# ASCENT

> ASCII Successor with Compatible Encoding of Named Text - a wire encoding that keeps classic 7-bit ASCII bit-identical on 0x00-0x7F forever, then adds agent control tokens, multimodal references, quantum-safe envelopes, and a deep-space ECC profile.

- Version: 1.1.0
- License: MIT
- Site: https://ascent.jonbailey.xyz/
- Spec: https://github.com/Pitchfork-and-Torch/ascent/blob/main/SPEC.md
- Abstract: https://github.com/Pitchfork-and-Torch/ascent/blob/main/ABSTRACT.md
- Infographic: https://ascent.jonbailey.xyz/infographic.png
- Decoder: https://github.com/Pitchfork-and-Torch/ascent/blob/main/ref/ascent_decode.py
- Sample: https://github.com/Pitchfork-and-Torch/ascent/blob/main/examples/hello-universe.ascent.bin

## One-liner

ASCENT is the encoding contract that refuses to forget ASCII while remaining agent-native and deep-space ready.

## Parse law

If a byte is less than 0x80, it is classic 7-bit ASCII, width 1, forever. Overlong encodings of ASCII are illegal.

## Profiles

- ASCENT-7: pure classic ASCII identity
- ASCENT-E: Earth / general interchange
- ASCENT-D: deep-space outer ECC (default RS(255,223), erase on parity fail)
- ASCENT-A: archive / self-description heavy

## Quick answers

Q: Does ASCENT break existing ASCII files?
A: No. Pure ASCII files are valid ASCENT-7.

Q: Is this just Unicode renamed?
A: No. It is a stream grammar with fixed fences, length-prefixed agent/media frames, self-describing DEF documents, and optional outer ECC.

Q: How do agents ride the stream?
A: 0x9A open, 0xC1 opcode frame, 0x9B close. Initial opcodes: STOP ROLE TOOL THINK HANDOFF CAP SAFETY.

Q: How does multimodal work?
A: 0x9D 0x4D markers with kind REF/INLINE/CHUNK/END, codec, hash, and length-prefixed body.

## Optional