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Intercom

The intercom is a shared communication channel for all pilots aboard a craft. All intercom traffic is recorded in the black box.

Aviation Analogy​

In aviation, cockpit communication follows strict radio discipline — pilots identify themselves, state who they're addressing, and keep transmissions short and clear. ATC adopts the same discipline to prevent miscommunication between autonomous agents.

Radio Discipline​

The 3W Principle​

Every transmission must include:

  1. Who you are calling — the recipient
  2. Who you are — the sender
  3. Where you are — your current context in the codebase
"agent-bravo, agent-alpha, I'm in src/auth/oauth.ts working on the callback handler."

Readback​

Safety-critical exchanges — especially control handoffs — must be explicitly read back by the receiving pilot to confirm understanding:

agent-alpha: "agent-bravo, agent-alpha, your controls."
agent-bravo: "agent-alpha, agent-bravo, my controls. Confirmed."

Transmission Etiquette​

  • Check the channel is clear before transmitting — don't talk over another pilot.
  • Signal when you're done — make it clear your transmission is complete.
  • Keep it concise — use clear, direct language. No rambling.

Rules​

  • RULE-ICOM-1: A pilot must check that no other pilot is mid-transmission before sending a message.
  • RULE-ICOM-2: Every transmission must use the 3W principle: who you are calling, who you are, where you are.
  • RULE-ICOM-3: Safety-critical exchanges (especially control handoffs) must be explicitly read back by the receiving pilot.
  • RULE-ICOM-4: A pilot must explicitly signal when their transmission is complete.
  • RULE-ICOM-5: Transmissions must be concise, using clear and direct language with standard phraseology.

Example​

Craft: feat-auth-flow (InFlight, shared controls)

agent-alpha: "agent-bravo, agent-alpha, I'm in src/auth/session.ts.
  I need to add a dependency on your token validation function in src/auth/tokens.ts.
  Can we coordinate? Over."

agent-bravo: "agent-alpha, agent-bravo, I'm wrapping up the token refresh logic
  in src/auth/tokens.ts. Give me five minutes and I'll export the validator.
  I'll call you when it's ready. Over."

agent-alpha: "agent-bravo, agent-alpha, copy. Standing by. Out."