Protocol spec for row separated key value format

A new lightweight data format called Record-Separated Key-Value (RSKV) has been proposed for structured data exchange between large language models and software systems. Designed to be easy for LLMs to generate and humans to inspect, RSKV uses visible delimiters instead of braces or indentation, aiming to reduce syntax errors common with JSON, YAML, or XML. The format includes Python utilities for SQLite interop and is hosted on GitHub under the Symbol Grounding Framework.

Record-Separated Key-Value Format — a lightweight, line-oriented format for LLM-mediated structured data exchange. RSKV is a structured transcript format: easy for LLMs to generate, easy for humans to inspect, and easy for small programs to parse. It represents data as named sets, records, and key: value cells, using visible delimiters instead of braces, indentation, quoting, or nested syntax. Repository folder: rskv-spec https://github.com/SymbolGroundingFramework/SGF-manifest/tree/main/rskv-spec RSKV is designed for the boundary between language models and software systems. A minimal RSKV document looks like this: SET: users SCHEMA: id:int, name:str, plan:str id: 1 name: Alice plan: pro ---ROW--- id: 2 name: Bob plan: free The core model is simple: SET: name starts a named collection. key: value adds a field to the current record. ---ROW--- separates records. SCHEMA: optionally declares field types and column order. META: optionally records provenance or operational metadata. \N represents explicit null.- An empty value represents an empty string. - A missing key represents an absent value. LLMs are often better at emitting repeated local patterns than maintaining global syntax state across deeply nested JSON, YAML, or XML. RSKV leans into that strength. It avoids braces, commas, quotes, indentation semantics, and required nesting. The result is a format intended to be: - LLM-friendly - Human-readable - Streamable - Diffable - Grep-able - Parser-simple - Schema-flexible - Suitable for lightweight ETL and model-to-application handoff RSKV is not intended to replace JSON, CSV, Parquet, Protocol Buffers, or databases. It is a text-first interchange format for sparse, reviewable, LLM-facing structured data. | File | Purpose | |---|---| rskv spec.md | claims.md essay.md rskv to sqlite.py sqlite to rskv.py Use this prompt fragment when asking an LLM to emit RSKV: Output only RSKV. Do not use Markdown, JSON, code fences, bullets, or commentary. Start each collection with: SET: set name Write one field per line: key: value Separate records with: ---ROW--- Use SCHEMA: after SET: when field names and types are known. Use META: after SCHEMA: only when provenance is useful. Use \N for null. Use an empty value after colon-space for an empty string. Omit unknown or not-applicable fields. Escape newlines as \n, backslashes as \\, a literal at the start of a value as \ , and a literal ---ROW--- value as \---ROW---. SET: people SCHEMA: id:int, name:str, role:str, notes:str META: source=example, version=1 id: 1 name: Alice role: engineer notes: Works on data pipelines ---ROW--- id: 2 name: Bob role: analyst notes: \N This folder includes two small Python utilities for SQLite interop. python rskv to sqlite.py input.rskv output.db python sqlite to rskv.py input.db output.rskv Exact command-line options may vary depending on the script version. Run the scripts directly or inspect their argument handling for supported flags. RSKV is strongest for: - LLM-generated structured output - Sparse records - Multi-set documents - Human-reviewable intermediate data - Prompt and context exchange - Lightweight ETL - Logs and structured transcripts - Database staging RSKV is less natural for: - Deep inline object graphs - Compact binary transport - Dense analytics storage - High-throughput schema-first RPC contracts Those cases can still be handled through conventions such as embedded json fields, base64 fields, URI references, normalized sets, strict schemas, or downstream conversion to databases and columnar formats. A set is a named collection of records. SET: tickets Records are separated by ---ROW--- . ticket id: 1001 status: open ---ROW--- ticket id: 1002 status: closed A cell is one key: value line. Parsers split on the first : only. summary: User reported error: timeout after login name: empty string name: \N explicit null missing key means absent Schemas are optional and advisory. SCHEMA: id:int, name:str, active:bool, created at:datetime Metadata is optional and applies to the current set. META: source=crm, version=2026-06-19, owner=data-eng RSKV 1.0 is an initial specification draft intended for experimentation, review, and implementation. The current collection includes: - The formal specification - A claims/rationale document - An explanatory essay - SQLite import/export utilities — start here for the motivation. essay.md — read this for the design argument. claims.md — read this for the normative format. rskv spec.md and rskv to sqlite.py — inspect these for practical interop. sqlite to rskv.py RSKV is one component of the broader Symbol Grounding Framework SGF project. SGF is a stack of languages, grammars, protocols, and tooling for grounded machine meaning: Core Lexicon — sense-disambiguated concepts grounded in ~65 semantic primes. Synapses — hub-and-spoke event structures with 15 fixed semantic roles for representing who did what to whom. HFF Wire Protocol — a versioned, machine-to-machine message format that lets services exchange grounded semantics without prior integration contracts. AFP — an act protocol INFORM , QUERY , COMMAND , etc. with receiver sovereignty. Omega — a formal governance grammar with 13 primitives and a deterministic Safety Kernel. WML — a workflow-map language for composing AI software from primitives. RSKV — a lightweight record-separated key-value format for LLM-facing structured data exchange, prompt/output capture, structured transcripts, and simple ETL handoff. Within SGF, RSKV is best understood as an interchange and tooling format rather than a semantic representation layer. It provides a simple, human-readable way to move structured records between LLMs, scripts, databases, examples, test fixtures, and documentation. RSKV can be used to: - Capture LLM outputs in a parseable text format. - Store example records for SGF components. - Exchange lightweight structured data between scripts. - Convert records to and from SQLite. - Represent test fixtures for workflows, protocols, and semantic transformations. - Provide a readable staging format before data is converted into stricter SGF representations. See also: Formal RFC specification for SGF https://github.com/SymbolGroundingFramework/SGF-manifest/tree/main/specs Add a license file before public reuse or distribution. Suggested options: - MIT for permissive software/spec reuse - Apache-2.0 for permissive reuse with patent language - CC-BY-4.0 for documentation-oriented reuse Maintained as part of the Symbol Grounding Framework work. Repository: SymbolGroundingFramework/SGF-manifest https://github.com/SymbolGroundingFramework/SGF-manifest