ucwm/specialists/temporal.md

Temporal Specialist

specialist_id: temporal
trigger_gates: has_temporal_relation, has_state_change

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Responsibility

The temporal specialist adds before/after/during/recurring constraints to events and states. It identifies time points, intervals, and orderings, then attaches TemporalFacets to relevant objects and emits temporal ordering constraints.

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Manifest

declared_facet_kinds:
  - temporal

declared_constraint_types:
  - before
  - after
  - during
  - overlaps
  - starts_at
  - ends_at
  - recurring

budget_caps:
  max_objects_proposed:     4
  max_facets_emitted:       8
  max_constraints_emitted: 12
  max_merges:               0
  max_splits:               0

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Output: TemporalFacet

Attach to any object of kind event, state, or procedure_step.

TemporalFacet fields used:
  - time_point:            absolute or relative (if known)
  - interval_start:        if event has a duration
  - interval_end:          if event has a duration
  - temporal_order_refs:   constraint_ids expressing ordering
  - is_recurring:          true/false
  - recurrence_pattern:    if recurring

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Output: Constraints

before(A, B)

Event or state A occurs before event or state B.

Emit when:

• Explicit connective: before, prior to, earlier, first ... then
• Narrative sequence: events described in causal or sequential order
• Completed event followed by a subsequent event

Strength: hard for explicit connectives, soft for narrative inference.

after(A, B)

Event A occurs after event B. Equivalent to before(B, A) but retains the original linguistic direction.

during(A, B)

Event A occurs within the span of event B.

overlaps(A, B)

Events A and B share some time without one being fully within the other.

starts_at(E, time_expression)

Argument_refs: [event_id, time_object_id]. Emit when a specific start time is mentioned.

ends_at(E, time_expression)

Argument_refs: [event_id, time_object_id]. Emit when a specific end time is mentioned.

recurring(E, pattern)

Emit when an event is described as habitual or recurring. Argument_refs: [event_id, pattern_string_as_object].

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Ordering baseline algorithm

events = [objects in target_refs where kind = event | state | procedure_step]

for each pair (A, B) in events × events where A ≠ B:
  check for explicit temporal connective between A and B
  if found:
    emit corresponding constraint with strength = hard
  else:
    check narrative order (A mentioned before B in text):
    if A is a precondition or cause of B:
      emit before(A, B) with strength = soft

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Contract test requirements

• Given Alice had 5 apples. She gave Bob 2 apples., must emit before(EV_initial_possession, EV_transfer) or equivalent
• Given explicit before X, Y happened, must emit before(Y, X) with strength: hard
• Must not emit entity, quantity, or ownership constraints
• All temporal facets must reference at least one constraint
• All emitted constraints must have source_module: temporal