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NTL Specification

Version: 0.1.0-draft Status: Working Draft Authors: Nyuchi Africa License: Apache 2.0

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Abstract

The Nyuchi Transfer Layer (NTL) is a neural signal-based data transfer layer for modern compute systems. It replaces the request-response paradigm of traditional APIs with signal propagation through a self-organizing, weighted graph topology. NTL is designed for AI-native systems, Web3 compatibility, post-quantum cryptographic agility, and resource-constrained environments.

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Status of This Document

This is a working draft. The specification is under active development and subject to change. Feedback is welcome via the GitHub repository.

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Conventions

The key words “MUST”, “MUST NOT”, “REQUIRED”, “SHALL”, “SHALL NOT”, “SHOULD”, “SHOULD NOT”, “RECOMMENDED”, “MAY”, and “OPTIONAL” in this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119.

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Specification Documents

The NTL specification is divided into the following documents:

Signal Format

Binary format, fields, encoding, and validation rules for NTL signals

Synapse Lifecycle

Formation, state transitions, weight management, and pruning of synapses

Propagation Rules

How signals route through the network topology

Activation Model

Threshold-based signal processing and flow control

Crypto Interface

Pluggable cryptographic module specification

Adapter Contract

Interface specification for protocol translation adapters

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Design Goals

  1. Signal-native — The fundamental data unit is a signal, not a request
  2. Self-organizing — Network topology emerges from usage patterns
  3. Crypto-agile — No cryptographic scheme is hardcoded
  4. Resource-efficient — Designed for constrained devices and networks
  5. Interoperable — Adapters enable Web2, Web3, and legacy system connectivity
  6. Open — Fully open source, community-governed specification

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Versioning

The NTL specification follows semantic versioning:
  • Major — Breaking changes to signal format or core protocol semantics
  • Minor — Backward-compatible additions (new signal types, optional fields)
  • Patch — Clarifications and editorial corrections

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Reference Implementation

The reference implementation is maintained by Nyuchi Web Services in Rust: The reference implementation is authoritative for behavior not fully specified in this document. Where the specification and implementation differ, the specification takes precedence, and the implementation should be updated.