Monday, 28 September 202690 files read0 skipped

Under the hood

How the paper is made, and what it leaves out.

How it’s madeEvery Monday, before dawn

The Circular is a registry, of the kind anyone may run (§8.5), set as a newspaper. Its reader was written by Imani Brooks, a correspondent, and it does eleven things in order.

Read twenty-eight well-known files. One per site, at /.well-known/kindling-pool on its domain (§8.3, §10.1). Registries must be able to read them without asking, and the paper doesn’t ask.
Check each file. Against well_known_pool.schema.json. All 28 valid.
Read the 60 manifests they list. Only addresses a file lists; the paper never guesses one (§3.1). Each must be on the same host as the file that lists it, the authority check RFC 0007 asks crawlers to make.
Check each manifest. Against pool_manifest.schema.json. All 60 valid.
Keep public Pools. A Pool listed or declared unlisted or invite-only would be dropped here (§3.2). Today none was listed.
Drop noindex profiles. Any entry whose parsed profile says kindling_noindex is left out (§2.7). Today there were none, of 344 entries.
Keep status as published. Dormant prints as dormant, archived as archived (§9.1, §9.4). The project’s Pools print as planned, on the project’s word.
Read two block lists. The ones the printed Pools subscribe to (§7.3).
Count the members. A member is an organization whose Pools read the consortium’s list, as each manifest’s block_list_subscriptions says. That makes twenty-three, this paper among them: twenty-two seen in the manifests, and Queer Harbor, whose file lists no Pools, from the desk’s own roll. Members propose and second entries, so the desk knows who they are. A site that keeps no Pools is a reader, not a member, and the project, whose Pools read only its own list, is not a member.
Group people by address. One page, one address, however many Pools list it (§3.5). Except the personal columns: personals, non-monogamy and chosen family are never joined up with anyone’s other columns.
Print. Every Monday. Profiles are as each Pool last parsed them; the paper parses nothing itself. The apps’ own Pools, five of them, are set as a directory with counts and a link, not as ads.

Every file read90 files

Each address is where the file is published. The local copy is the same file, mirrored beside these pages, and the build checks that the two are identical.

90 files, read in this order on 28 September 2026, as `circular-reader (+https://thecircular.example/under-the-hood.html)`
Read at	File	Address	Local copy	Held	Schema
05:00:01 UTC	Well-known file · Roomful	roomful.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	roomful/.well-known/kindling-pool	0 Pools listed	Valid
05:00:02 UTC	Well-known file · Familiar Faces	familiarfaces.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	familiar-faces/.well-known/kindling-pool	0 Pools listed	Valid
05:00:03 UTC	Well-known file · Many Moons	manymoons.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	many-moons/.well-known/kindling-pool	2 Pools listed	Valid
05:00:04 UTC	Pool manifest · Many Moons	manymoons.example/pools/harbor-counties.json	many-moons/pools/harbor-counties.json	7 entries, 7 printed	Valid
05:00:05 UTC	Pool manifest · Many Moons	manymoons.example/pools/solo-poly-supper.json	many-moons/pools/solo-poly-supper.json	2 entries, 2 printed	Valid
05:00:06 UTC	Well-known file · Hearthhold	hearthhold.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	hearthhold/.well-known/kindling-pool	2 Pools listed	Valid
05:00:07 UTC	Pool manifest · Hearthhold	hearthhold.example/pools/platonic-partners.json	hearthhold/pools/platonic-partners.json	3 entries, 3 printed	Valid
05:00:08 UTC	Pool manifest · Hearthhold	hearthhold.example/pools/later-life-housemates.json	hearthhold/pools/later-life-housemates.json	3 entries, 3 printed	Valid
05:00:09 UTC	Well-known file · Late Supper	latesupper.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	late-supper/.well-known/kindling-pool	1 Pool listed	Valid
05:00:10 UTC	Pool manifest · Late Supper	latesupper.example/pools/matchmakers.json	late-supper/pools/matchmakers.json	1 entry, 1 printed	Valid
05:00:11 UTC	Well-known file · Scattered Light	scatteredlight.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	scattered-light/.well-known/kindling-pool	1 Pool listed	Valid
05:00:12 UTC	Pool manifest · Scattered Light	scatteredlight.example/pools/stewards.json	scattered-light/pools/stewards.json	3 entries, 3 printed	Valid
05:00:13 UTC	Well-known file · Foul Weather Friends	foulweatherfriends.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	foul-weather-friends/.well-known/kindling-pool	3 Pools listed	Valid
05:00:14 UTC	Pool manifest · Foul Weather Friends	foulweatherfriends.example/pools/lend-and-borrow.json	foul-weather-friends/pools/lend-and-borrow.json	7 entries, 7 printed	Valid
05:00:15 UTC	Pool manifest · Foul Weather Friends	foulweatherfriends.example/pools/rides-to-appointments.json	foul-weather-friends/pools/rides-to-appointments.json	3 entries, 3 printed	Valid
05:00:16 UTC	Pool manifest · Foul Weather Friends	foulweatherfriends.example/pools/meals-when-its-hard.json	foul-weather-friends/pools/meals-when-its-hard.json	4 entries, 4 printed	Valid
05:00:17 UTC	Well-known file · Midspan	midspan.ellerycoast.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	midspan/.well-known/kindling-pool	1 Pool listed	Valid
05:00:18 UTC	Pool manifest · Midspan	midspan.ellerycoast.example/pools/midspan-mentors.json	midspan/pools/midspan-mentors.json	5 entries, 5 printed	Valid
05:00:19 UTC	Well-known file · Seen Work	seenwork.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	seen-work/.well-known/kindling-pool	1 Pool listed	Valid
05:00:20 UTC	Pool manifest · Seen Work	seenwork.example/pools/seen-work-curators.json	seen-work/pools/seen-work-curators.json	2 entries, 2 printed	Valid
05:00:21 UTC	Well-known file · The Board	board.elleryfreelibrary.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	board/.well-known/kindling-pool	7 Pools listed	Valid
05:00:22 UTC	Pool manifest · The Board	board.elleryfreelibrary.example/pools/tuesday-walkers.json	board/pools/tuesday-walkers.json	4 entries, 4 printed	Valid
05:00:23 UTC	Pool manifest · The Board	board.elleryfreelibrary.example/pools/seed-swap.json	board/pools/seed-swap.json	3 entries, 3 printed	Valid
05:00:24 UTC	Pool manifest · The Board	board.elleryfreelibrary.example/pools/conversation-partners.json	board/pools/conversation-partners.json	3 entries, 3 printed	Valid
05:00:25 UTC	Pool manifest · The Board	board.elleryfreelibrary.example/pools/carpool-to-the-coast.json	board/pools/carpool-to-the-coast.json	2 entries, 2 printed	Valid
05:00:26 UTC	Pool manifest · The Board	board.elleryfreelibrary.example/pools/chess-after-close.json	board/pools/chess-after-close.json	3 entries, 3 printed	Valid
05:00:27 UTC	Pool manifest · The Board	board.elleryfreelibrary.example/pools/new-in-town.json	board/pools/new-in-town.json	2 entries, 2 printed	Valid
05:00:28 UTC	Pool manifest · The Board	board.elleryfreelibrary.example/pools/fix-it-friday.json	board/pools/fix-it-friday.json	3 entries, 3 printed	Valid
05:00:29 UTC	Well-known file · Ferry Room Players	ferryroom.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	ferry-room/.well-known/kindling-pool	5 Pools listed	Valid
05:00:30 UTC	Pool manifest · Ferry Room Players	ferryroom.example/pools/friday-subs.json	ferry-room/pools/friday-subs.json	3 entries, 3 printed	Valid
05:00:31 UTC	Pool manifest · Ferry Room Players	ferryroom.example/pools/start-a-band.json	ferry-room/pools/start-a-band.json	4 entries, 4 printed	Valid
05:00:32 UTC	Pool manifest · Ferry Room Players	ferryroom.example/pools/horns-and-strings.json	ferry-room/pools/horns-and-strings.json	2 entries, 2 printed	Valid
05:00:33 UTC	Pool manifest · Ferry Room Players	ferryroom.example/pools/demo-swap.json	ferry-room/pools/demo-swap.json	2 entries, 2 printed	Valid
05:00:34 UTC	Pool manifest · Ferry Room Players	ferryroom.example/pools/door-and-sound-crew.json	ferry-room/pools/door-and-sound-crew.json	1 entry, 1 printed	Valid
05:00:35 UTC	Well-known file · Correo Lento	correolento.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	correo-lento/.well-known/kindling-pool	4 Pools listed	Valid
05:00:36 UTC	Pool manifest · Correo Lento	correolento.example/pools/espanol-english.json	correo-lento/pools/espanol-english.json	4 entries, 4 printed	Valid
05:00:37 UTC	Pool manifest · Correo Lento	correolento.example/pools/portugues-english.json	correo-lento/pools/portugues-english.json	4 entries, 4 printed	Valid
05:00:38 UTC	Pool manifest · Correo Lento	correolento.example/pools/francais-english.json	correo-lento/pools/francais-english.json	2 entries, 2 printed	Valid
05:00:39 UTC	Pool manifest · Correo Lento	correolento.example/pools/tagalog-english.json	correo-lento/pools/tagalog-english.json	2 entries, 2 printed	Valid
05:00:40 UTC	Well-known file · The Circular	thecircular.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	.well-known/kindling-pool	1 Pool listed	Valid
05:00:41 UTC	Pool manifest · The Circular	thecircular.example/pools/correspondents.json	pools/correspondents.json	4 entries, 4 printed	Valid
05:00:42 UTC	Well-known file · Drip Line	driplineclimbing.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	drip-line/.well-known/kindling-pool	4 Pools listed	Valid
05:00:43 UTC	Pool manifest · Drip Line	driplineclimbing.example/pools/drip-line-belay.json	drip-line/pools/drip-line-belay.json	6 entries, 6 printed	Valid
05:00:44 UTC	Pool manifest · Drip Line	driplineclimbing.example/pools/drip-line-regulars.json	drip-line/pools/drip-line-regulars.json	6 entries, 6 printed	Valid
05:00:45 UTC	Pool manifest · Drip Line	driplineclimbing.example/pools/drip-line-saturday-run.json	drip-line/pools/drip-line-saturday-run.json	7 entries, 7 printed	Valid
05:00:46 UTC	Pool manifest · Drip Line	driplineclimbing.example/pools/drip-line-new.json	drip-line/pools/drip-line-new.json	2 entries, 2 printed	Valid
05:00:47 UTC	Well-known file · Ada Quillon	adaquillon.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	ada-quillon/.well-known/kindling-pool	4 Pools listed	Valid
05:00:48 UTC	Pool manifest · Ada Quillon	adaquillon.example/pools/ada-listeners.json	ada-quillon/pools/ada-listeners.json	12 entries, 12 printed	Valid
05:00:49 UTC	Pool manifest · Ada Quillon	adaquillon.example/pools/release-night-port-ellery.json	ada-quillon/pools/release-night-port-ellery.json	3 entries, 3 printed	Valid
05:00:50 UTC	Pool manifest · Ada Quillon	adaquillon.example/pools/house-show-tacoma.json	ada-quillon/pools/house-show-tacoma.json	3 entries, 3 printed	Valid
05:00:51 UTC	Pool manifest · Ada Quillon	adaquillon.example/pools/portland-october-23.json	ada-quillon/pools/portland-october-23.json	2 entries, 2 printed	Valid
05:00:52 UTC	Well-known file · Rain Check	raincheckgames.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	rain-check/.well-known/kindling-pool	6 Pools listed	Valid
05:00:53 UTC	Pool manifest · Rain Check	raincheckgames.example/pools/rain-check-everyone.json	rain-check/pools/rain-check-everyone.json	18 entries, 18 printed	Valid
05:00:54 UTC	Pool manifest · Rain Check	raincheckgames.example/pools/rain-check-port-ellery.json	rain-check/pools/rain-check-port-ellery.json	5 entries, 5 printed	Valid
05:00:55 UTC	Pool manifest · Rain Check	raincheckgames.example/pools/rain-check-olympia.json	rain-check/pools/rain-check-olympia.json	3 entries, 3 printed	Valid
05:00:56 UTC	Pool manifest · Rain Check	raincheckgames.example/pools/rain-check-tacoma.json	rain-check/pools/rain-check-tacoma.json	4 entries, 4 printed	Valid
05:00:57 UTC	Pool manifest · Rain Check	raincheckgames.example/pools/rain-check-portland.json	rain-check/pools/rain-check-portland.json	3 entries, 3 printed	Valid
05:00:58 UTC	Pool manifest · Rain Check	raincheckgames.example/pools/rain-check-game-day.json	rain-check/pools/rain-check-game-day.json	8 entries, 8 printed	Valid
05:00:59 UTC	Well-known file · Slack Water	slackwaterfest.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	slack-water/.well-known/kindling-pool	5 Pools listed	Valid
05:01:00 UTC	Pool manifest · Slack Water	slackwaterfest.example/pools/slack-water-2026.json	slack-water/pools/slack-water-2026.json	18 entries, 18 printed	Valid
05:01:01 UTC	Pool manifest · Slack Water	slackwaterfest.example/pools/slack-water-2025.json	slack-water/pools/slack-water-2025.json	7 entries, 7 printed	Valid
05:01:02 UTC	Pool manifest · Slack Water	slackwaterfest.example/pools/slack-water-sessions.json	slack-water/pools/slack-water-sessions.json	8 entries, 8 printed	Valid
05:01:03 UTC	Pool manifest · Slack Water	slackwaterfest.example/pools/slack-water-crew.json	slack-water/pools/slack-water-crew.json	5 entries, 5 printed	Valid
05:01:04 UTC	Pool manifest · Slack Water	slackwaterfest.example/pools/slack-water-rides.json	slack-water/pools/slack-water-rides.json	5 entries, 5 printed	Valid
05:01:05 UTC	Well-known file · Wren’s List	wrenslist.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	independent/wrens-list/.well-known/kindling-pool	1 Pool listed	Valid
05:01:06 UTC	Pool manifest · Wren’s List	wrenslist.example/pools/date-me-docs-cascadia.json	independent/wrens-list/pools/date-me-docs-cascadia.json	4 entries, 4 printed	Valid
05:01:07 UTC	Well-known file · Second Tide Books	secondtidebooks.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	independent/second-tide/.well-known/kindling-pool	1 Pool listed	Valid
05:01:08 UTC	Pool manifest · Second Tide Books	secondtidebooks.example/pools/singles-shelf.json	independent/second-tide/pools/singles-shelf.json	4 entries, 4 printed	Valid
05:01:09 UTC	Well-known file · Queer Harbor	queerharbor.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	independent/queer-harbor/.well-known/kindling-pool	0 Pools listed	Valid
05:01:10 UTC	Well-known file · Face Up	faceup.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	apps/face-up/.well-known/kindling-pool	1 Pool listed	Valid
05:01:11 UTC	Pool manifest · Face Up	faceup.example/pools/face-up-cascadia.json	apps/face-up/pools/face-up-cascadia.json	22 entries, 22 printed	Valid
05:01:12 UTC	Well-known file · Heartwood	heartwood.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	apps/heartwood/.well-known/kindling-pool	2 Pools listed	Valid
05:01:13 UTC	Pool manifest · Heartwood	heartwood.example/pools/heartwood-nearby.json	apps/heartwood/pools/heartwood-nearby.json	23 entries, 23 printed	Valid
05:01:14 UTC	Pool manifest · Heartwood	heartwood.example/pools/heartwood-friends.json	apps/heartwood/pools/heartwood-friends.json	9 entries, 9 printed	Valid
05:01:15 UTC	Well-known file · Sundial	sundial.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	apps/sundial/.well-known/kindling-pool	1 Pool listed	Valid
05:01:16 UTC	Pool manifest · Sundial	sundial.example/pools/sundial-cascadia.json	apps/sundial/pools/sundial-cascadia.json	20 entries, 20 printed	Valid
05:01:17 UTC	Well-known file · Card Catalog	cardcatalog.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	apps/card-catalog/.well-known/kindling-pool	1 Pool listed	Valid
05:01:18 UTC	Pool manifest · Card Catalog	cardcatalog.example/pools/card-catalog-cascadia.json	apps/card-catalog/pools/card-catalog-cascadia.json	24 entries, 24 printed	Valid
05:01:19 UTC	Well-known file · Bellows	bellows.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	apps/bellows/.well-known/kindling-pool	0 Pools listed	Valid
05:01:20 UTC	Well-known file · Threshold	threshold.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	apps/threshold/.well-known/kindling-pool	0 Pools listed	Valid
05:01:21 UTC	Well-known file · Cape Tarrow Alumni	alumni.capetarrow.example/.well-known/kindling-pool	midspan/cape-tarrow/.well-known/kindling-pool	1 Pool listed	Valid
05:01:22 UTC	Pool manifest · Cape Tarrow Alumni	alumni.capetarrow.example/pools/first-gen-alumni.json	midspan/cape-tarrow/pools/first-gen-alumni.json	5 entries, 5 printed	Valid
05:01:23 UTC	Well-known file · Kindling (the project)	kindling.foundation/.well-known/kindling-pool	.well-known/kindling-pool	5 Pools listed	Valid
05:01:24 UTC	Pool manifest · Kindling (the project)	kindling.foundation/pools/founding-curators.json	product/pools/founding-curators.json	7 entries, 7 printed	Valid
05:01:25 UTC	Pool manifest · Kindling (the project)	kindling.foundation/pools/client-builders.json	product/pools/client-builders.json	3 entries, 3 printed	Valid
05:01:26 UTC	Pool manifest · Kindling (the project)	kindling.foundation/pools/spec-readers.json	product/pools/spec-readers.json	4 entries, 4 printed	Valid
05:01:27 UTC	Pool manifest · Kindling (the project)	kindling.foundation/pools/working-group.json	product/pools/working-group.json	3 entries, 3 printed	Valid
05:01:28 UTC	Pool manifest · Kindling (the project)	kindling.foundation/pools/writers-and-researchers.json	product/pools/writers-and-researchers.json	3 entries, 3 printed	Valid
05:01:29 UTC	Block list	protocol.kindling.foundation/blocklist.json	blocklist.json	version 3, 2 entries	Valid
05:01:30 UTC	Block list	thecircular.example/blocklist.json	blocklist.json	version 8, 4 entries	Valid

What it skipped, and why0 this week

Pools listed as unlisted or invite-only: 0. None of the twenty-eight files lists one, which is how it should be: those Pools travel by invitation, not by file.
Files that list no Pools: five. Roomful, Familiar Faces, Bellows and Threshold keep none; their files say so. Queer Harbor keeps one and lists none, and that is right too: Dee Okonkwo, who keeps it, says on their own page that the bar’s dating list is unlisted because the regulars asked (§3.2).
Manifests that declared themselves unlisted or invite-only: 0.
Profiles with kindling_noindex: 0 of 344 entries (§2.7).
Files that failed their schema: 0 of 90.
Manifests served from another host than their well-known file: 0.
Well-known entries that disagree with their manifest: 0. The paper compares status, name, intent tags and the last-updated date. Where they disagree, it prints the manifest and says so.
Status against activity. Every Pool that says active changed its manifest within 90 days. The nearest to the line is Client Builders, 88 days. A manifest date is not the whole story: a curator who reviews handshakes without editing the file is still active (§9.1).
Addresses the paper was never given. Not counted, and not guessed.
Profile pages and photos. Not fetched. The paper prints the parsed profile each Pool publishes and stores no photo bytes (§2.5).

Block listsPublic, and free of names

The Circular consortium block list

Shared by every member of the Circular consortium. Each member subscribes; any member may propose an entry, and two others must second it.

Version 8, published 27 September 2026 by The Circular consortium · blocklist.json, published by this paper · read by 55 of the 60 printed Pools

Entries in The Circular consortium block list
Target	Identifier	Reason	Added
curator identity	listed-them-anyway@mail.example	consent violation: Submitted other people’s pages, a whole household’s among them, to Pools without asking any of them.	27 September 2026
pool url	free-friends-now.example/pools/everyone.json	consent violation: Listed profiles that never accepted a handshake.	26 September 2026
identity	bulk-intros@relay.example	spam	3 September 2026
implementation	scrapekit/0.3	scraping: Also on the Kindling public list.	3 July 2026

Kindling public block list

The block list the Kindling project will publish under SPEC.md §7.3, for identities and implementations with confirmed abuse. The entries here are illustrative until the registry opens. No personal details are ever published.

Version 3, published 20 September 2026 by Kindling maintainers · the project’s blocklist.json · read by 60 of the 60 printed Pools

Entries in Kindling public block list
Target	Identifier	Reason	Added
identity	promo-blast@mail.example	spam	14 August 2026
implementation	scrapekit/0.3	scraping: Ignores kindling-noindex and robots signals.	2 July 2026

Who reads which list, from each manifest’s `block_list_subscriptions`
Site	Pools	Read the project’s list	Read the consortium’s list
Many Moons	2	2	2
Hearthhold	2	2	2
Late Supper	1	1	1
Scattered Light	1	1	1
Foul Weather Friends	3	3	3
Midspan	1	1	1
Seen Work	1	1	1
The Board	7	7	7
Ferry Room Players	5	5	5
Correo Lento	4	4	4
The Circular	1	1	1
Drip Line	4	4	4
Ada Quillon	4	4	4
Rain Check	6	6	6
Slack Water	5	5	5
Wren’s List	1	1	1
Second Tide Books	1	1	1
Face Up	1	1	1
Heartwood	2	2	2
Sundial	1	1	1
Card Catalog	1	1	1
Cape Tarrow Alumni	1	1	1
Kindling (the project)	5	5	0

Not in the table: Queer Harbor, Roomful, Familiar Faces, Bellows and Threshold, which have no manifest the paper can read. Queer Harbor is on the desk’s roll as a member. Roomful, Familiar Faces, Bellows and Threshold say on their own Under the hood pages that they honor both lists. The gap.

The two newest consortium entries name a curator’s identity and a Pool’s address. Entries hold an identifier, a reason category, an optional line about behavior and a date. They never hold a person’s name or page.

SettingsMapped to the spec

The paper’s settings, mapped to the specification
Setting	Value	Spec	Why
What the paper is	A third-party registry	§8.5	Anyone may run one. A Pool’s place in it, or out of it, is its curator’s decision, made by what they publish.
Where it looks	`/.well-known/kindling-pool` on each site	§8.3, §10.1	The one file every Pool host should publish, readable without asking.
How it crawls	Honors `Cache-Control`, backs off on 429 and 5xx, and names itself: `circular-reader (+https://thecircular.example/under-the-hood.html)`	§10.3	So a site can tell who is reading, and how to reach them.
What it prints	Public Pools only	§3.2	Unlisted and invite-only Pools stay with the people who were given their address.
Noindex	Never printed	§2.7	A page that asks to be in no registry is in none, this one included.
Dormant and archived	Printed with their status	§9.1, §9.4	Members of a quiet Pool should hear about the vote, and so should everyone else.
Verification	In words and with an icon, beside every ad	§4.5	A reader should always see how the person in an ad proved their address.
Circling an ad	Checked in your browser against the Pool’s block lists and minimum, and the person’s own rules	§7.1, §7.2, §7.3	The paper shows what the rules say. It sends nothing.
Messages	None carried	§6.1	An introduction goes from the asker’s client to the owner’s address, through the Pool, by email.
Block list	Publishes the consortium’s list, version 8	§7.3	Third parties may publish their own. Any member proposes; two others second.
Members	Twenty-three: the organizations whose Pools read the consortium’s list	§7.3, §3.3	Counted from each manifest’s `block_list_subscriptions`, not from a hand list, so the paper and the files cannot disagree.
Readers	Roomful, Familiar Faces, Bellows and Threshold: apps that keep no Pools and honor the list	§7.3, §8.3	Printed beside the members, not among them. A reader has no Pools to put in a column.
The apps’ own Pools	A directory: keepers, counts, verification and a link to the app	§3.2, §4.5	Each lists about twenty people. Set as ads they would swamp the paper, and each app shows its own people in full, with their rules.
Personal columns	Personals, non-monogamy and chosen family are never joined up with anyone’s other columns	§3.2, §3.5	A person may be out in one Pool and private in another. The paper prints each ad where its owner put it, and nowhere else.
Our Pool: visibility	public	§3.2	Who writes the paper should be public.
Our Pool: consent	universal-opt-in	§5.2	Ruth asks; each writer says yes or no.
Our Pool: curator	Ruth Adler Signed in with OAuth	§3.2, §4.5	The editor keeps the column of the people who write it.
Our Pool: handshake window	14 days, the default	§5.2	A column can wait two weeks for an answer.
Our Pool: block lists	The project’s and the consortium’s	§7.3	Every consortium Pool reads both.

Our own filesLaid out

Circular Correspondents pools/correspondents.json

name: Circular Correspondents
curator: Ruth AdlerSigned in with OAuth
visibility: public
consent_model: universal-opt-in
intent_tags: writing · editing · volunteering
charter: People who write for the Circular: a column, a notice, a report from a Pool worth knowing about. Unpaid, credited, edited kindly. We print only what Pools publish about themselves.
curator_contact: desk@thecircular.example
block_list_subscriptions: protocol.kindling.foundation/blocklist.json
thecircular.example/blocklist.json
status: active; created 1 August 2026, updated 1 September 2026
entries: 4: Ruth Adler (oauth, email-link), Imani Brooks (oauth, oauth), Obinna Eze (email, email-link) and June Okafor (email, email-link)

The manifest, as JSON

{
  "schema_version": "0.1",
  "id": "correspondents",
  "name": "Circular Correspondents",
  "curator": [
    {
      "identity": "ruth@mail.example",
      "display_name": "Ruth Adler",
      "verification_level": "oauth",
      "primary": true
    }
  ],
  "intent_tags": [
    "writing",
    "editing",
    "volunteering"
  ],
  "visibility": "public",
  "consent_model": "universal-opt-in",
  "curator_contact": "desk@thecircular.example",
  "charter": "People who write for the Circular: a column, a notice, a report from a Pool worth knowing about. Unpaid, credited, edited kindly. We print only what Pools publish about themselves.",
  "messaging_preferences": {
    "block_list_subscriptions": [
      "https://protocol.kindling.foundation/blocklist.json",
      "https://thecircular.example/blocklist.json"
    ]
  },
  "status": "active",
  "created_at": "2026-08-01T11:00:00Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-09-01T16:40:00Z",
  "entries": [
    {
      "profile_url": "https://ruth-adler.notion.example",
      "parsed_profile": {
        "schema_version": "0.1",
        "profile_url": "https://ruth-adler.notion.example",
        "display_name": "Ruth Adler",
        "pronouns": "she/her",
        "location": {
          "city": "Chicago",
          "region": "Illinois",
          "country": "United States"
        },
        "intent_tags": [
          "writing",
          "editing",
          "curating"
        ],
        "about": "Editor of the Circular. Spent thirty years on a city desk and still circles things in red.",
        "contact_methods": [
          {
            "type": "email",
            "value": "ruth@mail.example",
            "label": "Kindling identity"
          }
        ],
        "verification": {
          "level": "oauth",
          "verified_at": "2026-08-01T12:00:00Z",
          "verifier": "google"
        },
        "messaging_preferences": {
          "accept_from": "verified",
          "no_cold_messages": false,
          "minimum_curator_verification": "email"
        },
        "kindling_noindex": false,
        "parsed_at": "2026-08-01T12:00:00Z",
        "parser": "kindling-parser/0.1.1"
      },
      "parsed_at": "2026-08-01T12:00:00Z",
      "consent_proof": {
        "handshake_id": "hs-circular-correspondents-ruth",
        "accepted_at": "2026-08-01T12:00:00Z",
        "method": "email-link"
      },
      "verification_level": "oauth",
      "added_at": "2026-08-01T12:00:00Z",
      "added_by": "ruth@mail.example"
    },
    {
      "profile_url": "https://imani-builds.example",
      "parsed_profile": {
        "schema_version": "0.1",
        "profile_url": "https://imani-builds.example",
        "display_name": "Imani Brooks",
        "pronouns": "she/her",
        "location": {
          "city": "Baltimore",
          "region": "Maryland",
          "country": "United States"
        },
        "intent_tags": [
          "building",
          "open-source",
          "writing"
        ],
        "about": "Built the reader that prints the Circular from well-known files. Writes small tools that do one thing.",
        "contact_methods": [
          {
            "type": "email",
            "value": "imani@mail.example",
            "label": "Kindling identity"
          }
        ],
        "verification": {
          "level": "oauth",
          "verified_at": "2026-08-01T12:30:00Z",
          "verifier": "google"
        },
        "messaging_preferences": {
          "accept_from": "verified",
          "no_cold_messages": false,
          "minimum_curator_verification": "email"
        },
        "kindling_noindex": false,
        "parsed_at": "2026-08-01T12:30:00Z",
        "parser": "kindling-parser/0.1.1"
      },
      "parsed_at": "2026-08-01T12:30:00Z",
      "consent_proof": {
        "handshake_id": "hs-circular-correspondents-imani",
        "accepted_at": "2026-08-01T12:30:00Z",
        "method": "oauth"
      },
      "verification_level": "oauth",
      "added_at": "2026-08-01T12:30:00Z",
      "added_by": "ruth@mail.example"
    },
    {
      "profile_url": "https://obinna-eze.example",
      "parsed_profile": {
        "schema_version": "0.1",
        "profile_url": "https://obinna-eze.example",
        "display_name": "Obinna Eze",
        "pronouns": "he/him",
        "location": {
          "city": "Lagos",
          "country": "Nigeria"
        },
        "intent_tags": [
          "journalism",
          "writing"
        ],
        "about": "Technology reporter. Covers open protocols and the people who keep them running.",
        "contact_methods": [
          {
            "type": "email",
            "value": "obinna@mail.example",
            "label": "Kindling identity"
          }
        ],
        "verification": {
          "level": "email",
          "verified_at": "2026-08-20T09:00:00Z"
        },
        "messaging_preferences": {
          "accept_from": "verified",
          "no_cold_messages": false,
          "minimum_curator_verification": "email"
        },
        "kindling_noindex": false,
        "parsed_at": "2026-08-20T09:00:00Z",
        "parser": "kindling-parser/0.1.1"
      },
      "parsed_at": "2026-08-20T09:00:00Z",
      "consent_proof": {
        "handshake_id": "hs-circular-correspondents-obinna",
        "accepted_at": "2026-08-20T09:00:00Z",
        "method": "email-link"
      },
      "verification_level": "email",
      "added_at": "2026-08-20T09:00:00Z",
      "added_by": "ruth@mail.example"
    },
    {
      "profile_url": "https://june-okafor.notion.example",
      "parsed_profile": {
        "schema_version": "0.1",
        "profile_url": "https://june-okafor.notion.example",
        "display_name": "June Okafor",
        "pronouns": "she/her",
        "location": {
          "city": "Port Ellery",
          "country": "United States"
        },
        "intent_tags": [
          "gardening",
          "walking",
          "friendship",
          "writing"
        ],
        "about": "Retired shipyard electrician. Saves seeds from the same tomatoes her mother grew. Walks the harbor loop most mornings.",
        "contact_methods": [
          {
            "type": "email",
            "value": "june@mail.example",
            "label": "Kindling identity"
          }
        ],
        "verification": {
          "level": "email",
          "verified_at": "2026-09-01T16:40:00Z"
        },
        "messaging_preferences": {
          "accept_from": "shared-pool",
          "no_cold_messages": false,
          "minimum_curator_verification": "email"
        },
        "kindling_noindex": false,
        "parsed_at": "2026-09-01T16:40:00Z",
        "parser": "kindling-parser/0.1.1"
      },
      "parsed_at": "2026-09-01T16:40:00Z",
      "consent_proof": {
        "handshake_id": "hs-circular-correspondents-june",
        "accepted_at": "2026-09-01T16:40:00Z",
        "method": "email-link"
      },
      "verification_level": "email",
      "added_at": "2026-09-01T16:40:00Z",
      "added_by": "ruth@mail.example"
    }
  ]
}

Our well-known file .well-known/kindling-pool

pools: 1: Circular Correspondents, public, active
manifest_url: thecircular.example/pools/correspondents.json
last_updated: 1 September 2026
operator: The Circular consortium · desk@thecircular.example

The file, as JSON

{
  "schema_version": "0.1",
  "pools": [
    {
      "manifest_url": "https://thecircular.example/pools/correspondents.json",
      "name": "Circular Correspondents",
      "intent_tags": [
        "writing",
        "editing",
        "volunteering"
      ],
      "visibility": "public",
      "status": "active",
      "last_updated": "2026-09-01T16:40:00Z"
    }
  ],
  "operator": {
    "name": "The Circular consortium",
    "contact": "desk@thecircular.example",
    "url": "https://thecircular.example"
  }
}

The demo request handshake/demo-request.json

The handshake Ruth sent June, used on An introduction. It validates against handshake_message.schema.json.

The request, as JSON

{
  "schema_version": "0.1",
  "type": "handshake-request",
  "handshake_id": "hs-circular-correspondents-june-demo",
  "pool": {
    "url": "https://thecircular.example/pools/correspondents.json",
    "name": "Circular Correspondents",
    "charter": "People who write for the Circular: a column, a notice, a report from a Pool worth knowing about. Unpaid, credited, edited kindly. We print only what Pools publish about themselves.",
    "curator_identity": "ruth@mail.example",
    "curator_verification": "oauth",
    "intent_tags": [
      "writing",
      "editing",
      "volunteering"
    ],
    "visibility": "public"
  },
  "profile_url": "https://june-okafor.notion.example",
  "sent_at": "2026-08-30T12:00:00Z",
  "expires_at": "2026-09-13T12:00:00Z",
  "accept_url": "https://thecircular.example/handshake/hs-circular-correspondents-june-demo/accept",
  "decline_url": "https://thecircular.example/handshake/hs-circular-correspondents-june-demo/decline"
}

A circled introduction messages/circled-intro.json

Theo’s intro to Darío through Start a Band, from the same page. It validates against kindling_message.schema.json.

What the v0.1 schema can’t say yetThe gaps that touch a registry

Where the spec’s text and a schema disagree, the files here follow the schema, and the paper says where.

§10.2 names fields the well-known schema doesn’t have (§10.2)
The spec says each entry lists name, pool_url, visibility, intent_tags, status and curator_contact. The schema calls the address manifest_url, makes name optional, and has no curator_contact at all, and forbids extra fields, so no file can add it. The paper reads manifest_url and takes the contact from each manifest.
The schema lists “discoverable” Pools; the spec says every Pool (§10.2, §8.3)
The schema describes its pools array as “all Pools hosted on this domain that are discoverable”. §10.2 says the file must list each Pool on the domain. Many Moons, Hearthhold, Late Supper, Scattered Light, Foul Weather Friends, Midspan, Seen Work, Drip Line and Queer Harbor follow the schema and leave their private Pools out, which is what their members need; Queer Harbor’s file lists none at all. A registry can’t tell “this site keeps nothing else” from “this site keeps more, privately”, so the paper says so instead of counting.
There is no word for planned (§9.1)
Status is active, dormant or archived. The project’s five Pools are planned and not open, and their files say active, because nothing else fits. The paper marks them planned on the project’s own word, from its pages, not from any field.
Nothing says a curator vote is open (§9.3)
A dormant Pool’s file says dormant, and that is all. The nominee, the window and the count live on the Board’s and Slack Water’s own pages, so that is where the paper read them.
Nothing says when a Pool began, in the well-known file (§8.3)
The file carries last_updated but not a creation date, so “new this week” needs every manifest’s created_at.
RFC 0007 asks for a signed manifest; the manifest has no signature (§8.3)
The RFC asks crawlers to confirm each listed address “resolves to a valid manifest signed by a plausible curator identity”. The manifest schema has no signature field. The paper checks what it can: the manifest validates, and it lives on the same host as the file that lists it.
A registry has no format of its own (§8.5)
The six schemas cover profiles, Pools, handshakes, messages, well-known files and block lists. None describes a registry’s listing, so the Circular publishes its reading as these pages, not as a file another registry could read.
§4.5 level names differ from the schemas (§4.5)
The spec names email-verified, oauth-verified, curator-vouched and unverified. The schemas use email, oauth, curator-vouched, unverified and cryptographic. The JSON follows the schemas.
No record of what a parser inferred (§2.3)
§2.3 names an extraction_source field. The parsed-profile schema has none, and forbids extra fields, so the paper can’t tell readers which lines of an ad were read from h-card and which were inferred.
§7.3 lists abusers by identity; the lists hold more (§7.3)
The spec describes a list of known abusers identified by Kindling identity. The schema also allows a profile address, a Pool address, a curator identity or a piece of software, and the consortium list uses a curator’s identity, a Pool’s address and a program. The glossary calls a block list “signed”; the schema makes the signature optional, and neither list here carries one.
A reader has nowhere to say which lists it honors (§7.3, §8.3)
A Pool names its block lists in its manifest. An app that keeps no Pools has no manifest, and the well-known file has no field for lists, so Roomful, Familiar Faces, Bellows and Threshold can say it only in prose, on their own pages. A member whose Pools are all unlisted is in the same place: nothing public says it reads the list. The paper takes the readers at their word and counts Queer Harbor from the desk’s roll, and says so.
Messages: §6.3 lists four types, the schema six; §6.2 says pool_ref (§6.2, §6.3)
The schema adds withdrawal and system, and names the Pool reference via_pool. The intro on this site and the withdrawal on Correspondents follow the schema.
§12.1 says kindling_version; every schema says schema_version (§12.1)
The paper reads schema_version, as every file here carries it.
The handshake window has no field (§5.2)
§5.2 calls the 14-day window configurable per Pool. The manifest can’t say so; a Pool carries its window in each request’s expires_at. Correspondents uses the default.

Under the hood

How it’s madeEvery Monday, before dawn

Every file read90 files

What it skipped, and why0 this week

Block listsPublic, and free of names

The Circular consortium block list

Kindling public block list

SettingsMapped to the spec

Our own filesLaid out

Circular Correspondents pools/correspondents.json

Our well-known file .well-known/kindling-pool

The demo request handshake/demo-request.json

A circled introduction messages/circled-intro.json

What the v0.1 schema can’t say yetThe gaps that touch a registry

§10.2 names fields the well-known schema doesn’t have (§10.2)

The schema lists “discoverable” Pools; the spec says every Pool (§10.2, §8.3)

There is no word for planned (§9.1)

Nothing says a curator vote is open (§9.3)

Nothing says when a Pool began, in the well-known file (§8.3)

RFC 0007 asks for a signed manifest; the manifest has no signature (§8.3)

A registry has no format of its own (§8.5)

§4.5 level names differ from the schemas (§4.5)

No record of what a parser inferred (§2.3)

§7.3 lists abusers by identity; the lists hold more (§7.3)

A reader has nowhere to say which lists it honors (§7.3, §8.3)

Messages: §6.3 lists four types, the schema six; §6.2 says `pool_ref` (§6.2, §6.3)

§12.1 says `kindling_version`; every schema says `schema_version` (§12.1)

The handshake window has no field (§5.2)

How it’s madeEvery Monday, before dawn

Every file read90 files

What it skipped, and why0 this week

Block listsPublic, and free of names

The Circular consortium block list

Kindling public block list

SettingsMapped to the spec

Our own filesLaid out

Circular Correspondents pools/correspondents.json

Our well-known file .well-known/kindling-pool

The demo request handshake/demo-request.json

A circled introduction messages/circled-intro.json

What the v0.1 schema can’t say yetThe gaps that touch a registry

§10.2 names fields the well-known schema doesn’t have (§10.2)

The schema lists “discoverable” Pools; the spec says every Pool (§10.2, §8.3)

There is no word for planned (§9.1)

Nothing says a curator vote is open (§9.3)

Nothing says when a Pool began, in the well-known file (§8.3)

RFC 0007 asks for a signed manifest; the manifest has no signature (§8.3)

A registry has no format of its own (§8.5)

§4.5 level names differ from the schemas (§4.5)

No record of what a parser inferred (§2.3)

§7.3 lists abusers by identity; the lists hold more (§7.3)

A reader has nowhere to say which lists it honors (§7.3, §8.3)

Messages: §6.3 lists four types, the schema six; §6.2 says pool_ref (§6.2, §6.3)

§12.1 says kindling_version; every schema says schema_version (§12.1)

The handshake window has no field (§5.2)

Messages: §6.3 lists four types, the schema six; §6.2 says `pool_ref` (§6.2, §6.3)

§12.1 says `kindling_version`; every schema says `schema_version` (§12.1)