Every candidate component should pass explicit sensory and provenance quality gates before it enters the creative formula search.
A character that is undesirable alone may be useful at low dose; the gate must distinguish a true defect or reliability failure from target-relative intensity.
Pre-formulation gates prevent the search process from spending time disguising defects or using unreliable components. The gate can include sensory fitness, traceability, stock condition, and reconstruction feasibility.
Synthesized from the Don Livermore research cluster; retain as a testable workflow claim rather than a universal sensory law.
A Zettel is one durable idea in your own words—not a quotation, source summary, or draft-book claim.
Atomic idea
State one complete idea. It should be understandable on its own and specific enough to connect to other notes.
Reasoning
Explain why the idea is true or useful in Rationale and Implications. Record meaningful objections or exceptions in Counterpoints.
Provenance
Connect one or more Literature Notes. Direct source relations are legacy-only; trace evidence through the literature-note and excerpt chain.
Connections
Apply approved Tags for retrieval and one or more Themes only when the note genuinely advances those interpretive threads.