Machine-readable authority for the 14 vault dimensions (#156).

Entry frontmatter carries vault_dimensions as bare numbers, and entry prose

names each one as Dimension N (Label). Those two drifted: the numbers were

assigned against a superseded taxonomy while the prose kept describing what

the pattern is actually about. A range check passes either way, so downstream

analysis attached evidence to the wrong semantic dimension.

Owner decision (2026-08-09): the prose is the intent of record. Numbers are

remapped to match the label; no pattern's meaning changes.

aliases is the owner-approved resolution for every label the catalog prose

actually uses. A label absent from every alias list does NOT resolve — the

auditor reports it for owner review rather than guessing, which is what keeps

this a reviewed migration instead of an automatic renumbering.

Canonical names and ordinals come from

skills/vault-ingress/references/rhetoric-dimensions.md sections 1-14.

schema_version: 1 dimensions:

• id: opening-pattern ordinal: 1 name: Opening Pattern aliases:
  • Topic and Thesis
• id: narrative-structure ordinal: 2 name: Narrative Structure aliases:
  • Structure and Flow
  • Structure/Organization
  • Storytelling/Narrative
  • Storytelling and Narrative
• id: humor-wit ordinal: 3 name: Humor & Wit aliases:
  • Humor and Surprise Techniques
  • Engagement / Entertainment Value

  Owner decision: the entertainment entry's only other claim, and a

  memorable beat is the wit landing rather than a cultural reference.

  • Memorability
• id: audience-interaction ordinal: 4 name: Audience Interaction aliases:
  • Audience Engagement
• id: transition-techniques ordinal: 5 name: Transition Techniques aliases: []
• id: closing-pattern ordinal: 6 name: Closing Pattern aliases:
  • Closing Strategy
• id: verbal-signatures ordinal: 7 name: Verbal Signatures aliases:
  • Clarity / Communication
  • Language and Communication
• id: slide-to-speech-relationship ordinal: 8 name: Slide-to-Speech Relationship aliases:

  Owner decision: both uses weigh what sits on the screen against what is

  spoken, which is this dimension rather than a closing concern.

  • Information Density
• id: persuasion-techniques ordinal: 9 name: Persuasion Techniques aliases:
  • Speaker Authority / Credibility
  • Speaker Credibility/Ethos
  • Evidence and Persuasion

  Owner decision: positioning one's own authority is an ethos move.

  • Self-Presentation
• id: cultural-pop-culture-references ordinal: 10 name: Cultural & Pop-Culture References aliases:
  • Cultural References

  Owner decision: kept here, treating this as the broader

  creative-resonance lane the catalog actually uses it as.

  • Creativity/Originality
• id: technical-content-delivery ordinal: 11 name: Technical Content Delivery aliases:
  • Demonstrations and Tools
  • Teaching Effectiveness
  • Technical Depth/Accuracy
• id: pacing-clues ordinal: 12 name: Pacing Clues aliases:
  • Time/Pacing
  • Delivery Mechanics

  Owner decision: grouped with Delivery Mechanics, which already sits here.

  • Delivery/Presentation Skills
• id: slide-design-patterns ordinal: 13 name: Slide Design Patterns aliases:
  • Slide Design
  • Slide Aesthetics
  • Visual Polish and Craft
  • Visual Aids Effectiveness
  • Slide Design/Visual Quality
  • Visual Design Quality

  Owner decision: the failure is in how the images are chosen and

  composed, which is slide design.

  • Visual Storytelling
• id: areas-for-improvement ordinal: 14 name: "Reflection: Areas for Improvement" aliases:
  • Areas for Improvement
  • Overall Impression/Polish
  • Overall Quality Indicators
  • Speaker Craft / Professionalism

  Owner decision: polish outrunning substance is an overall-impression

  judgement, not a slide-to-speech mismatch.

  • Content Depth / Value