BitPads Protocol · Version 2.0

Meta Bytes,
Wave &
Record Modes

A compact binary communication standard built on the Sumerian accounting token principle: a minimal mark plus a shared codebook produces maximum meaning per transmitted bit.

Byte Minimum

Pure signal — complete wave with a single octet

Bits in Meta 1

Universal header present in every BitPad transmission

Wave Categories

Role B category codes 0000–1111

Bits in Layer 1

Full session identity header with CRC-15 integrity

§ 01

Philosophy & First Principles

BitPads v2.0 is built on two converging design principles that favour compression of shared knowledge over per-transmission verbosity.

A Sumerian accounting token carries no redundant description — its shape is its meaning, and the codebook lives in the minds of sender and receiver alike.

The Two Core Principles

01 — Sumerian Token

Compact Mark + Shared Codebook

Transmission bytes carry only the variant information. Invariant meaning — field positions, role definitions, value scales — is encoded once in the specification and shared by all conforming implementations. The wire carries the difference, not the definition.

02 — Microservices

Invariant Core, Modular Extensions

System bytes (Meta 1, Meta 2, Layer 1) carry only logic that applies to every possible transmission. Everything else — value encoding, time fields, task blocks, note blocks — is a module activated by a presence flag. Absent modules cost zero bits.

03 — Dual Mode

Wave vs Record

Bit 1 of Meta Byte 1 selects the fundamental transmission mode. Wave mode (0) is optimised for real-time signals and status messages. Record mode (1) activates the extended component system for structured data transmission.

04 — Zero-Cost Absence

Present = Announced

Every optional component has a corresponding presence bit. If the bit is 0, the component is entirely absent from the byte stream. The receiver never allocates parsing state for absent components.

Infrastructure vs Modules

BitPads v2.0 separates its byte space into fixed core infrastructure and optional modules:

Core Infrastructure

Meta Byte 1 — Universal 8-bit header, always present
Meta Byte 2 — Extended record context (Record mode only)
Layer 1 — 64-bit session header with identity and CRC
Layer 2 — Batch header (protocol-specific, e.g. BitLedger)

Optional Modules

Signal Slot Presence Byte v2.0
System Context Extension
Setup Byte
Value Block
Time Field
Task Block
Note Block
Extension Bytes
C0 Enhancement Module

§ 02

Meta Byte 1 — The Universal Header

Meta Byte 1 is present in every BitPad transmission without exception. It is always the first byte received and must be decoded before any further parsing can occur.

Meta Byte 1 — 8 bits

Mode

ACK/SysCtx

Cont.

Treat.Sw.

Content

Mode / Control

Content Field (Role A / B / C)

Bit(s)	Field	Value 0	Value 1
`Bit 1` ▼	BitPad Mode	Wave	Record
Wave Mode (0) Optimised for real-time signals and status. Meta Byte 2 is absent. Layer 1 presence governed by Role B category code. Bits 2–8 carry Wave-specific role fields. Record Mode (1) Activates the full component system. Meta Byte 2 always follows Meta Byte 1. Layer 1 is always expected in Record mode. Bits 5–8 become Role C component expect flags. Decoder Action This is the first branch in the decoder tree. Read bit 1 before any other field. All subsequent field interpretations depend on this value.
`Bit 2` ▼	ACK Request / SysCtx	No ACK / No SysCtx	ACK Req. (Wave) / SysCtx follows L1 (Record)
Dual Role This bit has different meanings depending on Bit 1. This is the primary example of the context-sensitive field design in BitPads v2.0. Wave Mode When bit 1 = 0: setting bit 2 = 1 requests an acknowledgement from the receiver. The receiver should reply with an ACK wave using the sender's session identity. Record Mode When bit 1 = 1: setting bit 2 = 1 signals that a System Context Extension block immediately follows Layer 1. The extension provides additional system routing and version context.
`Bit 3` ▼	Continuation	Complete (final fragment)	Fragment — more follows
Fragmentation When a payload exceeds channel capacity, the sender splits it into fragments. Each fragment has its own Meta Byte 1 with bit 3 = 1, except the final fragment which uses bit 3 = 0. Receiver Behaviour The receiver accumulates all fragments in order. Reassembly begins only when a fragment arrives with bit 3 = 0. Fragment ordering relies on Layer 1 session context. Note Applies in both Wave and Record modes. A single-fragment transmission always has bit 3 = 0. The complete/fragment distinction does not affect component presence parsing.
`Bit 4` ▼	Treatment Switch	Basic Treatment (Role A)	Category Mode (Role B)
Wave Only Bit 4 is meaningful only in Wave mode (bit 1 = 0). In Record mode (bit 1 = 1), bit 4 is part of the Role C component flags and carries no treatment-switch meaning. Role A (0) Bits 5–8 are individually assigned flags: Priority, Cipher Active, Extended Flags, Profile Defined. Each bit is independent. Role B (1) Bits 5–8 form a 4-bit category code (0000–1111). The code selects one of 16 wave categories, each with its own Layer 1 requirement and content structure.
`Bits 5–8` ▼	Content Field	Role A flags / Role B category / Role C expect flags
Three Roles These four bits carry different structures depending on mode and treatment switch. The decoder must resolve bits 1 and 4 before interpreting bits 5–8. Role A (Wave Basic) Bit 5: Priority. Bit 6: Cipher Active (v2.0 corrected). Bit 7: Extended Flags. Bit 8: Profile Defined. Role B (Wave Category) 4-bit unsigned integer 0–15 selecting one of 16 transmission categories. See §4 for the complete table. Role C (Record) Bit 5: Value Present. Bit 6: Time Present. Bit 7: Task Present. Bit 8: Note Present. Each flag directly controls component parsing.

§ 03

Role A — Wave Basic Treatment

Active when bit 1 = 0 (Wave) and bit 4 = 0 (Basic). Bits 5–8 carry four independent boolean flags.

Meta Byte 1 — Role A Configuration (bit1=0, bit4=0)

Wave

ACK Req

Cont.

Basic

Priority

Cipher

Ext.Flags

Profile

Bit	Field	0 Meaning	1 Meaning	Notes
`5`	Priority	Normal priority	High priority — process before queued normals	Receiver scheduling hint
`6`	Cipher Active	Plaintext payload	Payload is encrypted per session cipher agreement	v2.0 Corrected from ACK in v1.x
`7`	Extended Flags	No extension byte	Additional flag byte follows after payload	Profile-specific flags overflow
`8`	Profile Defined	Standard wave	Profile-specific interpretation applies	Application layer controls meaning

v2.0 Correction: Bit 6 in Role A previously served as a second ACK-related field in some v1.x documentation. In v2.0 this is formally assigned as Cipher Active. Any implementation treating bit 6 as an ACK flag in Role A is non-conformant.

§ 04

Role B — Wave Categories

Active when bit 1 = 0 (Wave) and bit 4 = 1 (Category). Bits 5–8 form a 4-bit category code selecting one of 16 defined transmission categories.

Meta Byte 1 — Role B Configuration (bit1=0, bit4=1)

Wave

ACK Req

Cont.

Cat.Mode

5–8

CCCC

Category Code

Code	Category	L1 Required	Description
`0000` ▼	Pure Signal / Heartbeat	No	Minimal presence signal, keepalive, or null transmission
Bit Pattern 0000 Content Structure No payload required. Full byte: `0001 0000` (0x10) with bits 1–4 set for Wave/Category. The entire transmission may be a single byte. Use Cases Connection keepalive, session probe, acknowledgement-free presence check, channel quality test. Example ── PURE SIGNAL ────────── Byte 0x10 Bits 0001 0000 L1 absent
`0001` ▼	Status Report	Optional	Device or system status broadcast
Bit Pattern 0001 Content Status payload follows. Format is profile-defined. May include a value byte encoding a numeric status code. Use Cases Sensor reading, device health report, battery level, temperature broadcast, system state notification.
`0010` ▼	Command	Optional	Instruction directed at a receiver or device class
Bit Pattern 0010 Content Command byte follows. May include parameters in subsequent bytes. If Layer 1 is present, the command is directed at the specific sender ID. Use Cases Actuator control, configuration push, mode change request, remote procedure invocation.
`0011` ▼	Query / Request	Optional	Request for data or status from a receiver
Bit Pattern 0011 Content Query parameters follow. Typically paired with bit 2 = 1 (ACK Request) to receive the response. The response will be a Status Report or Record wave. Use Cases Sensor poll, configuration read, capability discovery, data pull request.
`0100` ▼	Alert / Alarm	Recommended	Time-sensitive alert requiring immediate attention
Bit Pattern 0100 Content Alert code byte. Severity encoded in high nibble, type in low nibble. Layer 1 recommended so the alert source is authenticated. Use Cases Threshold breach, fault condition, emergency stop, intrusion detection, power failure warning.
`0101` ▼	Acknowledgement	Optional	Positive confirmation of a prior transmission
Bit Pattern 0101 Content Echo of the session or sequence identifier from the original transmission. The receiver confirms receipt. May be combined with status data.
`0110` ▼	Negative Acknowledgement	Optional	Negative confirmation — reject, error, or retransmit request
Bit Pattern 0110 Content Error code byte. High nibble: error class. Low nibble: specific error. May request retransmission when combined with session sequence data.
`0111` ▼	Sync / Time Reference	Recommended	Clock synchronisation or time reference broadcast
Bit Pattern 0111 Content Time reference payload in Tier 1 or Tier 2 format (see §12). Used to synchronise distributed receivers to a common time base.
`1000` ▼	Discovery / Broadcast	No	Presence broadcast for network discovery
Bit Pattern 1000 Content Device capability byte. Bits indicate supported protocol features. No Layer 1 required for a broadcast discovery. Layer 1 presence allows directed discovery response.
`1001` ▼	Data Transfer	Required	Structured data payload requiring identity context
Bit Pattern 1001 Content Arbitrary data payload. Layer 1 is required to attribute the transfer. This is the primary category for application data exchange in Wave mode.
`1010` ▼	Configuration	Required	System or device configuration push
Bit Pattern 1010 Content Configuration key-value payload. Layer 1 required for authentication of configuration authority. Receivers should validate sender permissions before applying.
`1011` ▼	Diagnostic	Optional	Diagnostic payload for system analysis or debugging
Bit Pattern 1011 Content Diagnostic data in profile-defined format. May contain error logs, performance counters, or system state snapshots. Layer 1 optional but recommended for traceability.
`1100` ▼	Financial Signal v2.0	Required	Financial data wave — formerly Mission Specific A
Bit Pattern 1100 v2.0 Assignment Previously labelled "Mission Specific A" as a placeholder. v2.0 formally assigns this category to financial wave signals, complementing the BitLedger protocol for lightweight value indication. Content Financial signal payload. Layer 1 required for attribution. Value encoding follows the BitPads value tier system. For full financial transaction records, use Record mode with BitLedger.
`1101` ▼	Identity Signal v2.0	Required	Identity assertion or credential wave — formerly Mission Specific B
Bit Pattern 1101 v2.0 Assignment Formally assigned in v2.0. Used for identity assertion waves — presenting credentials, session tokens, or public identity markers without a full Record structure.
`1110` ▼	Control Signal v2.0	Optional	Protocol control and session management — formerly Mission Specific C
Bit Pattern 1110 v2.0 Assignment Formally assigned for protocol-level control signals: session initiation, teardown, band change, protocol version negotiation. Analogous to the BitLedger Control Record concept in Wave mode.
`1111` ▼	Extended Category	Required	8-bit extended category byte follows — 256 additional category codes
Bit Pattern 1111 Extension Mechanic When bits 5–8 are all 1, the next byte is an Extended Category Byte providing 256 additional category codes (0x00–0xFF). This allows future expansion without breaking the core 4-bit space. Decoder Action After reading bits 5–8 = 1111, read the next byte. That byte is the extended category code. Layer 1 must be present (always required for extended categories). Example ── EXTENDED CATEGORY ──── Byte 1 0x1F (meta, cat=1111) Byte 2 0x42 (ext category 66)

§ 05

Role C — Record Component Flags

Active when bit 1 = 1 (Record mode). Bits 5–8 become individual component expect flags. Each flag set to 1 tells the decoder that the corresponding component will be present in the byte stream.

Meta Byte 1 — Role C Configuration (bit1=1, Record mode)

Record

SysCtx

Cont.

(see note)

Val.Pres.

Time Pres.

Task Pres.

Note Pres.

Bit	Component	0	1	Position in Stream
`5`	Value Present	No value component	Value block follows (after Setup Byte if present)	Position 7 in component order
`6`	Time Present	No time component	Time field follows value block	Position 9 in component order
`7`	Task Present	No task component	Task block follows time field	Position 10 in component order
`8`	Note Present	No note component	Note block follows task block	Position 11 in component order

Bit 4 in Record Mode: When bit 1 = 1, bit 4 is part of the component flag group and does not carry the Treatment Switch meaning. In practice, bit 4 in Record mode is reserved (must be 0) pending v2.x extension assignment.

§ 06

The Pure Signal

A pure signal is a single-byte transmission — the theoretical minimum. It carries mode, category, and basic flags but no payload, no Layer 1, and no components. Two canonical examples:

0x40 — Broadcast Discovery

0x40 = 0100 0000

Wave

ACK Req

Complete

Basic

Normal

Plain

No Ext

Std

── 0x40 SIGNAL ──────────

Hex 0x40

Bits 0100 0000

Mode Wave / Role A / Basic

Bit 2 ACK requested

Size 1 byte

0x0F — Heartbeat

0x0F = 0000 1111

Wave

No ACK

Complete

Basic

High Pri

Cipher

Ext Flags

Profile

── 0x0F SIGNAL ──────────

Hex 0x0F

Bits 0000 1111

Mode Wave / Role A / Basic

Flags Priority+Cipher+ExtFlags+Profile

Size 1 byte (+ ext byte)

§ 07

Meta Byte 2 — Extended Record Context

Present only in Record mode (bit 1 of Meta Byte 1 = 1). Always immediately follows Meta Byte 1. Provides archetype classification, time reference selection, and module presence signals.

Meta Byte 2 — 8 bits (Record mode only)

1–4

AAAA

Archetype / Ext Flags

5–6

Time Ref Sel.

Setup Pres.

SigSlot Pres.

Archetype / Extended Flags

Time Reference Selector

Setup Byte Presence

Signal Slot Presence

Bits 1–4: Archetype / Extended Flags

These bits have a primary role and a secondary role depending on the wave category.

Primary Role (category 1001 — Data Transfer): The 4-bit value selects a record archetype — a named pattern of expected components that allows receivers to optimise their parsing path without reading every presence flag individually.

Secondary Role (all other categories): Acts as sub-type or extension flags for the category in use:

Category	Bits 1–4 Meaning
`0100` Basic Record	Sub-type selector. 0000 = generic, 0001 = ledger, 0010 = identity, 0011–1111 = profile-defined
`0101` Transaction + Message	High nibble: transaction sub-type. Low bit: message appended flag
`0110` Multi-record	Record count hint (0000 = unknown, 0001–1111 = up to 15 records in batch)
`0111` Session Record	Session event type (0000=open, 0001=close, 0010=suspend, 0011=resume)
`1000` Extended Archetype	When bits 1–4 = 1111 in primary role, a second archetype byte follows

Bits 5–6: Time Reference Selector

Code	Mode	Description
`00`	None	No time reference in this record. Time field absent regardless of Role C bit 6.
`01`	Tier 1 Session Offset	8-bit integer. Time expressed as offset from session-established epoch. Range 0–255 units.
`10`	Tier 1 External	8-bit integer. Time expressed as offset from externally synchronised reference (e.g. last Sync wave).
`11`	Tier 2 Time Block	Full Tier 2 Time Block follows. See §12 for Time Block Header structure.

Bit 7: Setup Byte Present

When set to 1, a Setup Byte follows Layer 1 (and System Context Extension if present). The Setup Byte controls value encoding parameters including tier, scaling factor, and decimal position.

Bit 8: Signal Slot Presence v2.0

When set to 1, a Signal Slot Presence Byte follows immediately after Meta Byte 2 and before Layer 1. This byte declares which of the five enhancement signal slots are active. In v1.x this bit was Reserved = 1.

§ 08

Signal Slot Presence Byte

Present only when Meta Byte 2, bit 8 = 1. Inserted into the byte stream immediately after Meta Byte 2, before Layer 1. Declares which enhancement signal slots carry active data.

v2.0 Addition: The Signal Slot Presence Byte is new in v2.0. It was made possible by repurposing the previously Reserved = 1 bit (Meta Byte 2, bit 8) which had no functional role in v1.x.

Signal Slot Presence Byte

P4 Active

P5 Active

P6 Active

P7 Active

P8 Active

Res.

Bit	Signal Slot	0 Meaning	1 Meaning
`1`	P4	Slot P4 inactive	P4 enhancement data present in stream
`2`	P5	Slot P5 inactive	P5 enhancement data present in stream
`3`	P6	Slot P6 inactive	P6 enhancement data present in stream
`4`	P7	Slot P7 inactive	P7 enhancement data present in stream
`5`	P8	Slot P8 inactive	P8 enhancement data present in stream
`6–8`	Reserved	Must be 111. A receiver detecting any other pattern should raise a protocol warning.

§ 09

Layer 1 — Session Header

The 64-bit (8-byte) session identity block. Carries protocol version, permissions, sender identity, sub-entity, and a CRC-15 integrity check.

Layer 1 — 64 bits total

SOH

WireVer

3–4

Domain

5–8

PPPP

Perms

SplitOrd

10–11

SenderSplit

SesEnh

13–44

SENDER ID

32-bit Sender Identity

45–49

SUBENT

Sub-Entity ID

50–64

CRC–15

Integrity Check

Mode/Control

Identity

Session Enhancement

CRC-15 Checksum

Bits	Field	Description
`1`	SOH	Start of Header. Always 1. A receiver detecting SOH=0 treats the frame as corrupt.
`2`	Wire Format Version	0 = v2.0 encoding. 1 = reserved for future wire format revision.
`3–4`	Domain	00 = General. 01 = Financial (BitLedger). 10 = Control. 11 = Extended (domain byte follows).
`5–8`	Core Permissions	Four permission flags: Write, Delegate, Compound, Administrative. Each independently grantable.
`9`	Split Order Default	0 = MSB first (big-endian split). 1 = LSB first. Applies to multi-byte value splits.
`10–11`	Sender ID Split Mode	Selects how the 32-bit Sender ID is logically partitioned. See §10.
`12`	Session Enhancement Flag	v2.0 When 1, a Session Configuration Extension Byte follows Layer 1 (displaced from earlier positions). Formerly Opposing Convention bit.
`13–44`	Sender ID	32-bit primary identity. Interpretation controlled by Split Mode (bits 10–11).
`45–49`	Sub-Entity ID	5-bit secondary identifier within the Sender ID space. 0 = no sub-entity. 1–31 = sub-entity index.
`50–64`	CRC-15	15-bit cyclic redundancy check over all preceding Layer 1 bits (1–49). Polynomial: x^15+x+1.

Session Configuration Extension Byte v2.0

Present when Layer 1 bit 12 = 1. Follows immediately after Layer 1 (or after System Context Extension if also present).

Bits	Field	Description
`1–2`	Nesting Level Code	00 = flat, 01 = level 1 nested, 10 = level 2 nested, 11 = level 3 nested
`3`	Opposing Convention	1 = opposing account convention active for this session (displaced from Layer 1 bit 12 in v1.x)
`4`	Compound Mode Active	1 = compound transaction mode enabled for this session
`5`	BL Block Optional	1 = BitLedger accounting block is optional (not required on every record)
`6–8`	Reserved	Must be 000

Layer 1 Requirement Matrix

Scenario	L1 Required?	Reason
Record mode (bit 1 = 1)	Always	Record components require identity attribution
Wave, category 1001 (Data Transfer)	Always	Data payload requires authenticated source
Wave, category 1010 (Configuration)	Always	Configuration requires authority verification
Wave, category 1100/1101/1110 (v2.0)	Always	Financial, Identity, Control signals require attribution
Wave, category 1111 (Extended)	Always	Extended categories require full identity context
Wave, category 0100 (Alert)	Recommended	Alert source should be verifiable; allowed absent in latency-critical deployments
Wave, category 0111 (Sync)	Recommended	Time reference authority should be identified
Wave, category 0001 (Status)	Optional	Broadcast status may be anonymous
Wave, category 0010 (Command)	Optional	Broadcast commands valid; directed commands need L1
Wave, category 0011 (Query)	Optional	Anonymous query permitted; response attribution via L1
Wave, category 1000 (Discovery)	Optional	Broadcast discovery by nature is unauthenticated
Wave, category 0000 (Pure Signal)	Never	Pure signals carry no semantic payload requiring attribution

§ 10

Identity System

BitPads v2.0 uses a three-level coordinate system for sender identification: the 32-bit Sender ID, the 5-bit Sub-Entity ID, and an optional System Context Extension for additional routing context.

Split Mode Table (Layer 1 bits 10–11)

Code	Mode	Bit Partition	Description
`00`	Flat 32-bit	32 undivided	Single monolithic ID. Suitable for small networks with a flat addressing scheme.
`01`	16 / 16	16 + 16	High 16 bits: network/group ID. Low 16 bits: device ID within group. 65,536 groups × 65,536 devices.
`10`	8 / 8 / 16	8 + 8 + 16	Region (8) + Zone (8) + Device (16). Hierarchical three-tier addressing.
`11`	Custom	Profile-defined	The active protocol profile defines the partition. The System Context Extension may carry the partition descriptor.

System Context Extension Block

Present when Meta Byte 1 bit 2 = 1 (Record mode). The extension always follows Layer 1. Its size depends on the context type declared in its first byte:

Case	Size	Contents
Type 00 — Routing	2 bytes	Byte 1: type + flags. Byte 2: routing context code. Used to add network-layer routing context to a session.
Type 01 — Extended Identity	5 bytes	Byte 1: type + flags. Bytes 2–5: 32-bit extended identity or cross-system reference. Used when a 32-bit Sender ID is insufficient for cross-domain addressing.
Type 10 — Version Context	4 bytes	Byte 1: type + flags. Bytes 2–4: protocol profile version triplet (major, minor, patch). Allows version negotiation within a session.

§ 11

Value Block & Setup Byte

The Value Block encodes a non-negative integer using the BitPads split formula. The Setup Byte (optional, announced by Meta Byte 2 bit 7) specifies encoding parameters.

Value Tiers

Tier	Width	Max N	Description
Tier 1	8 bits	255	Micro values — status codes, small counts, short time offsets
Tier 2	16 bits	65,535	Small values — quantities, low-range financial, short identifiers
Tier 3 (DEFAULT)	24 bits	16,777,215	Standard values — the default for all general-purpose records
Tier 4	32 bits	4,294,967,295	Large values — high-range financial, large quantities, timestamps

Setup Byte Fields

Bits	Field	Values
`1–2`	Value Tier	00 = Tier 1, 01 = Tier 2, 10 = Tier 3 (default), 11 = Tier 4
`3–4`	Scaling Factor	00 = ×1, 01 = ×10, 10 = ×100, 11 = ×1000 (further scales via extended Setup)
`5–6`	Decimal Position	00 = integer, 01 = 1 dp, 10 = 2 dp, 11 = 3 dp
`7`	Context Source	0 = inline (this Setup Byte), 1 = inherit from session-level Setup
`8`	Rounding Convention	0 = round half up, 1 = round half to even (banker's rounding)

Value Encoding Formula

N = A × 2^S + r

N = stored integer | A = multiplicand | S = split (default 8) | r = remainder (0 ≤ r < 2^S)

Decoded: V_raw = N / (SF × 10^D) | SF = scaling factor | D = decimal position

Value Encoding Calculator

Real Value

Scaling Factor (SF)

Decimal Position (D)

Split S (default 8)

N (stored integer)—

A (multiplicand)—

r (remainder)—

Value Tier—

Hex Bytes—

Binary—

Decoded Verify—

§ 12

Time System

Time encoding tier is selected by bits 5–6 of Meta Byte 2. A time field is only present in the byte stream when Role C bit 6 = 1 AND Meta Byte 2 bits 5–6 ≠ 00.

Tier 1 — 8-bit Session Offset

A single byte (0–255) expressing time as an unsigned integer offset from the session epoch. The unit is profile-defined (commonly: seconds, minutes, or 100ms ticks). Maximum range at 1-second resolution: 4 minutes 15 seconds. At 1-minute resolution: 4 hours 15 minutes.

Tier 1 Time Field — 8 bits

1–8

TTTTTTTT

Unsigned Offset (0–255)

Tier 2 — Time Block

A full structured time block for when Tier 1 range is insufficient. The Time Block Header byte controls the size and format of the timestamp that follows.

Bits	Field	Values
`1–2`	Timestamp Format	00 = 16-bit offset, 01 = 32-bit Unix epoch, 10 = 48-bit extended, 11 = profile-defined
`3–4`	Resolution	00 = seconds, 01 = milliseconds, 10 = microseconds, 11 = nanoseconds
`5`	Timezone Present	1 = a timezone offset byte follows the timestamp
`6`	Duration Present	1 = a duration field of the same format and resolution follows
`7–8`	Reserved	00

§ 13

Task & Note Components

Task Short Form (8 bits)

A single byte encoding a task instruction. Present when Role C bit 7 = 1.

Task Byte — 8 bits

1–4

CCCC

Category (16 values)

5–6

Priority

Target Spec.

Timing Spec.

Code	Task Category	Code	Task Category
`0000`	Execute	`1000`	Approve
`0001`	Acknowledge	`1001`	Reject
`0010`	Request	`1010`	Transfer
`0011`	Cancel / Abort	`1011`	Hold
`0100`	Schedule	`1100`	Resume
`0101`	Delegate	`1101`	Close
`0110`	Monitor	`1110`	Correction
`0111`	Alert	`1111`	Extended (next byte)

Priority (bits 5–6): 00 = Normal, 01 = Elevated, 10 = High, 11 = Critical.

Target Specified (bit 7): When 1, a target identity byte or bytes follow the task byte, specifying which sub-entity the task is directed at.

Timing Specified (bit 8): When 1, a Tier 1 time byte follows (after target if present) specifying when the task should execute.

Note Component

A variable-length text or binary note. Present when Role C bit 8 = 1. Always begins with a Note Header byte.

Bits	Field	Values
`1–2`	Encoding Type	00 = ASCII/UTF-8 text, 01 = Binary Pictography (nibble stream), 10 = Binary blob, 11 = Profile-defined
`3–4`	Language / Codebook	00 = default/neutral, 01 = codebook A, 10 = codebook B, 11 = extended (codebook byte follows)
`5–8`	Length Field	0000 = next byte is length, 0001–1110 = length in bytes (1–14), 1111 = extended length (2 bytes follow)

Binary Pictography

A compact symbol encoding scheme using a 4-bit nibble per symbol. A codebook maps each 4-bit code (0000–1111) to a domain-specific glyph or status icon. Four symbols fit in 2 bytes.

── BINARY PICTOGRAPHY EXAMPLE ──

Nibble 0001 → Status: OK

Nibble 0010 → Status: Warning

Nibble 0011 → Status: Error

Nibble 0100 → Status: Offline

Stream 0001 0010 | 0011 0100

Bytes 0x12 0x34 (4 status reports in 2 bytes)

§ 14

Component Order & Decoder Tree

All BitPads v2.0 Record mode transmissions follow a strict component sequence. Decoders must parse in this order.

Position	Component	Condition	Size
1	Meta Byte 1	Always	1 byte
2	Meta Byte 2	Record mode (M1 bit 1 = 1)	1 byte
3 v2.0	Signal Slot Presence Byte	M2 bit 8 = 1	1 byte
4	Layer 1	Required per matrix (§9)	8 bytes
5 v2.0	Session Config Extension	L1 bit 12 = 1	1 byte
6	System Context Extension	M1 bit 2 = 1 (Record)	2, 4, or 5 bytes
7	Setup Byte	M2 bit 7 = 1	1 byte
8	Value Block	M1 bit 5 = 1 (Role C)	1–4 bytes (tier)
9	Time Field	M1 bit 6 = 1 AND M2 bits 5–6 ≠ 00	1 byte (T1) or variable (T2)
10	Task Block	M1 bit 7 = 1 (Role C)	1–3 bytes
11	Note Block	M1 bit 8 = 1 (Role C)	1 + N bytes
12	Enhancement Module	Active signal slots per SSPB	Variable per slot
13	Extension Bytes	Profile-defined chain	Variable

Decoder Decision Tree

// BitPads v2.0 Decoder Decision Tree // Read Meta Byte 1 first — it controls all subsequent parsing READ meta1 IF meta1.bit1 == 0: // WAVE MODE IF meta1.bit4 == 0: // Role A — Basic Treatment priority = meta1.bit5 cipher = meta1.bit6 // v2.0: cipher, not ACK ext_flags = meta1.bit7 profile = meta1.bit8 IF meta1.bit2 == 1: EXPECT_ACK_RESPONSE ELSE: // Role B — Category Mode category = meta1.bits[5..8] IF category == 1111: READ ext_category_byte IF layer1_required(category): READ layer1[64 bits], VERIFY crc15 DONE — wave parsed IF meta1.bit1 == 1: // RECORD MODE READ meta2 IF meta2.bit8 == 1: // v2.0 Signal Slot Presence READ signal_slot_presence_byte active_slots = sspb.bits[1..5] READ layer1[64 bits] VERIFY layer1.crc15 IF layer1.bit12 == 1: // v2.0 Session Config Extension READ session_config_extension_byte IF meta1.bit2 == 1: // System Context Extension READ sysctx_type_byte READ sysctx_body[size(type)] IF meta2.bit7 == 1: // Setup Byte READ setup_byte tier = setup.bits[1..2] sf = setup.bits[3..4] dp = setup.bits[5..6] IF meta1.bit5 == 1: // Value Block (Role C) READ value_block[tier_bytes(tier)] N = decode_value(value_block) V = N / (sf * 10^dp) IF meta1.bit6 == 1 AND meta2.bits[5..6] != 00: // Time IF meta2.bits[5..6] == 01 OR 10: READ tier1_time[8 bits] IF meta2.bits[5..6] == 11: READ tier2_time_block[variable] IF meta1.bit7 == 1: // Task Block (Role C) READ task_byte IF task_byte.bit7 == 1: READ target_id IF task_byte.bit8 == 1: READ task_time[8 bits] IF meta1.bit8 == 1: // Note Block (Role C) READ note_header_byte READ note_body[note_header.length] FOR each active_slot in active_slots: // Enhancement Modules READ slot_data[slot.size] DONE — record parsed

§ 15

Transmission Footprints

Baseline Footprints

Pure Signal

byte

Single Meta Byte 1, no Layer 1, no payload

Wave + Layer 1

bytes

Meta Byte 1 (1) + Layer 1 (8)

Minimal Record

bytes

M1 (1) + M2 (1) + L1 (8)

Record + Value

bytes

M1+M2+L1 (10) + Setup (1) + Tier 3 Value (3) — default

Record + Value + Time

bytes

13 bytes + Tier 1 Time (1)

Full Record

bytes

M1+M2+L1 + Setup + Value + Time + Task + Note header

Enhancement Overhead

Addition	Overhead	Condition
Signal Slot Presence Byte	+1 byte	M2 bit 8 = 1
Session Config Extension	+1 byte	L1 bit 12 = 1
System Context Extension (Routing)	+2 bytes	M1 bit 2 = 1, type 00
System Context Extension (Extended ID)	+5 bytes	M1 bit 2 = 1, type 01
Tier 2 Time Block (32-bit Unix)	+5 bytes	M2 bits 5–6 = 11, format 01
Task with Target + Timing	+3 bytes	Task byte, target byte, time byte
Note (short, 8 chars UTF-8)	+10 bytes	Note header + 8 content bytes + null

§ 16

v2.0 Change Summary

All changes from v1.x to v2.0. Breaking changes are marked. Additive changes are backward-compatible when the new bits were previously Reserved = 0.

Change	Location	Type	Detail
Signal Slot Presence Byte added	Meta Byte 2 bit 8	Additive	Previously Reserved=1. Now activates Signal Slot Presence Byte when set. Old receivers ignoring this bit are unaffected if they also ignore the new byte.
Session Config Extension added	Layer 1 bit 12	Breaking (partial)	Bit 12 was Opposing Convention flag. Now triggers Session Config Extension Byte. Opposing Convention moved inside the extension byte (bit 3).
Opposing Convention displaced	L1 bit 12 → SCE bit 3	Breaking	Implementations using L1 bit 12 directly as Opposing Convention must update to read SCE bit 3.
Compound Mode displaced	Various → SCE bit 4	Breaking	Compound Mode Active now resides in Session Config Extension bit 4.
BL Block Optional displaced	Various → SCE bit 5	Breaking	BitLedger Block Optional now resides in Session Config Extension bit 5.
BitLedger Context Ctrl removed	Formerly separate byte	Breaking	Replaced by Session Config Extension Byte. All three flags now share one byte.
Role A bit 6 corrected	Meta Byte 1 bit 6 (Role A)	Clarification	Formally assigned as Cipher Active. Previously documented as ACK in some v1.x references. No wire change — a correction to the specification text.
Categories 1100/1101/1110 assigned	Meta Byte 1 bits 5–8 (Role B)	Additive	Formerly "Mission Specific A/B/C" placeholders. Now formally: Financial Signal, Identity Signal, Control Signal.
Component ordering updated	Positions 3 and 5	Additive	SSPB inserted at position 3. Session Config Extension inserted at position 5. All prior positions shifted accordingly.
Decoder tree updated	§14	Additive	Two new branches: SSPB read on M2.bit8=1, SCE read on L1.bit12=1.
Footprints updated	§15	Informational	New minimum footprints documented for all new optional bytes.

Meta Bytes,Wave &Record Modes

Philosophy & First Principles

The Two Core Principles

Infrastructure vs Modules

Core Infrastructure

Optional Modules

Meta Byte 1 — The Universal Header

Wave Mode (0)

Record Mode (1)

Decoder Action

Dual Role

Wave Mode

Record Mode

Fragmentation

Receiver Behaviour

Note

Wave Only

Role A (0)

Role B (1)

Three Roles

Role A (Wave Basic)

Role B (Wave Category)

Role C (Record)

Role A — Wave Basic Treatment

Role B — Wave Categories

Bit Pattern

Content Structure

Use Cases

Example

Bit Pattern

Content

Use Cases

Bit Pattern

Content

Use Cases

Bit Pattern

Content

Use Cases

Bit Pattern

Content

Use Cases

Bit Pattern

Content

Bit Pattern

Content

Bit Pattern

Content

Bit Pattern

Content

Bit Pattern

Content

Bit Pattern

Content

Bit Pattern

Content

Bit Pattern

v2.0 Assignment

Content

Bit Pattern

v2.0 Assignment

Bit Pattern

v2.0 Assignment

Bit Pattern

Extension Mechanic

Decoder Action

Example

Role C — Record Component Flags

The Pure Signal

0x40 — Broadcast Discovery

0x0F — Heartbeat

Meta Byte 2 — Extended Record Context

Bits 1–4: Archetype / Extended Flags

Bits 5–6: Time Reference Selector

Bit 7: Setup Byte Present

Bit 8: Signal Slot Presence v2.0

Signal Slot Presence Byte

Layer 1 — Session Header

Session Configuration Extension Byte v2.0

Layer 1 Requirement Matrix

Identity System

Meta Bytes,
Wave &
Record Modes