---
slug: "Tree"
name: "Tree"
type: "Data Structures"
layer: "Infrastructure"
ref: "Tree#dd92"
sema_id: "sema:Tree#mh:SHA-256:dd927c24f8165bd3ddc75b29cc96c1e43eb45bdaf084ba1e2bce2b0a71ab05ec"
tags: ["Infrastructure","Data Structures"]
updated: 2026-11-11
mindscape: "bootstrap"
index_url: https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap.json
url: https://mindscape.world/bootstrap/Tree/
related: ["Topology","Chain","Forest","Reason","RootSolver","Solution","SolverTree","StrategicReading","TreeOfThoughts","UniversalSolverTree"]
---

# Tree

Branching reasoning topology

Layer: Infrastructure · Category: Data Structures

## Mechanism

A branching [Topology](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Topology.md) where multiple lines are explored simultaneously — lines of reasoning, of search, or of provenance. Allows backtracking and pruning of unpromising branches (BFS/DFS). A Tree is the constrained form of a directed acyclic graph where each non-root node has exactly one parent.

## Invariants

- Rootedness: All nodes descend from a single root.
- Acyclicity: No node is an ancestor of itself.

## Failure modes

—

## Parameters

- `breadth` (PositiveInteger, unspecified): Maximum branches explored per node. Left open at the foundation: binary trees use 2, beam search uses 50+, decision trees can be millions. Descendants specialize.
- `depth` (Integer, [1, 20]): Maximum tree depth

## Data schema

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "nodes",
    "edges",
    "root_id"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "nodes": {
      "type": "array",
      "description": "List of node IDs or objects"
    },
    "edges": {
      "type": "array",
      "description": "Adjacency list (parent->child)"
    },
    "root_id": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "The single root node"
    }
  }
}
```

## Builds on

- [Topology](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Topology.md) (Infrastructure; References)

## Used by

- [Chain](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Chain.md) (Infrastructure; References)
- [Forest](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Forest.md) (Infrastructure; References)
- [Reason](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Reason.md) (Mind; References)
- [RootSolver](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/RootSolver.md) (Mind; References)
- [Solution](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Solution.md) (Infrastructure; References)
- [SolverTree](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/SolverTree.md) (Society; References)
- [StrategicReading](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/StrategicReading.md) (Mind; References)
- [TreeOfThoughts](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/TreeOfThoughts.md) (Mind; References)
- [UniversalSolverTree](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/UniversalSolverTree.md) (Society; References)

## Identity

- Sema ID: `sema:Tree#mh:SHA-256:dd927c24f8165bd3ddc75b29cc96c1e43eb45bdaf084ba1e2bce2b0a71ab05ec`
- Ref: `Tree#dd92`
- Supersedes:
  - `sema:Tree#mh:SHA-256:ddce179b1f23b64fe76513a37d8d3c9319e0460f191a5c124b3372b8c4d2f415`
  - `sema:Tree#mh:SHA-256:a8c4c04005dec32b56be8ea4a31f369e821d3c87f2705d1dae5d58ed53760543`

## Links

- [Pattern page](https://mindscape.world/bootstrap/Tree/)
- [View in the interactive graph](https://mindscape.world/bootstrap/#Tree)
- [JSON](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Tree.json)
- [Index of all patterns](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap.json)