---
slug: "Message"
name: "Message"
type: "Data Structures"
layer: "Infrastructure"
ref: "Message#bf6d"
sema_id: "sema:Message#mh:SHA-256:bf6d3d4643c881a8c245617c3603b13ffef26026304fc7e7c384a80cf25fd237"
tags: ["Infrastructure","Data Structures"]
updated: 2026-11-11
mindscape: "bootstrap"
index_url: https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/index.json
url: https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Message/
related: ["Signal","Break","Entropy","GracefulDegradation","InvariantFilter","Nuancefilter","Proposal","Queue","RequestFraming","SignalReflection","Stream","TranslationProxy","Nuancefilter#d36a"]
---

# Message

Structured signal container

Layer: Infrastructure · Category: Data Structures

## Mechanism

A structured container for a [Signal](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Signal.md), adding Metadata (Sender, Recipient, Timestamp) to the raw emission.

## Invariants

- Immutability: once sent, the message content cannot be changed.
- Addressed: carries sender, recipient and timestamp. Without a recipient it is a [Signal](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Signal.md) with metadata, which is what this pattern exists to be distinct from.

## Failure modes

—

## Data schema

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "header",
    "body"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "header": {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "sender": {
          "type": "string"
        },
        "recipient": {
          "type": "string"
        },
        "timestamp": {
          "type": "string"
        }
      },
      "description": "Sender, recipient and timestamp.",
      "required": [
        "sender",
        "recipient",
        "timestamp"
      ]
    },
    "body": {
      "description": "The content payload"
    },
    "signature": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Sender verification"
    }
  }
}
```

## Builds on

- [Signal](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Signal.md) (Infrastructure; References)

## Used by

- [Break](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Break.md) (Infrastructure; References)
- [Entropy](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Entropy.md) (Physics; References)
- [GracefulDegradation](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/GracefulDegradation.md) (Society; References)
- [InvariantFilter](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/InvariantFilter.md) (Society; Accepts)
- [Nuancefilter](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Nuancefilter.md) (Society; References)
- [Proposal](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Proposal.md) (Infrastructure; References)
- [Queue](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Queue.md) (Infrastructure; References)
- [RequestFraming](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/RequestFraming.md) (Mind; Accepts)
- [SignalReflection](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/SignalReflection.md) (Society; References)
- [Stream](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Stream.md) (Infrastructure; References)
- [TranslationProxy](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/TranslationProxy.md) (Society; References)

## Identity

- Sema ID: `sema:Message#mh:SHA-256:bf6d3d4643c881a8c245617c3603b13ffef26026304fc7e7c384a80cf25fd237`
- Ref: `Message#bf6d`
- Supersedes:
  - `sema:Message#mh:SHA-256:b17515adef760297f0374e7cfcf4a7b3cc4f5f2c21ab0c0295285545c60482ea`

## Links

- [Pattern page](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Message/)
- [View in the interactive graph](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/#Message)
- [JSON](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Message.json)
- [Index of all patterns](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/index.json)