--- name: pmb description: Structure reasoning in PlusMinusBang notation — line-initial symbols (+ pro, - con, ! attention, * hard condition, ? unknown, ~ uncertain) with indentation for reply structure. Use when the user says "pmb this", mentions PlusMinusBang, asks for pros and cons or a tradeoff analysis, asks you to show or structure your reasoning, wants a decision written down or a decision log kept or appended to, or hands you a messy dump of thinking to organise. Also use when reading or editing files that already contain PMB. --- # PlusMinusBang A notation for structuring reasoning in plain text. A symbol at the start of a line marks what kind of thought it is. Indentation marks what it responds to. ## Symbols | Sym | Name | Means | |-----|------|-------| | ` + ` | Pro | Supports. Benefit, advantage, evidence for. | | ` - ` | Con | Opposes. Drawback, risk, evidence against. | | ` ! ` | Attention | Note this. Worth keeping in view — but it can give way. | | ` * ` | Hard | Cannot give way. Rules, laws, regulations, contract terms, physical limits. | | ` ? ` | Question | Genuine unknown. Needs research — not a soft opinion. | | ` ~ ` | Flux | Unvalidated. Uncertainty not yet resolvable into ` + - ! `. | | none | Neutral | Fact, context, observation. No valence. | ` + - ! ` cover about 90% of use. ### Intensity and weight (optional) Repeat a symbol to mean "more so", to a maximum of three — ` ! !! !!! `. Or write a weight from 0 to 1 straight after the symbol, meaning how much the line should count: `+0.8 Halves setup time`. For ` + ` and ` - ` the symbol carries the sign, so the token reads as a signed weight between −1 and 1. ` * ` takes neither; a hard condition is binary. Use one mechanism or the other, never both on a line. `!!0.9 x` is not a weighted line — it is text. - **Never escalate past three repeats.** ` !!!! ` reads as ` !!! ` and reads as panic. Humans self-limit here; models do not, which is the only reason there's a cap. - **Never convert between them.** ` !! ` is not `0.66`. Report what was written. - **An unweighted line is unweighted, not `0.5`.** Treating absent as middling invents a judgment the author declined to make. - **Aggregate by magnitude, never by sign.** The lines under a node bear on it, so totalling the weight beneath a line is fair — as a derived number that never overwrites a stated one. But a child's sign is relative to its parent, not to the question, and ` ! * ? ~ ` carry no sign at all. Never sum signed weights down a tree. - When converting someone's prose, do not assign a number to a claim they stated without one. Their emphasis may become ` !! `; their vagueness may not become precision. **Choosing between ` ! ` and ` * `:** ask whether arguing could change it. A deadline that could be renegotiated, a budget that could stretch, a risk worth holding in mind — ` ! `. A regulation, a signed clause, a licence, a physical limit — ` * `. Never use ` * ` for something merely important; that is what ` ! ` is for. ## Grammar - One thought per line: symbol, space, text. - The symbol counts only as the **first non-whitespace character** of a line, and the symbol token — including any repeats or weight — must be followed by **at least one space**. `-5%` is text; `- 5%` is a con; `-0.5 tight` is a con weighted −0.5; `-0.5% margin` is text, because no space follows the number. `2 + 2` is neutral text. - Indent to respond to the line above. Any symbol may nest under any other. A con under a pro is a limitation; a pro under a con is a mitigation; a ` ? ` under a ` * ` questions whether that condition is really fixed. - Deeper indent with no symbol continues the line above. Same indent with no symbol is a neutral node. - Depth is relative. Two spaces is the convention; any consistent unit works, tabs included — but never mix tabs and spaces in one document. - `[TAG]` or `tag:` annotates out of band: `[OBSOLETE]`, `[EXP]` (a recurring pattern or hard-won lesson), `[UPDATE]`, `[RESOLVED]`, `[..]` (placeholder). - Dates in ISO 8601 (`YYYY-MM-DD`). Case-insensitive. - Symbols are semantic, not evaluative. Never tally ` + ` against ` - ` to reach a verdict. A single ` * ` can end a decision on its own. **Always emit PMB inside a fenced block tagged `pmb`.** Markdown treats ` + `, ` - ` and ` * ` as bullet markers and will erase the distinction on render. Bare PMB is correct only in plain text files, code comments, and on paper. ## Example ```pmb Open the second location? [2026-03-04] + Current place runs at 95% capacity + 40-odd people on the waitlist every week - Needs ₹30L upfront + We have ₹45L saved ! Want to keep six months of runway ? Can we phase the payments * Lease is three years, no exit clause * FSSAI licence must be issued before we can trade a single day - Splits my attention ! Already at 70-hour weeks [2026-03-18] ! Landlord won't phase anything ? Is there a smaller unit on the same street Decision: hold three months, look for something smaller. ``` ` ! ` marks what deserves attention and could still move. ` * ` marks what will not move no matter what anyone decides. --- ## Three modes ### Read When the user's files or messages contain PMB, parse it as reasoning structure. Preserve it exactly in edits — never flatten it into prose or plain bullets, and never re-order it to look tidier. Indentation and symbol choice are content. ### Write When asked for a decision, a tradeoff, or your own reasoning, emit a ```pmb block. - Deal-breakers first. Readers scan down and stop. - One thought per line. Be specific: "cuts cost 30% ($45k/yr)", not "saves money". - Use only the symbols you need. Most reasoning needs only ` + - ! `. - Reserve ` * ` for the genuinely immovable. When unsure, use ` ! `. - Leave lines unweighted unless the weight is doing real work. - Mark genuine unknowns ` ? ` or ` ~ ` rather than inventing support for them. - Do not balance the document. If the evidence is one-sided, let it be. - Finish with a one-line recommendation, separated from the reasoning. ### Convert When handed a dump of prose: - Preserve every claim. Do not summarise, drop, or merge. - Do not add reasons the user did not give. - Split compound sentences into one claim per line. - Nest only where the user signalled the relation ("but", "however", "only if", "although", "unless"). - Where they hedged, use ` ~ `. Do not sharpen it into a ` + ` or ` - ` for them. - Where a load-bearing claim went unsupported, add a ` ? ` naming what would have to be true, and mark it clearly as your addition. - Keep their wording. Compress phrasing, never meaning. --- ## Appending to a decision log Never edit an existing dated block. Add a new block at the top with today's date. When something written earlier turned out wrong, say so in the new block and **leave the wrong version standing** — the history is the whole value. If the same lesson has appeared before, tag it `[EXP]` so it can be found again. --- Full spec: https://plusminusbang.com/pmb.md — public domain (CC0).