Status: pre-launch. This page describes target design; this document does not establish a deployed service.

Six Layers of Organismic Identity

Current reading — 2026-09-27

The six-layer/key scheme below is a comparative architecture proposal, not a universal enrollment requirement. Identity, disclosure, key provenance and authority are separate. Network-derived reputation requires adversarial evaluation; it is not inherently unforgeable identity. [I]

This reader boundary does not migrate interfaces, choose unresolved terms or prove deployment. See current status.

Historical six-layer/key proposal — not current enrollment instructions

Every entity in the Skyzai ecosystem — every human, every agent, every DAV — has six layers of identity. Each layer carries different information, changes at a different rate, and is held under a different Nostr key. Together they define a complete organismic identity.

The Six Layers

Layer	Name	What It Is	Rate of Change	Nostr Key
1	Genotype	Constitutional identity. The Canon sections this entity is bound by. Axioms accepted. K-invariants enforced.	Decades (amendment only)	Root key (cold storage)
2	Epigenotype	Active configuration. Which genotype sections are expressed. Which organs are connected. Which feeds are subscribed.	Years (strategic review)	Configuration key
3	Phenotype	Current state. Portfolio. Health metrics. Active positions. Running FLOW streams. What the entity looks like RIGHT NOW.	Continuous	State key
4	Extended Phenotype	pure protocol coordination (non-custodial). Relationships. Partnerships. Reputation scores. The entity's footprint in the world beyond its own boundary.	Monthly	External key
5	Memotype	Communication. What the entity says about itself. Published KPIs. Market predictions. RELAY broadcasts.	Per-event	Communication key
6	Egregorotype	Collective identity. The emergent reputation that counterparties attribute to this entity. Not self-authored. Computed by the network.	Emergent	Network-computed (no private key)

Why Six Keys

Each layer requires its own Nostr key because each layer has different security requirements:

• Genotype key (Layer 1): Cold storage. Used once at genesis (when the entity accepts the Canon) and only again for constitutional amendments. If compromised, the entity's identity is compromised at the deepest level.
• Configuration key (Layer 2): Warm storage. Used for strategic changes (connecting to a new organ, changing membrane settings). Compromise allows reconfiguration but not identity theft.
• State key (Layer 3): Hot storage. Used continuously for portfolio management, health updates, position management. Compromise allows financial loss but not identity or configuration change.
• External key (Layer 4): Warm storage. Used for relationship management, partnership signatures, reputation assertions. Compromise allows relationship manipulation.
• Communication key (Layer 5): Hot storage. Used for every published message, every KPI report, every market prediction. Compromise allows impersonation in communication but not financial or identity actions.
• Egregorotype (Layer 6): No private key. This layer is computed by the network (EigenTrust, market behavior, counterparty assessments). The entity cannot forge its own egregorotype. It is earned, not authored.

The DNA Analogy (Not an Analogy)

The mapping to molecular biology is structural, not metaphorical:

Genotype = DNA. Fixed instructions. Does not change within a constitutional epoch. Determines what the entity CAN be.

Epigenotype = Gene expression. Same DNA, different activation. Two DAVs with identical genotypes (same Canon) can have radically different epigenotypes (one activates trading sections, the other activates health sections). Methylation in biology; configuration in Skyzai.

Phenotype = The body. What the entity actually IS right now. Shaped by genotype, epigenotype, AND environment. Two identically configured DAVs in different market conditions will have different phenotypes (different portfolio states, different health metrics).

Extended phenotype = Environmental footprint. Dawkins: the beaver's dam is part of the beaver's phenotype. A DAV's pure protocol coordination (non-custodial), its partnerships, its reputation — these are its extended phenotype. They exist outside the entity but are caused by the entity.

Memotype = Communication. Genes for building a peacock's tail are genotype. The tail itself is phenotype. The mating display is memotype — the signal sent to others. KPIs, market predictions, and RELAY broadcasts are the entity's mating display.

Egregorotype = Species reputation. Not controlled by any individual. Computed by the collective. A species' reputation in an ecosystem (predator? symbiont? parasite?) is the egregorotype. In Skyzai, this is the EigenTrust score, the market track record, the aggregate counterparty assessment.

Practical Application

When you create a Skyzai identity:

1. You generate six Nostr keypairs (Layers 1-5 + one spare)
2. Your Layer 1 key signs acceptance of the Canon
3. Your Layer 2 key configures which organs you connect to
4. Your Layer 3 key manages your portfolio and health data
5. Your Layer 4 key manages your external relationships
6. Your Layer 5 key publishes your communications
7. Layer 6 computes itself from your behavior over time

Key rotation: Layers 3-5 can be rotated without changing identity (Layers 1-2). This is like changing your phone number without changing your DNA.

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Six layers. Six keys. Six rates of change. One identity. The egregorotype is earned, not authored.

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Layer Data Governance Contract

The six-layer model must map to explicit data handling policy.

For each layer, define

1. Data classes (what is stored)
2. Trust level (self-asserted vs attested)
3. Access policy (who can request, under what scope)
4. Retention & deletion (time bounds and user controls)
5. Proof mechanism (how claims are validated)

Rule

Do not merge layers in implementation because it is “easier.” Layer collapse causes policy ambiguity and escalates breach impact.

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