{
  "handle": "Chain",
  "data_schema": {
    "type": "object",
    "required": [
      "nodes",
      "edges",
      "root_id"
    ],
    "properties": {
      "nodes": {
        "type": "array"
      },
      "edges": {
        "type": "array"
      },
      "root_id": {
        "type": "string"
      }
    }
  },
  "mechanism": "A concrete sequential data structure: a list of linked nodes where each node (except the last) points to exactly one successor. Chain is the instantiated storage object — distinct from the more abstract {{sequence}} (which describes temporal ordering semantics) and from the branching {{tree}} topology. Chain is the canonical spatial form for strictly sequential, non-branching data.",
  "gloss": "Sequential data container (linked list)",
  "invariants": [
    "Connectivity: Node(N) must point to Node(N+1).",
    "Acyclicity: No loops permitted."
  ],
  "_meta": {
    "tier": 1,
    "ring": 2,
    "supersedes": [
      "sema:Linear#mh:SHA-256:81affcd5f7c1ea56b7572799fc235cf95d4e3c692de77c9eb8c01930b8e1d41c",
      "sema:Chain#mh:SHA-256:57119a990ff1c50eda6cb301dfec09450d2cbb21659ca541560b6bbb2ece0332",
      "sema:Chain#mh:SHA-256:0bd807adb8a1d11a55f3971e7b6c079301039c8707b9106d871662d25e915e09"
    ],
    "path": [
      "Infrastructure",
      "Data Structures"
    ]
  },
  "sema_id": "sema:Chain#mh:SHA-256:3ba084dba5cf36bbdd43d03306c187ca75a2e3f448b555e257c26aab9b71c4fb",
  "sema_ref": "Chain#3ba0",
  "sema_stub": "3ba0",
  "dependencies": {
    "references": {
      "sequence": "sema:Sequence#mh:SHA-256:0cae6b0951c4e93742259ff81ded009a85283d250c948f97cce3b9b3b8e58e1a",
      "tree": "sema:Tree#mh:SHA-256:dd927c24f8165bd3ddc75b29cc96c1e43eb45bdaf084ba1e2bce2b0a71ab05ec"
    }
  },
  "sema_layer": "Infrastructure",
  "sema_category": "Data Structures",
  "used_by": {
    "references": {
      "BackwardChain": "sema:BackwardChain#mh:SHA-256:92c0e4700ff6bc202bd16dc4c77fd0b826605462cdc30d8b4230c36f61df0bb3",
      "ChainOfThought": "sema:ChainOfThought#mh:SHA-256:27ad1f2386f58e1f9e1983c97f6dbeb8f1345e1d9b9e00af30871b97d21e0c95",
      "ExtendedThinking": "sema:ExtendedThinking#mh:SHA-256:3a9046a74fa5ecf3f06526936caf2038c95be83b02f0fbfe15dc2c448f572a1a",
      "Parallel": "sema:Parallel#mh:SHA-256:d58d6696be11be09651e71307f0ea6f42bb45fac137ed985a61e475144f687a5",
      "PerspectiveEnsemble": "sema:PerspectiveEnsemble#mh:SHA-256:4afd1d6c7abb339c91b3bd94f791e2f57638e9a8c5431757d2c7ae1d6ce8545d",
      "PromptChain": "sema:PromptChain#mh:SHA-256:02b5f2277c89d51e35336a8735f5a8bf26304332db887961bb23790c8c82b2f9",
      "ReAct": "sema:ReAct#mh:SHA-256:3361fd75537995da1d70c0f60b9b8bd01c44bad9e2596a81fa059b7c6c3fba83",
      "Reason": "sema:Reason#mh:SHA-256:81ec8196c7c1c761fe353c8d26463bcb61b54f844aa3422a40019f82ef202321",
      "Solution": "sema:Solution#mh:SHA-256:8d55004ffa8f61d6e7d12d588ae4baa9723296dd7fa501759b5e6b1b97e7c9ab"
    }
  }
}