---
title: Attractor Pattern
slug: attractor-pattern
type: concept
created: 2026-06-17
updated: 2026-06-17
status: active
tags:
  - attractor
  - architecture
  - convergence
sources:
  - 2389-dark-factory-dot-file-2026-03-09
  - strongdm-attractor-nlspec
  - jleechanorg-dark-factory-repo
related:
  - strongdm-attractor
  - agentic-pipeline-runner
  - dot-pipeline
confidence: medium-high
contradictions:
  - Independent convergence is plausible from the sources, but the evidence is a small cluster of related implementations and specs.
bead_refs:
  - dark-factory-rr4
---

# Attractor Pattern

The attractor pattern is the repeated three-layer architecture that appears in StrongDM Attractor-style systems:

- Unified LLM/client layer.
- Coding agent loop or worker/session layer.
- DOT pipeline engine that orchestrates multi-step workflows.

## Why It Converges

`inference:` Systems that try to automate software work repeatedly need provider abstraction, an execution loop for agent/tool interaction, and a higher-level process graph. Those pressures make the three-layer shape an architectural attractor.

## Local Examples

- [[strongdm-attractor]] specifies the layers as NLSpecs.
- [[agentic-pipeline-runner]] implements a DOT pipeline runner and integrates multiple agent backends.
- [[agent-orchestrator]] handles fleet/session/worktree orchestration and can sit under a factory runner as a worker substrate.