---
slug: "TriGate"
name: "TriGate"
type: "Primitives"
layer: "Infrastructure"
ref: "TriGate#04a9"
sema_id: "sema:TriGate#mh:SHA-256:04a9a7cc17d29dab76ee781b7d7a3f557f68d528788da12620a320ce53d6b44c"
tags: ["Infrastructure","Primitives"]
updated: 2026-11-11
mindscape: "bootstrap"
index_url: https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap.json
url: https://mindscape.world/bootstrap/TriGate/
related: ["Ledger","Condition","Gate","Judge","Decision","ConceptBlend","Taper"]
---

# TriGate

Generic Red/Yellow/Green flow control

Layer: Infrastructure · Category: Primitives

## Mechanism

A generic [Gate](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Gate.md) traffic-light enforcement primitive. Wraps a [Judge](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Judge.md) or [Condition](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Condition.md) that returns a trinary status (Red/Yellow/Green) and yields a [Decision](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Decision.md): Red -> CLOSE (halt execution). Yellow -> DEBT (proceed with the obligation recorded to [Ledger](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Ledger.md)). Green -> OPEN (proceed).

## Invariants

- Fail-Closed: Red triggers immediate halt.
- Yellow appends a remediation item and records the obligation to [Ledger](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Ledger.md). An unrecorded Yellow is a Green.

## Failure modes

- Yellow read as Green: both states proceed, so the obligation exists only in the [Ledger](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Ledger.md).
- Debt accumulating unread: the obligation is recorded and nothing consumes it.

## Signature

- `Gate(Judge)`

## Builds on

- [Ledger](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Ledger.md) (Infrastructure; Composes with)
- [Condition](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Condition.md) (Infrastructure; References)
- [Gate](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Gate.md) (Infrastructure; References)
- [Judge](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Judge.md) (Infrastructure; References)
- [Decision](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Decision.md) (Infrastructure; Yields)

## Used by

- [ConceptBlend](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/ConceptBlend.md) (Mind; References)
- [Taper](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Taper.md) (Society; Composes with)

## Identity

- Sema ID: `sema:TriGate#mh:SHA-256:04a9a7cc17d29dab76ee781b7d7a3f557f68d528788da12620a320ce53d6b44c`
- Ref: `TriGate#04a9`
- Supersedes:
  - `sema:TriGate#mh:SHA-256:07fcf444936e65c3cf14c77b8c7c3a1ca5d105462ea67ad26a970965ecfbc18c`
  - `sema:TriGate#mh:SHA-256:c182ac61d432c77460a044a71b10c553ca0fca7b7ba9204ed5335c6ab8f8b824`
  - `sema:TriGate#mh:SHA-256:5156704e5f174e347d58e312f42f3398b975266ff48cfce0d302b7d88abad7f8`

## Links

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