Signal Column Flow

c38.qcontrol-visibility-storytelling clarified a promising design direction: a horizontal surface that explains how many low-level traces become a smaller set of session objects and then a readable explanation. That concept exists as a brief and a one-page wireframe spec, but it is not yet a living surface inside this project.

We want a real prototype page in the design site so this idea can evolve through implementation, not just notes. The component also needs to stay close to current qcontrol work, which means it should support mock session scenarios now and have a practical path toward reading a locally running qcontrol feed during the cycle.

Build the first working signal-column flow prototype in this repo as a Vue + SVG hybrid component, with a dedicated page under /visualization and a local qcontrol runtime-session hook for live experimentation.

In:

• cycle record and kickoff artifacts in cycles/c41.signal-column-flow/
• reusable signal-column component in the Nuxt app
• mock signal scenarios for design iteration
• a dedicated prototype page in the design site
• local qcontrol proxy wiring for the current runtime-session feed

Out for now:

• production information architecture for qcontrol dashboards
• final visual language for all authority states
• a true raw-event live feed if the current bridge only exposes reduced session output
• committing to this as a shared package before the interaction model settles

• Added app/components/SignalColumnFlow.vue as the first Vue + SVG hybrid implementation of the signal-column surface
• Added app/data/signal-column-flow.ts with reusable scenario data, authority vocabulary, and an adapter from reduced qcontrol runtime-session output
• Added /visualization/signal-column-flow as a working prototype page with mock scenarios, selection, inspector UI, and optional live refresh
• Added /api/qcontrol/runtime-session proxy support plus QCONTROL_BASE_URL configuration for local experimentation
• Added a visualization index entry so the prototype is discoverable alongside qmap, qflow, and qpixel

The first working prototype now exists in the repo and is ready for iterative design work. It already supports:

• multiple mock scenarios for layout and truth-model exploration
• click-through path highlighting and a focus inspector
• a local qcontrol runtime-session proxy for reduced live data
• an explicit note that live mode currently synthesizes the left column from reduced session flows

This keeps the cycle active: the component is real enough to iterate on, but the interaction language, density rules, and live-data contract are still deliberately open questions.

1. How much density can the left column hold before the surface stops reading as explanatory?
2. Is a four-column ending more useful than the simpler three-column model for qcontrol-style sessions?
3. Which authority states need distinct edge treatments versus node treatments?
4. How should the live version behave when the currently available qcontrol feed is already reduced rather than truly raw?
5. When does this pattern become a local dashboard surface versus a shared visualization primitive?