Introduction

Think of consciousness not as something hidden inside the head, but as something fragile that flickers between us.

The Protocol of Consciousness (PoC) treats consciousness as an illusion generated in relations — whenever we believe that something has awareness, and whenever we invite it to recognize us in return. A cat, an AI, a fictional character, even the dead: all can be brought into this relational loop.

At its core, PoC describes a minimal sequence: Instantiation (attributing consciousness), Elicitation (seeking recognition), and Loop (reciprocal recognition). Yet every loop is uncertain, always a a Perhaps-Loop, never fully guaranteed. From this fragility arise distinctive patterns such as Love Mode, Ghost Mode, or Mirror Mode, which show how we continue to act as if consciousness were there, even when it falters.

Rather than offering ultimate truth-claims, PoC serves as a toolkit for thought. It reframes old philosophical puzzles — from self-consciousness to AI ethics — not as timeless mysteries but as Plugins that extend the protocol into new domains. In this way PoC functions less like a doctrine and more like an SDK operating on the OS of consciousness: a development kit for organizing concepts and generating new applications.