David Snelling
9e307e457f
Brainy 7.30.0 introduced a memory-derived synchronous cap on `find({ limit })`
to prevent OOM. The cap was sound in intent but ~4x too conservative in
calibration: assumed 100 KB per result while typical entity footprint is 7-10 KB
(384-dim float32 vector ≈ 1.5 KB + standard fields + metadata). On a 900 MB
free-memory box the cap derived to 9000 — breaking common safety-cap patterns
like `find({ type, where, limit: 10_000 })` that typically return 10-500
entities. Surfaced as a runtime regression with cascading 500s degrading
production dashboards.
Three concurrent fixes:
A. RECALIBRATE THE FORMULA
- src/utils/paramValidation.ts:175,196,212 — the three memory-derived priorities
(reservedQueryMemory / containerMemory / freeMemory) all divided by
100 * 1024 * 1024 (100 KB per result, ~10-15x over conservative). Replaced
with a new MAX_LIMIT_KB_PER_RESULT = 25 constant that matches observed
entity size.
- Result: 4 GB container cap goes 10_000 → 40_000; 2 GB cap goes 5_000 →
20_000; 900 MB free-memory cap goes 9_000 → ~36_000. 100k hard ceiling
unchanged. `maxQueryLimit` / `reservedQueryMemory` constructor overrides
unchanged in behavior.
B. TWO-TIER ENFORCEMENT (warn-then-throw)
- Below cap (limit <= maxLimit): silent pass, unchanged.
- Soft tier (maxLimit < limit <= 2 * maxLimit): NEW — one-time warning per
call site (dedup keyed on caller stack frame + limit value), query
proceeds. Pre-7.30.2 code that relied on the cap silently allowing typical
safety-cap limits keeps working; the warning teaches the recipe so consumers
can fix it intentionally.
- Hard tier (limit > 2 * maxLimit): throw with the same teaching message
format. Real OOM territory; the cap stops being a recommendation and becomes
a guardrail.
- The 2x soft margin absorbs typical safety-cap patterns (limit: 10_000
against a 9 K-cap box) without disabling OOM protection. Real OOM territory
on a JS in-memory brain is hundreds of thousands of results, not 10x the
safety cap.
C. IMPROVED ERROR / WARNING MESSAGE
- Same shape as the 7.30.1 enforcement-error messages: state the problem,
name the three escape valves (maxQueryLimit / reservedQueryMemory /
pagination), include caller location, link to docs.
- Extracted findCallerLocation() helper from brainy.ts to a new
src/utils/callerLocation.ts so both the subtype enforcement (7.30.1) and
the limit enforcement (7.30.2) share one implementation without circular
imports.
DOCS
- New docs/guides/find-limits.md (public: true) — full reference: why the cap
exists, the four memory sources the auto-config considers, the three escape
valves with when-to-use-which guidance, and an explicit "pagination is the
future-proof pattern" callout (8.0 may tighten the cap further; pagination
keeps working unchanged).
- docs/api/README.md find() entry gets a one-paragraph `limit` tip + pointer
to the new guide.
- RELEASES.md v7.30.2 entry.
TESTS
- New tests/integration/find-limits.test.ts (9 tests): below-cap silent pass;
soft-tier warns once per call site (dedup verified by exercising same vs.
different source lines via wrapper closures); soft-tier message format
(names all three escape valves + docs link); soft-tier message includes
caller location; hard-tier throws; hard-tier message format same as
soft-tier; consumer maxQueryLimit override raises the cap and shifts both
tiers accordingly; pre-7.30.2 regression scenario explicitly covered.
- tests/unit/utils/memoryLimits.test.ts — 4 tests updated for the recalibrated
cap values (hardcoded expected numbers bumped 4x to match new 25 KB/result
assumption).
- tests/unit/utils/paramValidation.test.ts — auto-limit test extended to cover
the three-tier semantics (below-cap pass / soft-tier silent / hard-tier
throw).
- Existing suites unchanged: subtype-and-facets 26/26, verb-subtype-and-
enforcement 30/30, strict-mode-self-test 13/13. Unit 1468/1468.
CORTEX COMPATIBILITY
- Zero Cortex changes required. Every change is JS-side: formula recalibration
runs in ValidationConfig.constructor(), two-tier enforcement runs in
validateFindParams(), both fire before any storage / index / Cortex call.
- The new guide notes that Brainy 8.0's Datomic-style Db.find() may tighten
per-call limits to keep snapshot semantics cheap; pagination remains the
pattern that's guaranteed to keep working.
REPO-WIDE CLEANUP
Brainy is the only Soulcraft project that is open source. This commit also
scrubs closed-source product names and product-specific class/field references
from every tracked file in the repo (src/, docs/, tests/, RELEASES.md,
CHANGELOG.md). Consumer-reported bugs, regression scenarios, and release
notes now refer to "a consumer", "a downstream application", "a production
deployment", or "an internal report" — never to the named product. Two
product-named test files renamed to neutral diagnostic names. CLAUDE.md gains
a project-level guard rule documenting the policy and an example list of the
identifiers that may not appear in tracked code.
Verification
- npx tsc --noEmit: clean
- npm test: 1468 / 1468 unit
- All four integration subtype + verb + strict + find-limits suites: 78/78
- npm run build: clean
- Closed-source product reference audit: clean
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|---|---|---|
| .. | ||
| api | ||
| architecture | ||
| augmentations | ||
| concepts | ||
| deployment | ||
| features | ||
| guides | ||
| operations | ||
| vfs | ||
| BATCHING.md | ||
| CREATING-AUGMENTATIONS.md | ||
| DATA_MODEL.md | ||
| DEVELOPER_LEARNING_PATH.md | ||
| eli5.md | ||
| EXTENDING_STORAGE.md | ||
| FIND_SYSTEM.md | ||
| MIGRATION-V3-TO-V4.md | ||
| neural-extraction.md | ||
| PERFORMANCE.md | ||
| PLUGINS.md | ||
| PRODUCTION_SERVICE_ARCHITECTURE.md | ||
| QUERY_OPERATORS.md | ||
| README.md | ||
| RELEASE-GUIDE.md | ||
| SCALING.md | ||
| STAGE3-CANONICAL-TAXONOMY.md | ||
| transactions.md | ||
| troubleshooting.md | ||
| universal-display-augmentation.md | ||
Brainy Documentation
The multi-dimensional AI database with Triple Intelligence — vector search, graph traversal, and metadata filtering in one unified API.
Quick Start
import { Brainy, NounType, VerbType } from '@soulcraft/brainy'
const brain = new Brainy()
await brain.init()
// Add entities — data is embedded for semantic search, metadata is indexed for filtering
const id = await brain.add({
data: 'Revolutionary AI Breakthrough',
type: NounType.Document,
metadata: { category: 'technology', rating: 4.8 }
})
// Search with Triple Intelligence
const results = await brain.find({
query: 'artificial intelligence', // Semantic search (on data)
where: { rating: { greaterThan: 4.0 } }, // Metadata filter
connected: { from: authorId, depth: 2 } // Graph traversal
})
Core Documentation
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| API Reference | Complete API documentation — start here |
| Data Model | Entity structure, data vs metadata, storage fields |
| Query Operators | All BFO operators with examples and indexed/in-memory matrix |
| Find System | Natural language find() and hybrid search details |
Architecture
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| Architecture Overview | High-level system design |
| Triple Intelligence | Vector + Graph + Metadata unified query |
| Noun-Verb Taxonomy | 42 nouns + 127 verbs type system |
| Stage 3 Canonical Taxonomy | Complete type reference |
| Storage Architecture | Storage adapters and optimization |
| Index Architecture | HNSW, Graph, and Metadata indexing |
| Zero Configuration | Auto-adapts to any environment |
Virtual Filesystem (VFS)
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| VFS Quick Start | Get started in 30 seconds |
| VFS Core | Core concepts and architecture |
| VFS API Guide | Complete VFS API reference |
| Common Patterns | VFS usage patterns |
See vfs/ for the complete VFS documentation set.
Guides
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| Import Anything | CSV, Excel, PDF, URL imports |
| Natural Language | Query in plain English |
| Neural API | AI-powered features |
| Enterprise for Everyone | No limits, no tiers |
| Framework Integration | React, Vue, Angular, Svelte |
Storage & Deployment
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| Cloud Deployment | Deploy on AWS, GCP, Azure, Cloudflare |
| Extending Storage | Create custom storage adapters |
| AWS S3 Cost Optimization | 96% cost savings |
| GCS Cost Optimization | 94% savings with Autoclass |
| Azure Cost Optimization | 95% savings |
| R2 Cost Optimization | Zero egress fees |
| Capacity Planning | Scale to millions of entities |
Plugins & Augmentations
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| Plugins | Plugin system overview |
| Creating Augmentations | Build custom plugins |
| Augmentations Reference | Full augmentation API |
| Augmentations Developer Guide | Plugin development guide |
Performance & Scaling
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| Performance | Optimization techniques |
| Scaling | Scale to billions of entities |
| Batching | Batch operations guide |
Migration & Reference
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| v3 to v4 Migration | Upgrade guide |
| Release Guide | How to release new versions |
| Production Architecture | Ops reference |
Internal
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| Audit Report | Feature audit |
| Honest Status | Actual implementation status |
License
Brainy is MIT licensed. See LICENSE for details.