How sure we are

Every person and organization gets one of three levels: verified, confident or unsure. The sure ones go into your records on their own; the unsure ones wait for you to look.

The people below are made up to show the shape. Each level carries its reasons, one line each, saying where the evidence was found. You, the owner, get no level.

The picture

The evidence On an email thread with you From, To or Cc Named on a page you made with a role A full name and either The stores that hold them agree A way to reach them Anything less: one word for a name, stores that disagree with nothing to settle it, or one store and no way to reach them. verified or you settled it confident set for you unsure never filed records/ goes in without asking You keep it dashboard to look at, with its reason A record already in records/ is never overwritten. Move anyone up or down and say so: the level and its reason go on their record.

Levels, as a table

One row is one record. The reasons are written by the rules, in these words.

idnamelevelbecause
per_kai-tranKai TranverifiedOn 3 email threads with you, latest 2026-09-30
per_jordan-ruizJordan RuizverifiedCo-host, in workshop-run-of-show.md
per_sam-leeSam LeeconfidentIn contact-book, murmurations-output, and they agree
A way to reach them on file
per_robin-parkRobin ParkconfidentNamed on 1 email thread, not a participant
per_anaAnaunsureOne word for a name: "Ana" could be more than one person
per_priya-shahPriya ShahunsureMerged from contact-book and murmurations-output by name, and they disagree on organization
org_eastside-tool-libraryEastside Tool LibraryunsureOnly in contact-book, with no way to reach them
Unsure: left out of records/ and shown on the dashboard to look at.An organization is not held to the full-name rule.

What each field holds

confidence
On a person or organization file. How sure you can be that this record is one real person or organization with these details.
level
One of three: verified, confident, unsure.
because
The evidence for the level, one line each, naming where it was found.
set_at
When the level was set.
set_by
What set it: you, or a routine.

Levels are set by the step that seeds your folder from the stores you already keep, and by intake for anyone new through the inbox. Through the inbox, the rules are shorter.

verified
An exchange with you in the same file. Filed.
confident
A full name, or any name for an organization, and a way to reach them. Filed.
unsure
Anything less. Not filed. Held in inbox/_unsure/<id>.json with the reason, and shown on the dashboard to look at.

A note may set the level itself, with its own reasons. That is kept.

What the file looks like inside

JSON, a plain text format. This is Sam's file, records/per_sam-lee/person.json, filed because it is confident.

{
  "id": "per_sam-lee",
  "linked_schemas": ["people_schema-v0.1.0", "contacts_person_addon-v0.2.0"],
  "name": "Sam Lee",
  "email": ["sam@example.org"],
  "tags": ["builder", "houston"],
  "elsewhere": [
    { "system": "store", "ref": "contact-book" },
    { "system": "store", "ref": "murmurations-output" }
  ],
  "visibility": ["local"],
  "filed_at": "2026-10-09T09:12:00-05:00",
  "filed_by": "experiment-01:contact-book",
  "confidence": {
    "level": "confident",
    "because": [
      "In contact-book, murmurations-output, and they agree",
      "A way to reach them on file"
    ],
    "set_at": "2026-10-09",
    "set_by": "experiment-01:levels"
  }
}

How it connects

your storeswhat the seed read confidencelevel and because person or organizationverified, confident: filed dashboardunsure: to look at
What a contact is →
How someone likes to be reached →
Getting started →
What the manifest is →