Schema · Inference
Schema is not storage. Schema changes inference.
CKF sections are not just containers. They are inference affordances. A PDF gives an LLM prose. A CKF package gives an agent typed knowledge that it can actually reason over — rules, exceptions, procedures, decisions, claims, limits and source traceability.
Why this matters
Each CKF section enables a specific kind of inference the model otherwise has to guess at:
concepts— define what something meansprinciples— state what should generally holddecision_rules— guide choices under tradeoffsprocedures— tell the agent what to do, step by stepexceptions— prevent overgeneralizationanti_patterns— prevent harmful simplificationsknowledge_limits + claims— scope confidence and evidencesource_traceability— keep the answer grounded and auditable
Why structure beats prose: Lost in the Middle
Four worked examples
Rule with exception
Teachers should apply the 15-minute routine daily. The routine must be adapted to each school's reality. It should not become a rigid obligation. On high-demand days, the teacher may do only the breathing block.
If I am short on time, do I still need to do the full 15 minutes?
Yes. The recommendation is to do the 15-minute routine daily, since it was designed to reduce stress and increase the sense of control.
Cognitive failure
Plausible but cognitively poor — it captured the general rule and ignored the contextual exception.
Not necessarily. The general rule is to use the 15-minute routine daily, but the document itself bounds that application: the routine must be adapted to each school's reality and must not become a rigid obligation. On a high-demand day, the minimum recommended action is to do only the breathing block, instead of abandoning the practice or trying to complete the full 15 minutes.
{
"principles": [
{ "statement": "Daily micro-routines help reduce teacher stress." }
],
"procedures": [
{
"name": "15-minute routine",
"steps": ["Breathing", "Stretching", "Micro-organization"]
}
],
"exceptions": [
{
"condition": "high-demand day or little time available",
"exception": "do only the breathing block"
}
],
"anti_patterns": [
{ "name": "Turning self-care into a rigid obligation" }
]
}Delivers the rule as text.
Delivers rule + procedure + exception + anti-pattern. That is the point.
Decision under tradeoff
Should I spend more time preparing slides or planning a reading sequence?
Both can be important. Slides help organize the lesson; reading sequences support learning. The ideal is to balance the two.
Cognitive failure
Generic, safe and unhelpful — it does not apply the document's own logic.
According to the task audit in the document, you should prioritize planning the reading sequence. In the 5th-grade example, preparing elaborate slides consumed 4 hours and had low perceived impact. Planning a didactic reading sequence took 2 hours and had high impact, with more engaged students and clear progress. The decision rule is: prioritize tasks with high pedagogical impact and simplify low-impact tasks that consume energy.
{
"decision_rules": [
{
"if": "a task consumes a lot of time and has low pedagogical impact",
"then": "simplify, standardize or reduce that task"
},
{
"if": "a task has high impact on learning",
"then": "prioritize that task"
}
],
"entities": [
{ "name": "Preparing elaborate slides", "attributes": ["4h", "low impact"] },
{ "name": "Planning a reading sequence", "attributes": ["2h", "high impact"] }
],
"source_traceability": [
{ "excerpt": "Preparing elaborate slides | 4h | Low", "source": "Chapter 2" }
]
}Favors summary.
Favors decision. CKF is not 'one more format' — it changes the kind of answer the system can give.
Preventing overgeneralization
Does this routine reduce stress for any teacher?
Yes. The text states that small daily practices of 10 to 15 minutes significantly reduce stress and can be applied by teachers.
Cognitive failure
Too strong. The document proposes, exemplifies and cites evidence, but does not universally prove this for every teacher in every context.
The document suggests that 10–15 minute micro-practices can reduce stress and increase the sense of control, but this conclusion must be adapted to context. There are cited evidence points and narrative examples, such as the case of teacher Ana, but the package itself marks limits: generalizing to other school contexts requires evaluation, adaptation and follow-up metrics.
{
"principles": [
{
"statement": "Micro-practices of 10–15 minutes can reduce stress.",
"confidence": 0.9
}
],
"atomic_units": [
{
"statement": "10–15 min micro-practices reduce teacher stress.",
"type": "claim",
"confidence": 0.9
}
],
"knowledge_limits": {
"weakly_supported_claims": [
"Generalization to other school contexts requires evaluation."
],
"needs_human_review": [
"Large-scale application must evaluate metrics for stress, energy and teaching quality."
]
}
}Can induce universalization.
Preserves claim + evidence + limit. Gold for AI tutors, health, education and compliance.
Context-aware tutoring
I'm anxious before class. What should I do in the next 3 minutes?
You can perform the 15-minute routine, which includes breathing, stretching and micro-organization.
Cognitive failure
Acceptable, but ignores the time constraint in the question.
In the next 3 minutes, do only Box Breathing: 1. Inhale for 8 counts. 2. Hold for 8 counts. 3. Exhale for 8 counts. 4. Stay empty for 8 counts. 5. Repeat 2 to 6 cycles, as time allows. This is the part of the routine indicated when only 1 to 3 minutes are available.
{
"if_then_rules": [
{
"if": "You have 1 to 3 minutes available.",
"then": "Perform 2 to 6 cycles of Box Breathing."
}
],
"procedures": [
{
"name": "Box Breathing",
"steps": [
"Inhale for 8 counts",
"Hold for 8 counts",
"Exhale for 8 counts",
"Stay empty for 8 counts"
]
}
],
"contextual_triggers": [
{
"trigger": "anxiety before class",
"recommended_action": "conscious breathing"
}
]
}Answers by topic.
Answers by context, available time and procedure.
Cognitive impact matrix
The same model. Different substrates. CKF widens what the agent can reliably do.
| Capability | PDF / raw text | CKF |
|---|---|---|
| Summarize | Strong | Strong |
| Decide | Weak / medium | Strong |
| Apply exceptions | Weak | Strong |
| Execute procedures | Medium | Strong |
| Avoid overgeneralization | Weak | Strong |
| Answer with source | Medium | Strong |
| Adapt to context | Variable | Strong |
| Audit the answer | Hard | Native |
| Detect gaps | Hard | Native |
See it for yourself
The matrix above shows what changes in principle. Here is the exact path to reproduce it with your own document in under five minutes — no signup required, BYOK key stays in your browser.
Compile your own knowledge
Open the Compiler, paste your BYOK API key (stored only in your browser, never sent to our servers), drop a PDF or paste raw text, and compile it into a .ckf package.
Inspect the typed structure
Open the Viewer and load the .ckf you just produced. Browse the typed sections — decision_rules, exceptions, procedures, knowledge_limits — exactly the affordances you saw in the examples above.
Trace each affordance back to the source
In the Viewer, attach the original PDF and run Trace. For every rule, exception or claim you see the exact excerpt that produced it. This is where inference affordances become auditable in real time.
Prefer to read the canonical schema first? All 22 sections →
The key idea
“CKF does not make the model smarter by adding more text. It makes the knowledge easier to reason over by compiling prose into typed inference surfaces.”
Design implication
If you are building AI tutors, compliance assistants, knowledge copilots or agentic workflows, the question is not only what text the model sees. The question is what structure the model can use.