_VOCAB.md — RelayCTX Canonical Vocabulary#

Session 0 complete — June 3, 2026 Governs UI labels, MCP tool descriptions, marketing copy, email, and agent-facing text. Updated after each V&V session. This file is the source of truth. 2026-07-10: legal entity → Relay Context Inc.; wordmark treatment updated (Outfit 600); Pulse → Stream (feature noun).

Product Name & Verb#

RelayCTX#

What it is: The product name and brand. Usage: Use in brandmarks, formal references, domain (relayctx.com), and when the full product name is needed. Wordmark: RelayCTX in Outfit 600, letter-spacing -0.02em — one treatment everywhere (Syne retired v3.4; see brand/relay-brand-guide.html). In prose: "RelayCTX is a context layer for AI." Not "The RelayCTX." Don't say: RelayContext · Relay Context · relay-ctx

relay (verb)#

What it is: The core action — to move context from one party to another. Usage: Lowercase always when used as a verb. "relay a Code" · "relay context to your team" · "relay it forward." Also: The informal noun people use for the object. "send a relay" is natural and fine in user-facing copy. Formal: "a transfer." Don't say: handoff · pass · send (when relay is more precise)

Core Object Nouns#

a relay / a transfer#

What it is: The object created when context is packaged and sent. Two forms — use by context:

• a relay — user-facing, marketing, conversational copy. "Send a relay." · "Create a relay."
• a transfer — API, technical docs, agent-facing, MCP tool names. relay_transfer_create

Don't say: a handoff · a package · a message · a note

Code#

What it is: The seal on a package, not the package. A Code makes packaged context transportable — it is how a thing crosses a gap intact. Uppercase alphanumeric. The platform does not depend on it: context is stored, referenced and retrieved without one. Usage: Always capitalised. "Share your Code." · "Enter the Code." In UI: JetBrains Mono 600, teal, 0.15em tracking. Pairs with the verb: "relay a Code" — product verb + identifier, no redundancy. Don't say: PIN · relay ID · relay key · Relay Code (retired — redundant with the verb) Lifecycle: a Code is minted when someone hands context over, never on everything by default. "Every relay has a Code" is wrong — say "a Code means someone shared it." Absence of a Code is a real, normal state and must never be written as missing, pending, or an error. Never imply a Code confers value. All packaged context is valuable; a Code only means it has been wrapped for transport. Avoid "important enough to share", "elevated", "promoted", or any copy that reads as coded = real and uncoded = draft. The wrapper is not the gift. Never state a length in copy. Not "your 6-digit Code" — Codes vary in length, the server owns the number, and interfaces accept a wide range. Write "your Code".

Actions#

relay (verb — also covers forwarding)#

Covers both: creating a new relay AND passing an existing one on. "relay it to someone" works in both cases. Don't say: forward · pass · re-send

receive#

What it is: The action on the other end — getting a relay and opening it. Usage: "Receive a relay." · "You've received a relay from Erik." Don't say: claim · accept · open (for the receiving action)

Product Concepts#

context layer#

What it is: The canonical description of what RelayCTX is. Usage: "RelayCTX is a context layer for AI." Add qualifier when needed: "context layer for AI" with audience context. Don't say: context platform · context vault · memory store · AI tool · assistant

Context (the thing being moved)#

Definition: The substance of work — decisions, state, and intent — that needs to travel between sessions, tools, agents, or people. Usage: "Context gets to who needs it, when they need it." Not just data, files, or logs — the substance of the work itself. Don't say: memory · data · information (when "context" is more precise)

Stream#

What it is: A persistent, subscribable focus area. A live feed of items for a topic or workstream. Replaces "Pulse" as the product noun. (Note: the wire/DB layer still says pulse — pulse_id, the /api/user/v1/pulses alias — until the endgame migration; see relay-platform docs/DESIGN-NOTE.pulse-to-stream.md.) Usage: "Add it to a Stream." · "Check the Stream." Capitalised as a product noun. Distinct from the pulse motion system: the Stream feature is not the brand's pulse motion family (--rly-pulse #00D9C8, motion-only — briefs/SPEC.pulse-motion.md). "Stream" = the feature; "pulse" = the motion. Don't say: Pulse (retired feature name) · thread · channel (for this specific object) · board

Item#

What it is: A single piece of content added to a Stream. Usage: "Add an item to your Stream." · "9 items." Don't say: contribution · entry · note · post

Series#

What it is: A linked set of relays (transfers). Can be short-lived or ongoing. Usage: "Create a Series." Agents use Series to orientate via MCP. Not the same as a recurring channel. Don't say: recurring relay · relay chain · relay thread

Channel#

What it is: A subscribable feed of updates — relays, Streams, or a mix — that someone can follow. Usage: "Subscribe to a Channel." Broader than a Stream (which is one focus area).

Space#

What it is: A persistent container for relay objects. Org-scoped shared context. Usage: "Add to a Space." · "Shared in the team Space." Distinct from: Workspace (org structure), Stream (focus area feed), Org (trust boundary)

Workspace#

What it is: A structural layer in the org hierarchy: org → workspace → team. May not be named or user-visible. Usage: Internal/structural references. Not a synonym for Space. Don't say: workspace when you mean Space

Agent#

What it is: Any AI participant that can send, receive, or relay context. MCP is the current mechanism, not the definition. Usage: "An agent that relays context." Not tied to a specific protocol.

App UI Change Set — Session 1 (relay-app #145)#

Retired Terms#

Copy Rules#

Capitalisation:

• RelayCTX — always as written
• Stream, Space, Channel, Series, Code, Item — capitalised as product nouns
• relay — lowercase when used as verb or informal noun
• context, transfer, workspace — lowercase

The verb in CTAs:

• "relay it →" · "create a relay →" · "get access →" · "Relay It" (button)
• Never: "Click here" · "Learn more" · "Find out more"

Audience language:

• Say: orgs, teams, operators
• Don't say: enterprises, companies, clients

Memory framing:

• "RelayCTX stores context so it can move — intentionally, on demand."
• Never: "memory store" · "remembers your context" · "context vault"

Session Log#

Stream: pc_97fd97b78f99 — Relay — Voice & Vocabulary