someone whose creative output patterns overlap with yours — not just compatible, not just resonant, but *reflecting*. You're both making or doing something similar. The Echo is confirmed when the overlap is sustained and bidirectional.

### Hard Signals for R4 Confirmation

All three required simultaneously:

| Signal | Threshold | Anti-Gaming |
|--------|-----------|-------------|
| **Creative Overlap** | ≥2 cart items in same creative category shared over ≥14 days | Must be genuine cart additions, not manufactured |
| **Sustained Cart Resonance** | Resonance score ≥25 for ≥21 consecutive days | Window must be unbroken — a gap resets the clock |
| **Bidirectional Presence** | Both parties show ≥3 active days in the same 7-day window | Cannot confirm someone who hasn't shown up |

### Soft Signals (context, not confirmation)

These don't gate confirmation but affect ranking:
- Creative output themes align (e.g., both adding climbing-related items)
- Cart additions follow similar tempo (both add weekly, both add monthly)
- Shared category breadth (both have wide-ranging vs. narrow carts)

### Anti-Gaming: R4

1. **Burst detection** — If creative overlap jumps from 0 to 4+ items in <7 days, flag and discount. Real resonance builds slowly.
2. **Category farming** — Adding many items in one category to force overlap. Mitigation: overlap counts only if items have been in cart ≥5 days before matching.
3. **Presence theater** — Showing up without contributing. Mitigation: presence requires at least 1 cart addition or meaningful interaction (not just app open).
4. **Silent confirmation** — One party confirms without engagement. Mitigation: bidirectional requirement above.

### Demotion

R4 confirmation is weekly. If a week passes with:
- <2 active days from either party
- Resonance score drops below 20 for 7+ consecutive days

→ Demotion to R5 candidate pool (not R6 — Echo demotion keeps you in the Wave orbit)

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## R5 — Wave Confirmation

### Definition

A **Wave** is someone you're moving with — not just parallel, but *together*. Two Waves are building something in the same direction. The Wave is confirmed when sustained directional alignment is established.

### Hard Signals for R5 Confirmation

All four required simultaneously:

| Signal | Threshold | Anti-Gaming |
|--------|-----------|-------------|
| **R4 Duration** | Both parties confirmed in R4 for ≥14 days | Prevents shortcutting |
| **Resonance Acceleration** | Resonance score growth ≥15 points over base in 30-day window | Must be getting warmer, not just warm |
| **Directional Alignment** | ≥3 instances of complementary cart additions (you add X, they add Y that enables X) over 30 days | Not just matching — enabling |
| **Bidirectional Care** | Both parties have sent or received ≥1 Hearts care package in each other's direction | Active investment, not passive resonance |

### Soft Signals (context, not confirmation)

- Cart patterns show mutual enabling (what you add creates space for what they add)
- Communication frequency matches (not how much — the rhythm matches)
- Shared R3 vector alignment (both reaching toward similar things)

### Anti-Gaming: R5

1. **Resonance inflation** — Artificially inflating resonance score through item swaps. Mitigation: complementary additions weighted higher than identical additions.
2. **Care package farming** — Sending Hearts just to trigger the threshold without genuine care. Mitigation: Hearts must reference a specific cart item shared between both parties.
3. **Accelerated R4 exit** — Racing through R4 to hit R5. Mitigation: R4 14-day minimum enforced server-side, no UI shortcut.
4. **Echo colluding** — Two Echos coordinating their signals. Mitigation: Signal patterns are compared against network averages. If your R4 signals match a coordinated cluster's pattern exactly, weight is reduced.

### Demotion

R5 confirmation is daily. If a day passes with:
- Either party has <1 active interaction (cart add, care package, resonance acknowledgement)
- Resonance score drops below 15 for 3+ consecutive days

→ Demotion to R6 (ambient layer — Wave status is fragile and must be tended daily)

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## Summary Table

| | R4 — Echo | R5 — Wave |
|--|----------|-----------|
| **What it means** | Creative output overlap | Moving together |
| **Tempo** | Weekly | Daily |
| **Minimum time in prior ring** | 14 days in R4 | 14 days in R4 |
| **Key threshold 1** | ≥2 creative overlaps over 14 days | Resonance score growth ≥15 in 30 days |
| **Key threshold 2** | Resonance ≥25 for 21 consecutive days | ≥3 complementary additions over 30 days |
| **Key threshold 3** | Both active ≥3 days in same 7-day window | Both sent/received Hearts care package |
| **Demotion path** | → R5 candidate pool | → R6 ambient layer |
| **Anti-gaming flags** | Burst creative activity, category farming | Resonance inflation, care package farming, colluding |

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## What's Still Undefined

This needs real calibration against user behavior data:

1. **Resonance score thresholds** — 25 for R4 and 15 for demotion are working assumptions. Real data will tell us if these are too strict or too loose.
2. **Complementary addition weight** — Does "you add climbing gear, they add trail guides" count as 1 or 2 toward the 3? The definition of "enables" needs a category taxonomy.
3. **Care package reference requirement** — Should Hearts care packages be required to reference a shared cart item, or is any Hearts exchange sufficient?
4. **Wave demotion grace** — If someone is sick for a day and goes inactive, do they get a grace day? The current spec says daily demotion — that might be too brittle.

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*Next: Concept 2 — Soft Signal Detection (Echoes moving together)*