Relations
Relations are typed, directional edges between concepts in Remind's knowledge graph. They're what make retrieval smarter than keyword search — when you query for one concept, related concepts activate through the graph.
Relation types
| Type | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
implies | If A then likely B | "Prefers typed languages" → implies → "Values compile-time safety" |
contradicts | A and B are in tension | "Prefers simplicity" → contradicts → "Wants maximum configurability" |
specializes | A is a more specific version of B | "Uses PostgreSQL for user store" → specializes → "Prefers SQL databases" |
generalizes | A is more general than B | "Prefers SQL databases" → generalizes → "Uses PostgreSQL for user store" |
causes | A leads to B | "Chose microservices" → causes → "Needs service discovery" |
correlates | A and B tend to co-occur | "Uses TypeScript" → correlates → "Uses React" |
part_of | A is a component of B | "JWT middleware" → part_of → "Auth system architecture" |
context_of | A provides context for B | "Team is 3 engineers" → context_of → "Architecture decisions" |
How relations are created
Relations emerge during consolidation. The LLM analyzes episodes and existing concepts to identify connections:
- Cross-episode patterns — If episodes about caching and performance always appear together, a
correlatesrelation might be created. - Contradiction detection — If a new episode contradicts an existing concept, a
contradictsrelation is established. - Hierarchical structure — The LLM identifies when one concept is a specialization or generalization of another.
Relations and retrieval
Relations are the backbone of spreading activation retrieval. When a concept is activated by a query, its relations propagate activation to connected concepts with strength-based decay.
Each relation has a strength field (0.0–1.0) that controls how much activation propagates. Strong relations (0.8+) spread activation aggressively; weak ones (0.2) barely ripple.
Viewing relations
# See a concept's relations
remind inspect <concept-id>
# See entity relationships
remind entity-relations <entity-id>In the Web UI, the Graph view shows relations as edges in an interactive D3 visualization.