Field Guides / Technician's Guide
Technician's Guide
V2.0 · April 2026 · Atlas Heritage Systems
Read this before the run, not during one.
This guide tells you exactly what to do, in what order, every time. No context required beyond this document. For instrument-specific steps, consult the protocol for the instrument you are running.
The Pipeline
Every session in the Atlas research program runs through the same tool sequence, regardless of instrument.
Do not skip steps. Do not reorder. A session that skips the Session Logger close does not pass Tier A.
Session Checklist
Confirm the stimulus
Open the FVE-1 Stimulus Registry. Confirm the stimulus you are running is registered with a version identifier. If it is not registered, add it before proceeding.
Unversioned stimuli produce untraceable results. A stimulus used without a registry entry cannot be replicated.
Open the Session Logger
Open the FVE-1 Session Logger. Create or open your session-log.json. Fill all fields before touching the model: Operator ID, Instrument, Model ID and full name, Platform and interface, Stimulus ID, Baseline code (null if no SOUP baseline), inv_prompt_texture (classify before the session opens — Tier A requires pre-session classification), Time start. Copy the generated session ID.
Open the Tech Read Formatter and write Read #0
Open the FVE-1 Tech Read Formatter. Paste in the session ID. Write Read #0 before touching the model: what do you expect? What resolution code do you predict? What would surprise you? Keep the formatter open for the entire session — it is the parallel narrative channel.
Read #0 must be written before you open the model session. Not after. Not during.
Open a fresh model session
New incognito window for web-based models. New chat — no prior Atlas context loaded. If using API: new session object.
Context from prior runs contaminates the seed. This is what makes it Tier A.
Run the session
Follow the Layer 2 steps in the instrument protocol exactly. Capture each move before delivering the next probe. Do not batch-capture. Do not reconstruct from memory. The instrument tool handles metric computation automatically. You are responsible for coded fields: obs_quad, obs_res, obs_reg, pred_quad, pred_res, pred_reg, correction_outcome, fidelity_tier, obs_comment, investigator_state.
Write Read #1 and close the Tech Read Formatter
Write Read #1: what actually happened vs. what you predicted? Which codes surprised you and why? Investigator state during the run. Any probe texture deviations. Complete the schema perception log and assumption arc entries. Download {SESSION_ID}-READ.md.
Do not use a model to write any part of Read #1. This is your read.
Close the Session Logger
Return to the FVE-1 Session Logger. Close the session. Confirm the session appears as closed in session-log.json before moving on.
A session that is not closed does not pass Tier A.
Export from the instrument tool
CSV (machine record) — confirm batch_id and model are populated. Confirm inv_prompt_texture column is present. Confirm provenance validation warning is absent. MD (human record). CSV and MD are not interchangeable — coded fields belong in CSV, narrative belongs in MD and the Tech Read.
Bundle the reproducibility package
Create a folder: reproducibility/[INSTRUMENT]-[SESSION_ID]-[Date]/. Include: {SESSION_ID}-READ.md, raw model output (one verbatim transcript file per frame, unedited), CSV export from instrument tool, signed parameter JSON (copy — do not modify).
Anyone with this folder can reconstruct your run. If they can't, the bundle is incomplete.
Tier A Checklist
Before marking any run as Tier A, confirm all of these.
All boxes checked → Tier A. Any box unchecked → Tier B or C. Log honestly. When in doubt, go lower.
Common Mistakes
Lab Tools
Open and close sessions, generate session ID
Format and download Read #0 and Read #1 — stays open for session duration
Confirm and register stimulus versions
SOUP session capture and export
FLIGHT session capture, single-batch and full-flight export
DRILL session capture and export
Derive baseline code from SOUP CSV
Sign and lock parameter JSON
Confirm active variable code and lineage
The Technician is the sole author of all interpretation. Scripts are instruments. You are the scientist. Layer 3 is not optional. It is where the science lives.