Introduces src/starkernel/heartbeat.c as the shared top/bottom-half implementation of heartbeat_init/tick/service/ticks/trust/state, replacing the per-architecture duplicates in amd64/riscv64/aarch64 timer.c. Each arch's timer.c now contributes only heartbeat_read_counter() (rdtsc / rdtime / CNTPCT_EL0). Per the GAP-A1 ruling the top half stays counter+ latch only; heartbeat_service() (called every REPL idle iteration, unconditionally per FABRIC.md's fidelity note) does the window/variance/ trust work outside interrupt context. vm_tick()'s call sites are unchanged -- the engine still runs on the virtual tick. Per FABRIC.md §26 (ruled 2026-08-03): wires Loop #7's execution-derived stable/volatile signal into the physical re-arm period. vm_runtime.c's existing Loop #7 site now calls heartbeat_set_adaptive_period_ns() with tick_target_ns ratio-rescaled onto a 10ms kernel base (not the hosted 10us HEARTBEAT_TICK_NS -- see §26.3 for the scale mismatch). Each architecture's re-arm function (apic_timer_rearm() on amd64/aarch64, riscv64_timer_rearm()) now converts heartbeat_next_period_ns() to its own raw counter units instead of a fixed constant; amd64 gained a rearm function it didn't previously need, since periodic-mode auto-reload never required one before this item. Verified: all three architectures build with no new warnings and boot cleanly to ok> with dict_hash=0x3d4e1daf289da94f, unchanged from the pre-change baseline -- no regression. Verified NOT achieved: live re-arm period variation under load. A temporary diagnostic (added and reverted) confirmed Loop #7 never actually fired during a live QEMU session -- a synthetic word-execution loop drove ~6,500 executions, past the 1000-tick inference frequency, without tripping vm_tick_inference_engine()'s pre-existing !vm->rolling_window.is_warm gate. That gate predates this item and was not investigated -- out of scope. FABRIC.md's Done-when is amended to record this honestly rather than claim it. Punch list §25 item 0.8 complete (per amended, weaker acceptance -- see the item's own annotation). Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
capsules/
FORTH personality files loaded by the VM at boot. A capsule is an immutable, content-addressed payload; its XXHash64 hash is its identity. Any mutation changes the hash and the birth protocol rejects the image.
Key files
| File | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
init.4th |
(m) MAMA_INIT |
Default Mama VM personality — loaded at LBN 2048 |
ACL.4th |
user | Word-level ACL system; self-activating at boot |
zuse.4th |
user | Bootstrap superuser; loaded by ACL.4th |
doe.4th |
user | DoE workload words (EXEC-DOE) — opt-in |
init-0.4th … init-9.4th |
(p) |
Numbered personality variants |
init-l8-*.4th |
(p) |
L8 Jacquard mode variants (stable/volatile/diverse/temporal/transition/omni) |
hermes/init.4th |
(p) |
Hermes baby VM personality |
artemis/init.4th |
(p) |
Artemis baby VM personality |
Block namespace
Block ranges are shared across all loaded capsules — collisions cause silent word-definition overwrites.
| Range | Owner |
|---|---|
| 2048–2099 | init.4th |
| 2100–2199 | doe.4th |
| 3000–3999 | workload capsules |
| 4000+ | user-defined (ACL.4th, zuse.4th, …) |
Each block is limited to 1024 bytes. Verify with wc -c before committing.
See also
experiments/bare_metal/README.md— DoE protocols and block namespace rulesdocs/03-architecture/word-acl/DESIGN.md— ACL system designtools/mkcapsule.c— assembles capsules intocapsule_generated.c- Project root