CLN Operator · Reference
@
At
Metadata · Status · Owner · Source
"Who / when / where / what state?"
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@ — Definition
Annotates. Assigns ownership. Tags status. Cites sources.
Cognitive question answered: "Who / when / where / what state?"
One line = one semantic unit. The At operator tells the reader — before they read the content — that this line answers: Who / when / where / what state?
One line = one semantic unit. The At operator tells the reader — before they read the content — that this line answers: Who / when / where / what state?
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When to use it
Use @ for any metadata that contextualizes but doesn't change the content: owners, deadlines, sources, statuses, priorities. @ is the administrative layer.
When NOT to use it:
Don't use @ for content — use = or . for that. @ is pure metadata. A line with only @ information should be at indent level 2 under its parent.
Don't use @ for content — use = or . for that. @ is pure metadata. A line with only @ information should be at indent level 2 under its parent.
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Live Examples
Task management
Research citation
Incident metadata
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Operator Pairs
Operators don't work in isolation — they form semantic pairs that together convey full cognitive structure:
== is the content · @ is the context around that content
.. is the task · @ is the owner, deadline, or status of that task
!! is the risk · @ is who owns the mitigation and by when