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Write LoT Code That Scales — Whether You or Your AI Types It

Great LoT (Language of Things) code follows the same conventions regardless of who writes it. This page defines the naming rules, architectural patterns, and quality standards that every LoT project should follow. It is written for two audiences at once: developers building with Coreflux, and AI assistants helping them do it. If you use an AI coding assistant — in Cursor, VS Code with Copilot, or Claude — this page doubles as the foundation for an AGENTS.md or project rules file. Copy the conventions into your project, and your assistant will produce LoT code that matches your team’s standards from the first prompt.
Like a style guide that your co-pilot actually reads. Just as a design system keeps a UI consistent across 10 developers, these conventions keep your LoT code consistent across humans and AI assistants alike.

When to Use This

  • You’re starting a new Coreflux project and want consistent conventions from day one
  • You want your AI assistant to generate correct LoT code without constant corrections
  • You’re setting up an AGENTS.md, .cursor/rules/, or CLAUDE.md file for your project
  • You’re onboarding new team members (human or AI) and need a single reference

In This Page


Naming Conventions

Consistent naming is the single most impactful practice for maintainable LoT systems. These conventions apply to all entities — whether typed by a human or generated by an AI assistant.

Entity Names

All LoT entities use PascalCase. Names should be descriptive and purpose-driven.
EntityConventionGood ExamplesBad Examples
ActionsPascalCase, verb-firstProcessTemperature, MonitorPressure, SendDailyReporttemp_process, action1, myAction
ModelsPascalCase, noun-basedSensorReading, EquipmentStatus, ProductionRecordsensor_model, Model1, data
RulesPascalCase, descriptive scopeAllowAdminActions, ProtectSysTopics, RestrictDevicePublishRule1, myRule, newRule
RoutesPascalCase, destination-basedCloudBridge, SensorDatabase, AlertEmailroute1, my_route, dbRoute
Callable ActionsPascalCase, function-likeCalculateAverage, ConvertCelsiusToFahrenheitcalc, helper, util

Variable Names

Variables use snake_case inside double quotes for SET declarations, and curly braces for references.
DEFINE ACTION ProcessSensorData
ON TOPIC "sensors/+/raw" DO
    SET "sensor_id" WITH TOPIC POSITION 2
    SET "raw_value" WITH (GET JSON "value" IN PAYLOAD AS DOUBLE)
    SET "converted_value" WITH ({raw_value} * 1.8 + 32)
    PUBLISH TOPIC "processed/" + {sensor_id} + "/fahrenheit" WITH {converted_value}
ContextConventionExamples
Declaration (SET)snake_case in double quotes"sensor_id", "raw_value", "cycle_time"
ReferenceCurly braces{sensor_id}, {raw_value}, {cycle_time}
Model fieldssnake_case in double quotes"equipment_id", "runtime_hours", "last_update"
Action inputssnake_case after keywordINPUT value AS DOUBLE, INPUT threshold AS DOUBLE

Topic Names

Topics use lowercase with forward-slash separators. Multi-word segments use snake_case. Whenever possible, follow an Unified Namespace (UNS) format for topic naming. This enables not only proper readability but also scalability of systems.
PatternExampleUse Case
domain/entity/attributesensors/temperature/valueGeneral data
domain/instance/attributesensors/temp001/rawInstance-specific data
domain/category/instancealerts/critical/pump03Categorized events
Prefixed namespacesprocessed/, alerts/, config/, cache/, state/, system/Functional separation

Topic Hierarchy Design

A well-designed topic tree is the most critical architectural decision in a LoT system. Every entity — Actions, Models, Rules, and Routes — communicates through topics. A clean hierarchy makes the entire system easier to build, debug, and extend. Organize topics into functional namespaces that reflect the data lifecycle:
NamespacePurposeExample Topics
sensors/Raw incoming sensor datasensors/temp001/raw, sensors/+/temperature
processed/Transformed or enriched dataprocessed/temp001/fahrenheit, processed/+/status
alerts/Threshold violations and notificationsalerts/critical/pump03, alerts/+/temperature
config/Configuration values read by Actionsconfig/setpoint, config/max_temperature
state/Internal persistent state (used with KEEP)state/counter, state/last_run
cache/Cached values for quick referencecache/temp001/last_reading
system/Heartbeats, health checks, diagnosticssystem/heartbeat, system/status
commands/Inbound instructions from external systemscommands/devices/+/restart

Wildcard Guidelines

WildcardMeaningWhere to Use
+Matches exactly one levelAction triggers, Model topics, Route mappings
#Matches one or more levelsRoute mappings, Rule topic patterns, broad subscriptions
Use + in Actions and Models for precise instance matching. Use # in Routes and Rules for broad coverage. A wildcard-triggered Action like ON TOPIC "sensors/+/raw" automatically resolves + in GET TOPIC and PUBLISH TOPIC to the same matched value — this is called wildcard context inheritance:
DEFINE ACTION ProcessWithContext
ON TOPIC "sensors/+/temperature" DO
    SET "sensor_id" WITH TOPIC POSITION 2
    SET "humidity" WITH (GET TOPIC "sensors/+/humidity" AS DOUBLE)
    PUBLISH TOPIC "processed/" + {sensor_id} + "/combined" WITH {humidity}
In this example, if triggered by sensors/temp001/temperature, the GET TOPIC reads from sensors/temp001/humidity — the wildcard resolves to the same instance.

Code Patterns

Actions: Single Responsibility

Each Action should do one thing well. Break complex logic into callable Actions with INPUT/OUTPUT:
Separate reusable logic into callable Actions, then compose them in a main Action:
DEFINE ACTION ConvertCelsiusToFahrenheit
INPUT celsius AS DOUBLE
DO
    SET "fahrenheit" WITH ({celsius} * 9 / 5 + 32)
RETURN
    OUTPUT fahrenheit

DEFINE ACTION ProcessTemperatureReading
ON TOPIC "sensors/+/celsius" DO
    SET "sensor_id" WITH TOPIC POSITION 2
    SET "temp_c" WITH PAYLOAD AS DOUBLE

    CALL ACTION ConvertCelsiusToFahrenheit
        WITH celsius = {temp_c}
        RETURN temp_f

    PUBLISH TOPIC "sensors/" + {sensor_id} + "/fahrenheit" WITH {temp_f}

Actions: State Management

Use KEEP TOPIC for internal persistent state and PUBLISH TOPIC for external broadcast. Never use PUBLISH for values only your system reads:
DEFINE ACTION PersistentCounter
ON EVERY 10 SECONDS DO
    SET "current" WITH (GET TOPIC "state/counter")
    IF {current} == EMPTY THEN
        KEEP TOPIC "state/counter" WITH 1
    ELSE
        KEEP TOPIC "state/counter" WITH ({current} + 1)
    PUBLISH TOPIC "stats/count" WITH (GET TOPIC "state/counter")
OperationUse When
PUBLISH TOPICOther systems or subscribers need to see the value
KEEP TOPICOnly your own Actions read the value (internal state, caches, counters)

Models: Trigger Selection

Mark the primary data field as AS TRIGGER — never a timestamp or metadata field. The trigger determines when the model publishes, so it should fire when new meaningful data arrives:
DEFINE MODEL SensorReading WITH TOPIC "sensors/formatted/temperature"
    ADD STRING "sensor_id" WITH "TEMP001"
    ADD DOUBLE "value" WITH TOPIC "sensors/raw/temperature" AS TRIGGER
    ADD STRING "unit" WITH "celsius"
    ADD STRING "timestamp" WITH TIMESTAMP "UTC"
Use COLLAPSED models when you need full control over publishing timing and destination — the Action decides when and where to publish:
DEFINE MODEL AlarmRecord COLLAPSED
    ADD STRING "alarm_id"
    ADD STRING "equipment_id"
    ADD STRING "severity"
    ADD STRING "timestamp"

DEFINE ACTION ProcessAlarm
ON TOPIC "alarms/+/raw" DO
    SET "equip_id" WITH TOPIC POSITION 2
    PUBLISH MODEL AlarmRecord TO "alarms/structured/" + {equip_id} WITH
        alarm_id = (RANDOM UUID)
        equipment_id = {equip_id}
        severity = (GET JSON "severity" IN PAYLOAD AS STRING)
        timestamp = TIMESTAMP "UTC"

Models: Inheritance for Consistency

When you have a family of related data types, define a base COLLAPSED model and extend it:
DEFINE MODEL BaseAlert COLLAPSED
    ADD STRING "alert_id"
    ADD STRING "timestamp"
    ADD STRING "severity"
    ADD STRING "message"

DEFINE MODEL TemperatureAlert FROM BaseAlert
    ADD DOUBLE "temperature_value"
    ADD DOUBLE "threshold"
    ADD STRING "sensor_location"

DEFINE MODEL PressureAlert FROM BaseAlert
    ADD DOUBLE "pressure_value"
    ADD DOUBLE "max_safe_pressure"
    ADD STRING "system_affected"

Rules: Priority and Scope

Rules are evaluated by priority (lower number = higher priority). Structure them as specific deny rules first, then broader allow rules:
DEFINE RULE ProtectSysTopics WITH PRIORITY 10 FOR PublishSys
    IF USER IS "root" THEN
        ALLOW
    ELSE
        DENY

DEFINE RULE AllowDevicePublish WITH PRIORITY 50 FOR Publish TO TOPIC "sensors/#"
    IF USER HAS AllowedSensorPublish THEN
        ALLOW
    ELSE
        DENY
PracticeGuideline
Priority 1–20Critical deny rules (system protection)
Priority 21–50Specific allow rules (per-feature access)
Priority 51–100General allow rules (broad access)
Condition stylePrefer USER HAS <permission> over USER IS "<name>" for maintainability

Routes: Clear Configuration

Name route mappings descriptively and group related mappings within a single route definition:
DEFINE ROUTE CloudSync WITH TYPE MQTT_BRIDGE
    ADD SOURCE_CONFIG
        WITH BROKER SELF
    ADD DESTINATION_CONFIG
        WITH BROKER_ADDRESS "iot.cloudprovider.com"
        WITH BROKER_PORT '8883'
        WITH CLIENT_ID "EdgeDevice-Factory1"
        WITH USE_TLS true
    ADD MAPPING sensorData
        WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "sensors/#"
        WITH DESTINATION_TOPIC "factory1/sensors/#"
        WITH DIRECTION "out"
    ADD MAPPING inboundCommands
        WITH SOURCE_TOPIC "local/commands/#"
        WITH DESTINATION_TOPIC "factory1/commands/#"
        WITH DIRECTION "in"

Anti-Patterns

These are the most common mistakes in LoT development. Avoid them whether you’re writing code manually or reviewing AI-generated output.
Anti-PatternWhy It’s BadDo This Instead
Omitting type casts in mathImplicit type handling leads to silent errorsAlways cast: PAYLOAD AS DOUBLE, GET TOPIC ... AS DOUBLE
Triggering models on timestampsTimestamps update every tick — model fires constantlyTrigger on the primary data field: AS TRIGGER on value, not timestamp
Inconsistent naming across modelssensorID in one model, sensor_id in anotherStandardize on snake_case for all field names
Using Python for native LoT tasksPython adds overhead for simple publish/get/if operationsUse Python only for math libraries, ML, API calls, or complex parsing
Leaving $SYS/# topics unrestrictedSystem topics contain broker commands and sensitive dataCreate a priority-10 Rule restricting PublishSys and SubscribeSys
Generic entity namesAction1, Rule1, MyRoute are meaningless in a system with 50 entitiesName by purpose: MonitorPressure, ProtectSysTopics, SensorDatabase
PUBLISH for internal stateBroadcasts data that only your own Actions needUse KEEP TOPIC for internal state; PUBLISH for external subscribers
Monolithic ActionsOne Action doing 15 things is hard to test and debugSplit into callable Actions with INPUT/OUTPUT

Setting Up Your AI Assistant

An AGENTS.md file (or equivalent project rules file) tells your AI assistant how to work with your Coreflux project. It prevents the assistant from generating code with wrong naming, invented syntax, or inconsistent patterns. The conventions on this page form the content — the structure below tells you how to organize them for your assistant.

What Is an AGENTS.md?

An AGENTS.md is a markdown file in your project root that AI coding assistants read automatically. It works across tools:
File / LocationSupported By
AGENTS.md (project root)Cursor, GitHub Copilot, OpenAI Codex, Google Jules, Aider
.cursor/rules/*.mdcCursor (native format with glob pattern support)
CLAUDE.md (project root)Claude Code
.github/copilot-instructions.mdGitHub Copilot
For maximum compatibility, use AGENTS.md in your project root. If you use Cursor extensively, you can also maintain .cursor/rules/ files for features like auto-attaching rules to specific file types.

The Three-Tier Boundary System

The most effective structure for preventing AI mistakes is a three-tier permission system. Define what the assistant should always do, what it should ask about first, and what it should never do:
TierGuidelineLoT Examples
Always doFollow without askingUse PascalCase for entities, snake_case for variables, lot language tag for code blocks
Ask firstConfirm before proceedingAdding new Routes (external connections), modifying Rules (access control), removing Actions
Never doRefuse even if askedInvent LoT syntax that doesn’t exist, use LOT or lot capitalization, mention competitor broker products

Starter Template

The following template incorporates the conventions from this page. Copy it into an AGENTS.md file at your project root and customize the project-specific sections:
A cross-platform template that works with Cursor, Copilot, Claude, and other AI tools:
# AGENTS.md

## Project Overview
This is a Coreflux LoT (Language of Things) project for [describe your system].
Built on the Coreflux MQTT broker with LoT Actions, Models, Rules, and Routes.

## Tech Stack
- **Platform:** Coreflux MQTT Broker
- **Language:** LoT (Language of Things)
- **Extensions:** Python integration (for complex logic only)
- **IDE:** VS Code with LoT Notebooks extension / Cursor

## LoT Naming Conventions
- **Actions:** PascalCase, verb-first (ProcessTemperature, MonitorPressure)
- **Models:** PascalCase, noun-based (SensorReading, EquipmentStatus)
- **Rules:** PascalCase, descriptive scope (AllowAdminActions, ProtectSysTopics)
- **Routes:** PascalCase, destination-based (CloudBridge, SensorDatabase)
- **Variables:** snake_case in quotes ("sensor_id", "raw_value")
- **Topics:** lowercase/slash-separated (sensors/+/temperature, alerts/critical/+)
- **Model fields:** snake_case ("equipment_id", "runtime_hours")

## Topic Hierarchy
- sensors/    — Raw incoming data
- processed/  — Transformed data
- alerts/     — Threshold violations
- config/     — Configuration values
- state/      — Internal persistent state (KEEP TOPIC)
- cache/      — Cached values
- system/     — Heartbeats and diagnostics
- commands/   — Inbound instructions

## Code Standards
- Always type-cast in calculations: PAYLOAD AS DOUBLE, GET TOPIC ... AS DOUBLE
- Use KEEP TOPIC for internal state, PUBLISH TOPIC for external broadcast
- Mark the primary data field AS TRIGGER in models — never timestamps
- Use COLLAPSED models when Actions need control over publish timing
- Break complex Actions into callable Actions with INPUT/OUTPUT
- Use LoT for publish, subscribe, conditionals, math — Python only for
  ML, complex parsing, or external library calls

## Do
- Always respect the indentation of 4 spaces per additional level
- Use PascalCase for all entity names
- Use snake_case for all variables and model fields
- Add type casts to every numeric operation
- Use descriptive names that explain purpose
- Use lot as the code block language identifier
- Booleans and integers do not use quotes
- Consult the Coreflux MCP for documentation when unsure
- Routes that call functions from other protocols (like SQL queries) are not limited to the functionalities listed in this documentation, the full range of that external element is usually functional

## Don't
- Do not invent LoT syntax — only use documented keywords
- Do not use LOT (all caps) or lot (lowercase) — always LoT
- Do not mention competitor products (Mosquitto, HiveMQ, etc.)
- Do not trigger models on timestamp fields
- Do not use PUBLISH for internal-only state
- Do not create monolithic Actions — split into callables

## Ask First
- Before adding or modifying Routes (external system connections)
- Before modifying Rules (access control changes)
- Before removing any existing Action, Model, Rule, or Route
- Before using Python — confirm LoT can't handle it natively first

## Never
- Never hardcode credentials in Route definitions for production
- Never leave $SYS/# topics unrestricted
- Never skip type casting in mathematical operations
- Never generate LoT syntax you haven't verified in the documentation

Keeping It Effective

The best project rules files share these qualities:
QualityWhy It Matters
Specific”Use PascalCase for Actions” beats “use good naming”
Example-drivenOne code snippet beats three paragraphs of description
IterativeStart small, then add rules when you see the AI make a mistake
CurrentUpdate the file as your project conventions evolve
ConciseA 50-line focused file outperforms a 500-line generic one
Do not include credentials, API keys, or sensitive connection strings in your AGENTS.md or rules files. These files are typically committed to version control.

Quick Reference Checklist

Use this checklist when reviewing LoT code — whether written by you or generated by an AI assistant:
  • All entity names are PascalCase and descriptive
  • All variables and model fields are snake_case
  • All topics are lowercase with slash separators
  • All numeric operations include explicit type casts (AS DOUBLE, AS INT)
  • Models trigger on primary data fields, not timestamps
  • Internal state uses KEEP TOPIC, not PUBLISH TOPIC
  • Complex logic is split into callable Actions with INPUT/OUTPUT
  • Rules use permission tags (USER HAS) over user names (USER IS)
  • Python is used only where LoT can’t handle the task natively
  • $SYS/# topics are protected by a high-priority Rule

Next Steps