Relationship layer
The Weave
The Weave is the map between decisions. It helps a person ask: what is this connected to, what is the better alternative, who owns it, what does it resemble, and where can my values travel next?
What it answers
Connections without platform capture
This is not a recommendation feed. It is a relationship layer that can be inspected and federated like any other evidence file.
Useful forms
The first weave edges
Start small and honest. Every useful connection is a public edge with a source or clear basis, not a black-box suggestion.
Belongs to
Brand, parent company, conglomerate, category, and supply chain relationships.
Substitutes for
Values-fit alternatives that make a switch practical instead of merely symbolic.
Rhymes with
Cross-domain analogies that help people carry a value from one area to another.
Organizes with
Links from individual decisions to shared assemblies, slates, and campaigns.
Relationship contract
An edge is a claim someone can inspect
The Weave should make relationships easier to trust, not harder. Every edge needs a clear shape and a way to be challenged.
Stable ends
Name both endpoints with stable option, organization, category, or external identifiers.
Typed verb
Use a plain relation such as owned-by, alternative-to, made-by, resembles, or organizes-with.
Receipt or computed label
Asserted edges need a source; computed resemblance must say it is computed from value signatures.
Forkable edge
A challenged relationship should become a patch or fork, not an invisible ranking tweak.
Edge file
A relationship is a small sourced record
A Weave contribution should be as inspectable as a lens patch: two stable nodes, one relation, a source, and an as-of date when the claim can change.
from + rel + to and keep provenance.{
"format": "open-values-edges",
"version": "0.1",
"edges": [{
"from": "ovs:vpn/expressvpn",
"rel": "owned-by",
"to": "ovs:org/kape-technologies",
"source": "public acquisition record",
"asof": "2026"
}]
}Contribute an edge
Make the relationship useful enough to act on
The best edge contributions help someone switch, trace, compare, or organize. A vague association is not enough; the relationship should change a real decision.
Identify both nodes
Use existing option, brand, organization, category, or stable external identifiers.
Choose the relation
Use clear verbs such as owned-by, alternative-to, made-by, resembles, or organizes-with.
Attach a receipt
Include a source URL, as-of date, and note when the relationship is computed rather than asserted.
Send it as a patch
Use the contribution path so maintainers can inspect, merge, fork, or reverse the edge.
Where it becomes real
Edges should lead to better next moves
The Weave is strongest when each relationship sends a person toward a clearer action, not just a prettier map.
Better substitutes
Show credible alternatives when a value conflict is real.
Ownership context
Reveal parent-company and dependency relationships that affect trust.
Cross-instance paths
Let a value learned in one domain travel into another domain.
Collective action
Connect personal choices to assemblies, slates, and campaigns.