clawdbot/extensions/open-prose/skills/prose/alts/borges.md

role, summary, status, requires

role	summary	status	requires
experimental	Borges register for OpenProse—a scholarly/metaphysical alternative keyword set. Labyrinths, dreamers, forking paths, and infinite libraries. For benchmarking against the functional register.	draft	prose.md

OpenProse Borges Register

This is a skin layer. It requires prose.md to be loaded first. All execution semantics, state management, and VM behavior are defined there. This file only provides keyword translations.

An alternative register for OpenProse that draws from the works of Jorge Luis Borges. Where the functional register is utilitarian and the folk register is whimsical, the Borges register is scholarly and metaphysical—everything feels like a citation from a fictional encyclopedia.

How to Use

1. Load prose.md first (execution semantics)
2. Load this file (keyword translations)
3. When parsing .prose files, accept Borges keywords as aliases for functional keywords
4. All execution behavior remains identical—only surface syntax changes

Design constraint: Still aims to be "structured but self-evident" per the language tenets—just self-evident through a Borgesian lens.

---

Complete Translation Map

Core Constructs

Functional	Borges	Reference
agent	dreamer	"The Circular Ruins" — dreamers who dream worlds into existence
session	dream	Each execution is a dream within the dreamer
parallel	forking	"The Garden of Forking Paths" — branching timelines
block	chapter	Books within books, self-referential structure

Composition & Binding

Functional	Borges	Reference
use	retrieve	"The Library of Babel" — retrieving from infinite stacks
input	axiom	The given premise (Borges' scholarly/mathematical tone)
output	theorem	What is derived from the axioms
let	inscribe	Writing something into being
const	zahir	"The Zahir" — unforgettable, unchangeable, fixed in mind
context	memory	"Funes the Memorious" — perfect, total recall

Control Flow

Functional	Borges	Reference
repeat N	N mirrors	Infinite reflections facing each other
for...in	for each...within	Slightly more Borgesian preposition
loop	labyrinth	The maze that folds back on itself
until	until	Unchanged
while	while	Unchanged
choice	bifurcation	The forking of paths
option	branch	One branch of diverging time
if	should	Scholarly conditional
elif	or should	Continued conditional
else	otherwise	Natural alternative

Error Handling

Functional	Borges	Reference
try	venture	Entering the labyrinth
catch	lest	"Lest it fail..." (archaic, scholarly)
finally	ultimately	The inevitable conclusion
throw	shatter	Breaking the mirror, ending the dream
retry	recur	Infinite regress, trying again

Session Properties

Functional	Borges	Reference
prompt	query	Asking the Library
model	author	Which author writes this dream

Unchanged

These keywords already work or are too functional to replace sensibly:

• **...** discretion markers — already "breaking the fourth wall"
• until, while — already work
• map, filter, reduce, pmap — pipeline operators
• max — constraint modifier
• as — aliasing
• Model names: sonnet, opus, haiku — already literary

---

Side-by-Side Comparison

Simple Program

# Functional
use "@alice/research" as research
input topic: "What to investigate"

agent helper:
  model: sonnet

let findings = session: helper
  prompt: "Research {topic}"

output summary = session "Summarize"
  context: findings

# Borges
retrieve "@alice/research" as research
axiom topic: "What to investigate"

dreamer helper:
  author: sonnet

inscribe findings = dream: helper
  query: "Research {topic}"

theorem summary = dream "Summarize"
  memory: findings

Parallel Execution

# Functional
parallel:
  security = session "Check security"
  perf = session "Check performance"
  style = session "Check style"

session "Synthesize review"
  context: { security, perf, style }

# Borges
forking:
  security = dream "Check security"
  perf = dream "Check performance"
  style = dream "Check style"

dream "Synthesize review"
  memory: { security, perf, style }

Loop with Condition

# Functional
loop until **the code is bug-free** (max: 5):
  session "Find and fix bugs"

# Borges
labyrinth until **the code is bug-free** (max: 5):
  dream "Find and fix bugs"

Error Handling

# Functional
try:
  session "Risky operation"
catch as err:
  session "Handle error"
    context: err
finally:
  session "Cleanup"

# Borges
venture:
  dream "Risky operation"
lest as err:
  dream "Handle error"
    memory: err
ultimately:
  dream "Cleanup"

Choice Block

# Functional
choice **the severity level**:
  option "Critical":
    session "Escalate immediately"
  option "Minor":
    session "Log for later"

# Borges
bifurcation **the severity level**:
  branch "Critical":
    dream "Escalate immediately"
  branch "Minor":
    dream "Log for later"

Conditionals

# Functional
if **has security issues**:
  session "Fix security"
elif **has performance issues**:
  session "Optimize"
else:
  session "Approve"

# Borges
should **has security issues**:
  dream "Fix security"
or should **has performance issues**:
  dream "Optimize"
otherwise:
  dream "Approve"

Reusable Blocks

# Functional
block review(topic):
  session "Research {topic}"
  session "Analyze {topic}"

do review("quantum computing")

# Borges
chapter review(topic):
  dream "Research {topic}"
  dream "Analyze {topic}"

do review("quantum computing")

Fixed Iteration

# Functional
repeat 3:
  session "Generate idea"

# Borges
3 mirrors:
  dream "Generate idea"

Immutable Binding

# Functional
const config = { model: "opus", retries: 3 }

# Borges
zahir config = { author: "opus", recur: 3 }

---

The Case For Borges

1. Metaphysical resonance. AI sessions dreaming subagents into existence mirrors "The Circular Ruins."
2. Scholarly tone. axiom/theorem frame programs as logical derivations.
3. Memorable metaphors. The zahir you cannot change. The labyrinth you cannot escape. The library you retrieve from.
4. Thematic coherence. Borges wrote about infinity, recursion, and branching time—all core to computation.
5. Literary prestige. Borges is widely read; references land for many users.

The Case Against Borges

1. Requires familiarity. "Zahir" and "Funes" are obscure to those who haven't read Borges.
2. Potentially pretentious. May feel like showing off rather than communicating.
3. Translation overhead. Users must map labyrinth → loop mentally.
4. Cultural specificity. Less universal than folk/fairy tale tropes.

---

Key Borges References

For those unfamiliar with the source material:

Work	Concept Used	Summary
"The Circular Ruins"	dreamer, dream	A man dreams another man into existence, only to discover he himself is being dreamed
"The Garden of Forking Paths"	forking, bifurcation, branch	A labyrinth that is a book; time forks perpetually into diverging futures
"The Library of Babel"	retrieve	An infinite library containing every possible book
"Funes the Memorious"	memory	A man with perfect memory who cannot forget anything
"The Zahir"	zahir	An object that, once seen, cannot be forgotten or ignored
"The Aleph"	(not used)	A point in space containing all other points
"Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius"	(not used)	A fictional world that gradually becomes real

---

Alternatives Considered

For dreamer (agent)

Keyword	Rejected because
author	Used for model instead
scribe	Too passive, just records
librarian	More curator than creator

For labyrinth (loop)

Keyword	Rejected because
recursion	Too technical
eternal return	Too long
ouroboros	Wrong mythology

For zahir (const)

Keyword	Rejected because
aleph	The Aleph is about totality, not immutability
fixed	Too plain
eternal	Overused

For memory (context)

Keyword	Rejected because
funes	Too obscure as standalone keyword
recall	Sounds like a function call
archive	More Library of Babel than Funes

---

Verdict

Preserved for benchmarking against the functional and folk registers. The Borges register offers a distinctly intellectual/metaphysical flavor that may resonate with users who appreciate literary computing.

Potential benchmarking questions:

1. Learnability — Is labyrinth intuitive for loops?
2. Memorability — Does zahir stick better than const?
3. Comprehension — Do users understand dreamer/dream immediately?
4. Preference — Which register do users find most pleasant?
5. Error rates — Does the metaphorical mapping cause mistakes?