Framework

Monitors learning signal disagreement among states that share structural similarity. When functionally equivalent configurations start producing inconsistent TD-errors, something is already wrong — before any external metric shows it.

Tracks divergence across a swarm of policies operating on the same input. When policies that should agree start splitting, a regime boundary is nearby — even if the environment gives no explicit signal of change.

Under extreme interaction stress, antagonistically coupled policies briefly synchronize — a state called toponium. Top activates precisely at that moment, then disengages. It exists only in the window between pressure and collapse; outside of it, it leaves no trace.

Uses potential-based shaping to preserve internal coherence when the environment degrades gradually — not through abrupt shifts, but through slow structural erosion. Charm doesn't react to collapse; it makes collapse harder to reach.

Penalizes internal disagreement across ensemble value estimates. When the ensemble agrees confidently on a wrong answer — the signature of deceptive reward — Up catches it. Confidence without consensus is a warning, not a signal to act on.

Defines what collapse means, records when instability signals fire, and aggregates contributions from all other mechanisms into a single stress indicator. Bottom doesn't intervene — it watches, measures, and decides whether the others need to.