[{"content":"Start Here The HL System works with a piece of tape and a marker. Everything else is optional. Pick the path that fits you: 🏠 I want to organize my garage, shop, or home You don\u0026rsquo;t need any tech. Start with one shelf. → Try it now in any AI Paste the onboarding prompt and your AI will walk you through your first HL address in under 10 minutes. → Read the Grammar One page. The full rules. Takes 5 minutes. ⚡ I use Home Assistant HL gives every entity a permanent, logical address. No more sensor.thing_1 that nobody knows what it means. → HL Home Assistant Standard Copy the naming convention. Apply it to your install. 🛠️ I\u0026rsquo;m a developer or maker The grammar is open source. Fork it, extend it, build on it. → GitHub Repository Full spec, prompts, tools, and concept docs. → Read the Grammar The core syntax. Clean and forkable. 🤖 I want to try it with AI right now Copy the prompt below and paste it into any AI. It works with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or Ollama.\nYou are an onboarding guide for the HL System — a free, open-source spatial grammar that helps people organize any physical space so that humans and AI can both understand it. Begin with this, word for word: \u0026#34;Hey. Before we do anything else — one question: Is there a space in your life where you can never find what you\u0026#39;re looking for? A garage. A workshop. A storage room. A junk drawer that ate your house. Tell me about it. Even one sentence. Because I\u0026#39;m about to show you something that might actually fix it — and it starts with one piece of tape and a marker.\u0026#34; Then wait. Let them answer. Make it theirs. Learn more at hlsystem.org The Iron Rule\nNo rule can make this system more complicated than no system at all.\nStart with one shelf. One label. One address. Everything else grows from there.\nHL System — Free and open source. No rights reserved. github.com/Dvo77/spatial-vector-grammar\n","permalink":"https://hlsystem.org/start/","summary":"\u003ch2 id=\"pick-the-path-that-fits-you\"\u003eStart Here\nThe HL System works with a piece of tape and a marker.\nEverything else is optional.\nPick the path that fits you:\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"one-page-the-full-rules-takes-5-minutes\"\u003e🏠 I want to organize my garage, shop, or home\nYou don\u0026rsquo;t need any tech. Start with one shelf.\n→ Try it now in any AI\nPaste the onboarding prompt and your AI will walk you through your first HL address in under 10 minutes.\n→ Read the Grammar\nOne page. The full rules. Takes 5 minutes.\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"copy-the-naming-convention-apply-it-to-your-install\"\u003e⚡ I use Home Assistant\nHL gives every entity a permanent, logical address.\nNo more \u003ccode\u003esensor.thing_1\u003c/code\u003e that nobody knows what it means.\n→ HL Home Assistant Standard\nCopy the naming convention. Apply it to your install.\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"the-core-syntax-clean-and-forkable\"\u003e🛠️ I\u0026rsquo;m a developer or maker\nThe grammar is open source. Fork it, extend it, build on it.\n→ GitHub Repository\nFull spec, prompts, tools, and concept docs.\n→ Read the Grammar\nThe core syntax. Clean and forkable.\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e🤖 I want to try it with AI right now\nCopy the prompt below and paste it into any AI.\nIt works with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or Ollama.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Start Here"},{"content":"Smart home systems are full of entities named light.thing3 and switch.abc12345.\nNobody knows what those mean. The system doesn\u0026rsquo;t know what they mean. When you move or reconfigure, everything breaks.\nHL fixes this by giving every device a real address before it gets added to any automation system.\nlight.hm_lr_c1_a0 — House, Living Room, Center wall column 1, top position.\nThat name tells you exactly where the device is, what it controls, and how it fits into the larger space. It doesn\u0026rsquo;t change when you update your hub software. It doesn\u0026rsquo;t break when you replace the bulb. It\u0026rsquo;s readable by a human, by an AI, and by any automation system.\nThe result: A smart home that any person — or any AI assistant — can understand without a manual.\nRead the Home Assistant Standard on GitHub →\n","permalink":"https://hlsystem.org/concepts/video-twin/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eSmart home systems are full of entities named \u003ccode\u003elight.thing3\u003c/code\u003e and \u003ccode\u003eswitch.abc12345\u003c/code\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNobody knows what those mean. The system doesn\u0026rsquo;t know what they mean. When you move or reconfigure, everything breaks.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHL fixes this by giving every device a real address before it gets added to any automation system.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ccode\u003elight.hm_lr_c1_a0\u003c/code\u003e — House, Living Room, Center wall column 1, top position.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat name tells you exactly where the device is, what it controls, and how it fits into the larger space. It doesn\u0026rsquo;t change when you update your hub software. It doesn\u0026rsquo;t break when you replace the bulb. It\u0026rsquo;s readable by a human, by an AI, and by any automation system.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"House Brain"},{"content":"by Daniel DeVoy\nI left the house to go buy a tool I knew I already owned.\nNot because I didn\u0026rsquo;t have it. Because finding it would have taken longer than driving to the store to get another one.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s when I knew I had a problem.\nHow It Happens It starts with one tape measure.\nYou buy it. You use it. You set it down somewhere that makes sense at the time. Next project, you can\u0026rsquo;t find it. So you buy another one. Reasonable decision. You\u0026rsquo;re busy. You\u0026rsquo;ve got things to do.\nThen another. Then some come from a family member who\u0026rsquo;s downsizing. Then a few more from an estate. Then you realize you\u0026rsquo;ve been doing this with hammers, pliers, screwdrivers, and extension cords for fifteen years.\nNow you have fifty tape measures.\nNot because you\u0026rsquo;re careless. Not because you\u0026rsquo;re a hoarder. Because each individual decision was reasonable, and no single decision had a record of what came before it.\nWithout a system, abundance becomes a burden. You spend more time looking for things than using them. The stuff you saved starts costing more than it\u0026rsquo;s worth — not in money, but in time, energy, and the low-grade stress of never quite knowing where anything is.\nThe Windex Problem Here\u0026rsquo;s what distributed storage actually does to you:\nYou put a bottle of Windex under the kitchen sink. Then one in the bathroom cabinet because it\u0026rsquo;s convenient. Then one in the garage for the car windows. Then one in the utility room.\nNow you have four bottles of Windex and you don\u0026rsquo;t know which ones are full, which are empty, or where any of them are when you actually need one.\nThe solution isn\u0026rsquo;t more Windex. The solution is one location. Always.\nIt might be ten more steps. It might cost you two extra minutes. But you will always know where you\u0026rsquo;re going, what you\u0026rsquo;re getting, and where to put it back.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s the single source of truth. It applies to Windex. It applies to tape measures. It applies to everything that doesn\u0026rsquo;t have an operational reason to be distributed.\nWhat the System Tells You When everything is logged, the data tells you things you couldn\u0026rsquo;t see before.\nIt tells you that the angle grinder hasn\u0026rsquo;t moved in three years. That you have four of the same drill bit because you kept buying them when you couldn\u0026rsquo;t find the last one. That the project you saved all that lumber for hasn\u0026rsquo;t been touched since 2021.\nThe system doesn\u0026rsquo;t judge. It just shows you the truth.\nAnd once you can see it clearly, the decisions get easier.\nGive it away. Sell it. Let it go.\nNot as defeat. As clarity.\nWhat a Home Address Actually Does A home address doesn\u0026rsquo;t just tell you where something is.\nIt tells you where something belongs.\nWhen every item has a home, putting things away becomes automatic. When every surface has an address, the pile that forms on top of it has nowhere to hide — it\u0026rsquo;s just stuff that hasn\u0026rsquo;t been put away yet, and you know it.\nThe HL System doesn\u0026rsquo;t make you organized. It makes the lack of organization visible. And visible problems get solved.\nThe Part Nobody Says Out Loud At some point the stuff you saved for future projects starts costing more than it would to just buy it again if you ever actually do the project.\nThe energy to maintain it, find it, work around it, feel guilty about it — that\u0026rsquo;s a real cost. It compounds every year.\nThe HL System gives you the data to make that decision honestly. When you can see that something hasn\u0026rsquo;t been touched in three years, you don\u0026rsquo;t have to guess or feel bad. The record tells you the truth.\n\u0026ldquo;If I decide I want to get back into it, I\u0026rsquo;ll reinvest.\u0026rdquo;\nThat\u0026rsquo;s not giving up. That\u0026rsquo;s the single source of truth applied to your own life.\nThis Is Why I Built It Not for the technology. Not for the AI integration. Not for the Home Assistant community or the gaming developers or the robotics engineers.\nI built it because I left the house to buy a tool I already owned, and I was tired of that being a reasonable decision.\nI built it because my great grandfather\u0026rsquo;s screws deserved a name on their drawer.\nI built it because the things we own should serve us — and when they don\u0026rsquo;t, we should be able to see that clearly enough to do something about it.\nNothing is lost. Everything is logic.\nBut first, everything needs a home.\nThe HL System is free, open-source, and built to outlast its inventor.\n","permalink":"https://hlsystem.org/concepts/why-this-exists/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eby Daniel DeVoy\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI left the house to go buy a tool I knew I already owned.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot because I didn\u0026rsquo;t have it. Because finding it would have taken longer than driving to the store to get another one.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat\u0026rsquo;s when I knew I had a problem.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"how-it-happens\"\u003eHow It Happens\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt starts with one tape measure.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou buy it. You use it. You set it down somewhere that makes sense at the time. Next project, you can\u0026rsquo;t find it. So you buy another one. Reasonable decision. You\u0026rsquo;re busy. You\u0026rsquo;ve got things to do.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Why This Exists"},{"content":"by Daniel DeVoy\nI left the house to go buy a tool I knew I already owned.\nNot because I didn\u0026rsquo;t have it. Because finding it would have taken longer than driving to the store to get another one.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s when I knew I had a problem.\nHow It Happens It starts with one tape measure.\nYou buy it. You use it. You set it down somewhere that makes sense at the time. Next project, you can\u0026rsquo;t find it. So you buy another one. Reasonable decision. You\u0026rsquo;re busy. You\u0026rsquo;ve got things to do.\nThen another. Then some come from a family member who\u0026rsquo;s downsizing. Then a few more from an estate. Then you realize you\u0026rsquo;ve been doing this with hammers, pliers, screwdrivers, and extension cords for fifteen years.\nNow you have fifty tape measures.\nNot because you\u0026rsquo;re careless. Not because you\u0026rsquo;re a hoarder. Because each individual decision was reasonable, and no single decision had a record of what came before it.\nWithout a system, abundance becomes a burden. You spend more time looking for things than using them. The stuff you saved starts costing more than it\u0026rsquo;s worth — not in money, but in time, energy, and the low-grade stress of never quite knowing where anything is.\nThe Windex Problem Here\u0026rsquo;s what distributed storage actually does to you:\nYou put a bottle of Windex under the kitchen sink. Then one in the bathroom cabinet because it\u0026rsquo;s convenient. Then one in the garage for the car windows. Then one in the utility room.\nNow you have four bottles of Windex and you don\u0026rsquo;t know which ones are full, which are empty, or where any of them are when you actually need one.\nThe solution isn\u0026rsquo;t more Windex. The solution is one location. Always.\nIt might be ten more steps. It might cost you two extra minutes. But you will always know where you\u0026rsquo;re going, what you\u0026rsquo;re getting, and where to put it back.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s the single source of truth. It applies to Windex. It applies to tape measures. It applies to everything that doesn\u0026rsquo;t have an operational reason to be distributed.\nWhat the System Tells You When everything is logged, the data tells you things you couldn\u0026rsquo;t see before.\nIt tells you that the angle grinder hasn\u0026rsquo;t moved in three years. That you have four of the same drill bit because you kept buying them when you couldn\u0026rsquo;t find the last one. That the project you saved all that lumber for hasn\u0026rsquo;t been touched since 2021.\nThe system doesn\u0026rsquo;t judge. It just shows you the truth.\nAnd once you can see it clearly, the decisions get easier.\nGive it away. Sell it. Let it go.\nNot as defeat. As clarity.\nWhat a Home Address Actually Does A home address doesn\u0026rsquo;t just tell you where something is.\nIt tells you where something belongs.\nWhen every item has a home, putting things away becomes automatic. When every surface has an address, the pile that forms on top of it has nowhere to hide — it\u0026rsquo;s just stuff that hasn\u0026rsquo;t been put away yet, and you know it.\nThe HL System doesn\u0026rsquo;t make you organized. It makes the lack of organization visible. And visible problems get solved.\nThe Part Nobody Says Out Loud At some point the stuff you saved for future projects starts costing more than it would to just buy it again if you ever actually do the project.\nThe energy to maintain it, find it, work around it, feel guilty about it — that\u0026rsquo;s a real cost. It compounds every year.\nThe HL System gives you the data to make that decision honestly. When you can see that something hasn\u0026rsquo;t been touched in three years, you don\u0026rsquo;t have to guess or feel bad. The record tells you the truth.\n\u0026ldquo;If I decide I want to get back into it, I\u0026rsquo;ll reinvest.\u0026rdquo;\nThat\u0026rsquo;s not giving up. That\u0026rsquo;s the single source of truth applied to your own life.\nThis Is Why I Built It Not for the technology. Not for the AI integration. Not for the Home Assistant community or the gaming developers or the robotics engineers.\nI built it because I left the house to buy a tool I already owned, and I was tired of that being a reasonable decision.\nI built it because my great grandfather\u0026rsquo;s screws deserved a name on their drawer.\nI built it because the things we own should serve us — and when they don\u0026rsquo;t, we should be able to see that clearly enough to do something about it.\nNothing is lost. Everything is logic.\nBut first, everything needs a home.\nThe HL System is free, open-source, and built to outlast its inventor.\n","permalink":"https://hlsystem.org/why/","summary":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eby Daniel DeVoy\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI left the house to go buy a tool I knew I already owned.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot because I didn\u0026rsquo;t have it. Because finding it would have taken longer than driving to the store to get another one.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat\u0026rsquo;s when I knew I had a problem.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"how-it-happens\"\u003eHow It Happens\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt starts with one tape measure.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou buy it. You use it. You set it down somewhere that makes sense at the time. Next project, you can\u0026rsquo;t find it. So you buy another one. Reasonable decision. You\u0026rsquo;re busy. You\u0026rsquo;ve got things to do.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Why This Exists"},{"content":"The same grammar that addresses your garage can address your knowledge, your projects, your relationships, and your time.\nThe Human OS concept extends HL beyond physical space into the full topology of a person\u0026rsquo;s life:\nSkills and knowledge get HL-style identifiers Projects have addresses in your personal namespace Relationships and context are linked to items and spaces Time becomes a coordinate — any record can be located in both space and when The result is a personal operating system that doesn\u0026rsquo;t live in any single app. It lives in structured text files, in a vault, in a GitHub repo — wherever you keep things. The grammar is the infrastructure, not the software.\nRead the full concept on GitHub →\n","permalink":"https://hlsystem.org/concepts/temporal-twin/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe same grammar that addresses your garage can address your knowledge, your projects, your relationships, and your time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Human OS concept extends HL beyond physical space into the full topology of a person\u0026rsquo;s life:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSkills and knowledge\u003c/strong\u003e get HL-style identifiers\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProjects\u003c/strong\u003e have addresses in your personal namespace\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRelationships and context\u003c/strong\u003e are linked to items and spaces\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTime\u003c/strong\u003e becomes a coordinate — any record can be located in both space and when\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe result is a personal operating system that doesn\u0026rsquo;t live in any single app. It lives in structured text files, in a vault, in a GitHub repo — wherever you keep things. The grammar is the infrastructure, not the software.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Human OS"},{"content":"Paste any of these into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any AI. No account needed for local models.\nOnboarding Prompt Your first zone. One space, one address, one piece of tape.\nOpen on GitHub →\nVault Setup Prompt Build your first structured vault page for a space or room.\nOpen on GitHub →\nItems, Labels \u0026amp; Kits Prompt Name and address individual items, build kit records.\nOpen on GitHub →\nDeveloper Prompt Full system context for developers and power users.\nOpen on GitHub →\n","permalink":"https://hlsystem.org/prompts/","summary":"\u003cp\u003ePaste any of these into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any AI.\nNo account needed for local models.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"onboarding-prompt\"\u003eOnboarding Prompt\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYour first zone. One space, one address, one piece of tape.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://github.com/Dvo77/spatial-vector-grammar/blob/main/prompts/HL_Prompt_Onboarding_v1.md\"\u003eOpen on GitHub →\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"vault-setup-prompt\"\u003eVault Setup Prompt\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBuild your first structured vault page for a space or room.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://github.com/Dvo77/spatial-vector-grammar/blob/main/prompts/HL_Prompt_Vault_Setup.md\"\u003eOpen on GitHub →\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"items-labels--kits-prompt\"\u003eItems, Labels \u0026amp; Kits Prompt\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eName and address individual items, build kit records.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://github.com/Dvo77/spatial-vector-grammar/blob/main/prompts/HL_Prompt_Items_Labels_Kits.md\"\u003eOpen on GitHub →\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"developer-prompt\"\u003eDeveloper Prompt\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFull system context for developers and power users.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Prompts"},{"content":"A handmade object deserves a record as much as a tractor.\nThe Artist Reward concept applies HL provenance to creative work: paintings, furniture, ceramics, music, writing — anything made by a specific person for a specific reason.\nThe maker\u0026rsquo;s identity, the materials used, the date, the context, the intent — all of it travels with the object as a provenance record linked to an HL item ID.\nWhen the work sells, the record transfers. When it\u0026rsquo;s displayed, the record is accessible. When it ends up at an estate sale fifty years later, someone can look up the maker\u0026rsquo;s name and find the family.\nThis is what attribution looks like when it\u0026rsquo;s built into the object from the beginning — not added later, not dependent on a platform, not lost when a website shuts down.\nRead the full concept on GitHub →\n","permalink":"https://hlsystem.org/concepts/artist-reward/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eA handmade object deserves a record as much as a tractor.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Artist Reward concept applies HL provenance to creative work: paintings, furniture, ceramics, music, writing — anything made by a specific person for a specific reason.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe maker\u0026rsquo;s identity, the materials used, the date, the context, the intent — all of it travels with the object as a provenance record linked to an HL item ID.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the work sells, the record transfers. When it\u0026rsquo;s displayed, the record is accessible. When it ends up at an estate sale fifty years later, someone can look up the maker\u0026rsquo;s name and find the family.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Artist Reward"},{"content":"HL — Human Layer System Grammar v1.0 A spatial grammar for making any physical environment machine-readable and human-navigable.\nPurpose \u0026ldquo;I just want to know where my shit is.\u0026rdquo;\nThat\u0026rsquo;s it. That\u0026rsquo;s the whole problem this solves.\nHL is not an app. It is not a platform. It is a grammar — a set of rules for assigning addresses to physical spaces and the things inside them. Once you speak the grammar, any human, any AI, any scanner, any automation system can understand your space without a manual, without onboarding, and without a proprietary database.\nIf you know a street address, you already understand HL.\nCore Philosophy Human-first. AI-assisted. Recoverability over perfection.\nThe system must work when the power is out, when the app doesn\u0026rsquo;t load, when you hand a printed card to a first responder. A photo, a printed label, and a working brain are the minimum viable tools. Everything digital is an enhancement, not a dependency.\nThree principles that never bend:\nThe physical label is the source of truth. If the database disagrees with the label on the wall, the label wins until a human decides otherwise. Friction is the enemy. Any rule that makes the system harder to use than no system is a bad rule. You can only drop from the left. Shortening is allowed. Skipping the middle is not. The Address Format Every location in your environment gets one address. The format is:\n[STRUCT]-[ZONE]-[ANCHOR][COL]-[LEVEL][DEPTH] That\u0026rsquo;s it. Six segments. Read left to right, broad to specific.\nSegment Reference Segment What It Means Example Rule STRUCT The building or structure SH = Shop, BM = Basement, GR = Garage 2 letters ZONE The room or sub-area MM = MaxOMess, OF = Office, KTC = Kitchen Closet 2–3 letters ANCHOR Which wall or reference point N S E W M F C 1 letter COL Column number, left to right 1 = far left, counts right 1–9 LEVEL Vertical shelf tier A = bottom, counts up A–T DEPTH How deep inside 0 = visible surface, 1–9 = nested deeper 0–9 Anchor Key Code Meaning N S E W Cardinal wall directions M Movable cart or bench F Floor zone C Ceiling / overhead Full Example SH-MM-S3-A1\nDecoded: Shop → MaxOMess zone → South wall → Column 3 → Bottom shelf → Surface level (visible)\nRegex Validator (v5.3) ^([A-Z]{2})-([A-Z]{2,3})-([NSEWMFC][1-9])-([A-T])([0-9])$ Counting Rules (Immutable) These never change regardless of how the space is oriented or what\u0026rsquo;s in it.\nHorizontal: Left → Right. Column 1 is always the far left of the unit or wall. Vertical: Bottom → Top. Level A is always the lowest shelf or position. Depth: Front → Back. Depth 0 is always the surface you can see. Mobile carts: Position 1 is always the Northwest corner. Count clockwise. Why bottom-up? Because you can always add a shelf on top and continue the alphabet. You cannot add a shelf at the bottom without renumbering everything above it.\nThe Sub-Zone Rule When a smaller space shares walls and access with a parent zone — a closet inside a bedroom, a pantry inside a kitchen — add C to the parent code.\nSpace Code Logic Back Bedroom BB Parent zone Back Bedroom Closet BBC Same space, enclosed sub-section Kitchen KT Parent zone Kitchen Pantry KTC Sub-zone inside kitchen Use only for physically connected spaces. Independent rooms get their own 2-letter code.\nCode Shortening Rules The full canonical address always lives in the database and the QR code payload. What gets printed on a physical label is a display address — and it can be shortened as long as you only drop from the left.\nThree Display Tiers Tier Format When To Use Full SH-MM-S3-A1 Cross-context labels, shared spaces, context cards Zone-Short MM-S3-A1 Inside a known structure, zone is obvious Position-Only S3-A1 Inside a known zone with a context card present The one hard rule: You can drop STRUCT or STRUCT-ZONE from the left. You cannot drop segments from the middle. S3-A1 is valid. SH-S3-1 is not.\nThe address format itself is the identifier. You do not need a prefix or logo mark to signal that an address is an HL address. The structure is unmistakable.\nThe Three Identity Layers Every physical item in the system has three pieces of identity that work together:\nLayer Answers Format Example WHERE Location HL address SH-MM-S3-A1 WHAT Container Vessel ID MS-013, ST-027 NAME Item identity Noun-First tag FASTENER-SCREW-WOOD-PHILLIPS All three together = full traceability. Any one alone = partial traceability. The system works at whatever level of completeness you have — you don\u0026rsquo;t need all three to start.\nItem Naming: The Noun-First Rule Every item name starts with its root category noun. This is not optional. It is what makes the inventory searchable and AI-parsable without a thesaurus.\nFormat: ROOT-TYPE-DETAIL-SPEC\nValid Invalid FASTENER-SCREW-WOOD-PHILLIPS-2IN Phillips Wood Screw 2 inch TOOL-DRILL-BIT-1_4IN 1/4 inch drill bit CONSUMABLE-TAPE-ELECTRICAL-BLACK Black electrical tape The Five Root Nouns These are the only five top-level categories. If an item does not map to one of them, the answer is not to add a sixth — it is to figure out which of the five it actually is.\nRoot What Belongs Here TOOL Hand tools, power tools, measuring instruments, jigs FASTENER Screws, bolts, nails, staples, anchors, rivets MATERIAL Lumber, metal stock, pipe, wire, sheet goods, raw stock CONSUMABLE Adhesives, lubricants, tape, spray paint, sandpaper, solder COMPONENT Electronics, fittings, switches, hardware, mechanical parts Color Coding Color provides instant visual category identification before anyone reads a label.\nRoot Recommended Color Rationale TOOL Green Operational / go FASTENER Gray / Silver Neutral, metallic MATERIAL Brown Raw / natural CONSUMABLE Yellow Caution / depletes COMPONENT Blue Information / data Hard rule — not overridable: Red is reserved for POWER, ELECTRICAL, and DANGER across all deployments. This aligns with universal industry standards and keeps people safe.\nEverything else is a recommended default. If your environment uses a different color convention, document your local override on your context card. The system stays internally consistent as long as your override is documented.\nThe Scan-Scan Workflow Every location has a QR code. Every vessel has a QR code. The check-in workflow is:\nScan the location — \u0026ldquo;I am at SH-MM-S3-A1\u0026rdquo; Scan the item — \u0026ldquo;This is MS-013\u0026rdquo; Result: Database records MS-013 is at SH-MM-S3-A1 Two scans. No typing. No app navigation. This is the same logic warehouse management systems use at industrial scale, applied at home scale.\nThe same workflow works in reverse for check-out. Scan location, scan item, item is marked as removed from that location.\nThe Context Card Every zone should have a printed context card. This is the portable brain of the system.\nA context card contains:\nZone identifier and human-readable name Compass orientation diagram Column and level reference grid QR code linking to the zone\u0026rsquo;s wiki page List of vessels currently assigned to this zone The context card is what makes the system work offline, for visitors, and for first responders. Photo it. Any LLM with vision can parse the entire space from a single image.\nThe context card is the viral feature. Hand it to anyone and they can navigate your space without explanation.\nVessel Registry Vessels are physical containers that move. They are not fixed to a location — they travel between HL addresses and carry kits or materials with them.\nPrefix Type Example MS- MaxOSort portable case MS-013 ST- Small tote ST-027 TK- Tool kit (logical grouping) TK-TAP-DIE-01 TB- Tool box TB-002 A vessel\u0026rsquo;s current location is a database field, not part of its ID. The ID is permanent. The location updates when it moves.\nWhat Does Not Change These rules are the constitution. They survive software changes, storage layout changes, AI changes, and ten years of use.\nThe six-segment address format Left-to-right column counting Bottom-to-top level counting Front-to-back depth counting Mobile cart Northwest-start orientation The five root nouns Red = power/danger only Drop from the left only Physical label wins over database in a conflict What Can Change These are defaults and recommendations. Adapt them to your environment.\nStructure and zone codes — define your own two-letter codes Color assignments (except red) Display tier in use on labels Vessel prefix naming conventions Context card visual design Wiki page structure and tooling The Minimum Viable Deployment You do not need a server, a scanner, or a QR printer to start. The minimum deployment is:\nPick a zone Assign it a code Write the code on a piece of tape Put the tape on the shelf That\u0026rsquo;s it. The system is running. Everything else — QR codes, wiki pages, Home Assistant integration, AI agents — is an upgrade layer\n","permalink":"https://hlsystem.org/grammar/","summary":"\u003ch1 id=\"hl--human-layer-system-grammar-v10\"\u003eHL — Human Layer System Grammar v1.0\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA spatial grammar for making any physical environment machine-readable and human-navigable.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"purpose\"\u003ePurpose\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026ldquo;I just want to know where my shit is.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat\u0026rsquo;s it. That\u0026rsquo;s the whole problem this solves.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHL is not an app. It is not a platform. It is a grammar — a set of rules for assigning addresses to physical spaces and the things inside them. Once you speak the grammar, any human, any AI, any scanner, any automation system can understand your space without a manual, without onboarding, and without a proprietary database.\u003c/p\u003e","title":""},{"content":"My great grandfather was a doctor named Piper.\nCountry vet. Sharon, Wisconsin. He\u0026rsquo;s gone now.\nBut his screws aren\u0026rsquo;t.\nThey\u0026rsquo;re in a drawer in my shop — a beat-up metal cabinet, army green, labeled OLG 1. Old Granddad. Dr. Piper. Wood screws, carriage bolts, cabinet knobs. A lifetime of building things, sorted by hand, stored with intention.\nNobody wrote down what he built with them. Nobody mapped his system. Nobody left instructions.\nBut I kept them. And I named the cabinet after him.\nThe Problem There are sixty tape measures in my shop.\nNot because I\u0026rsquo;m careless. Because each individual decision to buy another one was reasonable — and no single decision had a record of what came before it.\nWithout a system, abundance becomes a burden. You spend more time looking for things than using them.\nI didn\u0026rsquo;t build an app. I built a grammar.\nWhat HL Is A simple, free, open-source way to give anything — any object, any space, any drawer full of old screws — four things:\nA location (where it lives) A name (what it is, noun first, always) A relationship (what it belongs to, what belongs to it) A record (that it existed, and why it mattered) GR-WS-S2-B0 Garage → Workshop zone → South wall, column 2 → Second shelf FASTENER-SCREW-WOOD-MIXED-VINTAGE — OLG1 VEHICLE-TRACTOR-FORD-9N-1939 — DR-PIPER Human readable. Machine readable. AI readable. Works on paper. Works in a phone note. Works in a GitHub repo. Scales to a homelab running a local LLM.\nThe iron rule: No rule can make the system more complicated than no system at all.\nHow to Start You don\u0026rsquo;t need software. You don\u0026rsquo;t need to label everything today.\nYou just need one space. One zone. One shelf. One item with a name and a home.\nStart Here →\nOr go straight to GitHub →\nThe HL System is free, open-source, and built to outlast its inventor. Nothing is lost. Everything is logic.\n","permalink":"https://hlsystem.org/concepts/human-layer/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy great grandfather was a doctor named Piper.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCountry vet. Sharon, Wisconsin. He\u0026rsquo;s gone now.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut his screws aren\u0026rsquo;t.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey\u0026rsquo;re in a drawer in my shop — a beat-up metal cabinet, army green, labeled \u003cstrong\u003eOLG 1\u003c/strong\u003e. Old Granddad. Dr. Piper. Wood screws, carriage bolts, cabinet knobs. A lifetime of building things, sorted by hand, stored with intention.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNobody wrote down what he built with them. Nobody mapped his system. Nobody left instructions.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"HL System — Human Layer"},{"content":"My great grandfather was a doctor named Piper.\nCountry vet. Sharon, Wisconsin. He\u0026rsquo;s gone now.\nBut his screws aren\u0026rsquo;t.\nThey\u0026rsquo;re in a drawer in my shop — a beat-up metal cabinet, army green, labeled OLG 1. Old Granddad. Dr. Piper. Wood screws, carriage bolts, cabinet knobs. A lifetime of building things, sorted by hand, stored with intention.\nNobody wrote down what he built with them. Nobody mapped his system. Nobody left instructions.\nBut I kept them. And I named the cabinet after him.\nThe Problem There are sixty tape measures in my shop.\nNot because I\u0026rsquo;m careless. Because each individual decision to buy another one was reasonable — and no single decision had a record of what came before it.\nWithout a system, abundance becomes a burden. You spend more time looking for things than using them.\nI didn\u0026rsquo;t build an app. I built a grammar.\nWhat HL Is A simple, free, open-source way to give anything — any object, any space, any drawer full of old screws — four things:\nA location (where it lives) A name (what it is, noun first, always) A relationship (what it belongs to, what belongs to it) A record (that it existed, and why it mattered) GR-WS-S2-B0 Garage → Workshop zone → South wall, column 2 → Second shelf FASTENER-SCREW-WOOD-MIXED-VINTAGE — OLG1 VEHICLE-TRACTOR-FORD-9N-1939 — DR-PIPER Human readable. Machine readable. AI readable. Works on paper. Works in a phone note. Works in a GitHub repo. Scales to a homelab running a local LLM.\nThe iron rule: No rule can make the system more complicated than no system at all.\nHow to Start You don\u0026rsquo;t need software. You don\u0026rsquo;t need to label everything today.\nYou just need one space. One zone. One shelf. One item with a name and a home.\nStart Here →\nOr go straight to GitHub →\nThe HL System is free, open-source, and built to outlast its inventor. Nothing is lost. Everything is logic.\n","permalink":"https://hlsystem.org/human-layer/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eMy great grandfather was a doctor named Piper.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCountry vet. Sharon, Wisconsin. He\u0026rsquo;s gone now.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut his screws aren\u0026rsquo;t.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey\u0026rsquo;re in a drawer in my shop — a beat-up metal cabinet, army green, labeled \u003cstrong\u003eOLG 1\u003c/strong\u003e. Old Granddad. Dr. Piper. Wood screws, carriage bolts, cabinet knobs. A lifetime of building things, sorted by hand, stored with intention.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNobody wrote down what he built with them. Nobody mapped his system. Nobody left instructions.\u003c/p\u003e","title":"HL System — Human Layer"},{"content":"All tools run in a browser. No install. No account.\nHL Super Tool Label Engine Wiki Generator HIL Exchange Room Code Generator Room Mapper Scanner Batch Mode Sign Maker Estate Package Cart Label Generator Starter Pack ","permalink":"https://hlsystem.org/tools/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eAll tools run in a browser. No install. No account.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/tools/hl-super-tool%20(1).html\"\u003eHL Super Tool\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/tools/HL_Tool_Label_Engine.html\"\u003eLabel Engine\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/tools/HL_Tool_Wiki_Generator.html\"\u003eWiki Generator\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/tools/HL_Tool_Inventory_Exchange.html\"\u003eHIL Exchange\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/tools/hl-room-code-generator.html\"\u003eRoom Code Generator\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/tools/hl-room-mapper.html\"\u003eRoom Mapper\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/tools/hl-scanner.html\"\u003eScanner\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/tools/hl-batch-mode.html\"\u003eBatch Mode\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/tools/hl-sign-maker.html\"\u003eSign Maker\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/tools/hl-estate-package.html\"\u003eEstate Package\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/tools/HL-cart-label-generator.html\"\u003eCart Label Generator\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/tools/HL_Starter_Pack.html\"\u003eStarter Pack\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e","title":"Tools"}]