{
  "layer": "lengths",
  "title": "Mini / Standard / XL — same content, different emphasis",
  "spec": "supercard",
  "version": "3.2.0",
  "era": "atlas",
  "spec_revision": "05290259e680",
  "summary": "Length is a prop, not a fork: same content model, same grammar, same identity — only emphasis, density, and depth vary. Standard is canonical; Mini and XL are derived views.",
  "source": "10-GOVERNANCE/LENGTHS-mini-standard-xl.md",
  "provenance": [
    {
      "file": "10-GOVERNANCE/LENGTHS-mini-standard-xl.md",
      "updated": "2026-05-16",
      "version": "3.2.0",
      "sha256": "a0a46841c0af5d0884e4d8de539c9036faf585559a92af7f564a0c848414c364"
    }
  ],
  "data": {
    "variants": [
      {
        "variant": "mini",
        "density": "High",
        "purpose": "Glanceable; index-card scale; lists, sidebars, dense grids",
        "total_blocks": "5–8"
      },
      {
        "variant": "standard",
        "density": "Comfortable",
        "purpose": "Canonical reading unit",
        "total_blocks": "10–14"
      },
      {
        "variant": "xl",
        "density": "Spacious",
        "purpose": "Deep-dive long-form synthesis",
        "total_blocks": "18–25"
      }
    ],
    "beat_coverage": [
      {
        "beat": "1. Hook",
        "mini": "✓",
        "standard": "✓",
        "xl": "✓"
      },
      {
        "beat": "2. Evidence",
        "mini": "✓",
        "standard": "✓",
        "xl": "✓ (multi-block)"
      },
      {
        "beat": "3. Mechanism",
        "mini": "✓",
        "standard": "✓",
        "xl": "✓ (multi-block)"
      },
      {
        "beat": "4. Comparison",
        "mini": "—",
        "standard": "✓",
        "xl": "✓"
      },
      {
        "beat": "5. Counter",
        "mini": "—",
        "standard": "✓",
        "xl": "✓"
      },
      {
        "beat": "6. Application",
        "mini": "✓",
        "standard": "✓",
        "xl": "✓"
      },
      {
        "beat": "7. Close",
        "mini": "✓",
        "standard": "✓",
        "xl": "✓"
      }
    ]
  },
  "see_also": [
    "grammar",
    "pipeline"
  ],
  "doc_markdown": "# LENGTHS — Mini / Standard / XL\n\n| key | value |\n|---|---|\n| id | LENGTHS-mini-standard-xl |\n| type | governance |\n| era | atlas |\n| version | 3.2.0 |\n| owner | derick |\n| updated | 2026-05-16 |\n\nLength is a **prop**, not a fork. Same content model, same grammar, same identity — only emphasis, density, and depth vary.\n\n---\n\n## The three variants\n\n| Variant | Density | Purpose | Total blocks |\n|---|---|---|---|\n| **Mini** | High | Glanceable; index-card scale; lists, sidebars, dense grids | 5–8 |\n| **Standard** | Comfortable | Canonical reading unit | 10–14 |\n| **XL** | Spacious | Deep-dive long-form synthesis | 18–25 |\n\nStandard is canonical. Mini and XL are derived views — when they conflict with Standard, Standard wins.\n\n## Beat coverage\n\n| Beat | Mini | Standard | XL |\n|---|:-:|:-:|:-:|\n| 1. Hook | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |\n| 2. Evidence | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (multi-block) |\n| 3. Mechanism | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (multi-block) |\n| 4. Comparison | — | ✓ | ✓ |\n| 5. Counter | — | ✓ | ✓ |\n| 6. Application | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |\n| 7. Close | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |\n\nMini collapses to the essential five beats. XL fills every beat and runs multi-block beats with internal rhythm.\n\n## Block compatibility per length\n\nEach block declares which lengths it supports via its `length_variants` field. Rules:\n\n1. **Same content model, different presentation.** A Mini and an XL authored from the same source must contain the same canonical fields; only emphasis and depth differ.\n2. **Blocks declare length compatibility** in their spec frontmatter (`length_variants: mini, standard, xl`). This is the contract.\n3. **No block may exist in only one length** without explicit ADR justification. Prevents \"XL-only\" blocks from becoming a parallel system.\n4. **Standard is the reference rendering.** When in doubt, render Standard.\n\n## When to choose which\n\n**Mini** when:\n\n- Topic has a single load-bearing claim with minimal supporting structure\n- The card serves a glance use case (mobile, sidebar, dense grid, list-of-cards)\n- 5 beats is enough to do the topic justice\n\n**Standard** when:\n\n- The default. Pick this unless you have a reason not to.\n- Topic warrants the full 7-beat narrative\n- Card will be read in isolation, mobile-first\n\n**XL** when:\n\n- Topic genuinely needs depth across all beats\n- Multiple parallel claims need separate evidence + mechanism + comparison\n- The card is a reference doc users will return to\n\nIf you're between Standard and XL, choose Standard and split into multi-part if needed. A two-part Standard reads better than a stretched XL.\n\n## Hero scaling across lengths\n\n| Variant | Hero treatment |\n|---|---|\n| Mini | Compact card-in-hero, single visual or short stat |\n| Standard | Full Postcard-as-header, 4:5 aspect, hero card with metric or diagram |\n| XL | Same as Standard, may use 1:1 or 5:4 if topic demands extra visual presence |\n\nHero is always one of the 1–3 elevated elements. Standard and XL allow up to 2 additional elevated elements; Mini allows 0–1 additional.\n\n## Anti-pattern: stretching a Mini into a Standard\n\nDon't pad. If a topic only fills 6 blocks naturally, ship it as a Mini. Padding sections to hit Standard length triggers the redundancy filter and kills scannability. The Mini variant exists exactly so you don't have to choose between \"ship a thin Standard\" and \"don't ship at all.\"\n\n## Anti-pattern: compressing an XL into a Standard\n\nDon't compress. If a topic genuinely needs 22 blocks, give it 22 blocks. Compressing to fit Standard length destroys the beat structure and produces a card that's neither scannable (too dense for Standard) nor deep (too thin for XL).\n\n## L-5. Per-length anchor budgets (V3.1+)\n\nV3.1+ cards apply per-length anchor budgets on top of the block totals above. **Anchors** are the structurally emphatic blocks defined in GRAMMAR § G-9 (stat-callout, pull-quote, key-takeaway, numbered-principle, table-with-takeaway-row). Anchor counts EXCLUDE the title, dek, beat dividers, and the micro-folio.\n\n| Variant | Total blocks | Min anchors | Max anchors | Asterism rests |\n|---|---|---|---|---|\n| Mini | 5–8 | 2 | 3 | 0 |\n| Standard | 10–14 | 3 | 5 | 0–1 |\n| XL | 18–25 | 5 | 8 | 2–4 |\n\nRules:\n\n1. XL cards rendering fewer than 2 asterisms MUST be re-mixed — the density grammar assumes mid-beat rests at this length.\n2. Mini cards MUST NOT use asterisms; the form is too short for them to register as rests rather than ornaments.\n3. Anchor counts that fall outside the band trigger a re-mix, not a length change — pad with content blocks or trim anchors before changing variant.\n\n## L-6. Beat anchor weighting (V3.1+)\n\nThe 7 beats don't all carry the same anchor density. V3.1+ cards apply the following weighting:\n\n| Beat | Anchor requirement |\n|---|---|\n| 1. Hook | Anchor in the first block (the hero counts) |\n| 2. Evidence | Lead with a stat-callout or numbered-principle |\n| 3. Mechanism | Prose is permitted; the anchor MAY sit at the end of the beat |\n| 4. Comparison | Comparison-block or table-with-takeaway-row counts as the beat anchor |\n| 5. Counter | At least one pull-quote OR key-takeaway stating the steel-manned view |\n| 6. Application | End with a numbered-principle or application-checklist |\n| 7. Close | Anchor in the final block — key-takeaway is canonical |\n\nMapping reflects ADHD reading behaviour: readers enter on the Hook, may bail anywhere, and re-enter at high-visual-contrast points. Anchors at beat openings (Evidence) and closings (Application, Close) give them re-entry landings.\n",
  "see_also_urls": [
    "https://berafoot.com/spec/grammar.json",
    "https://berafoot.com/spec/pipeline.json"
  ],
  "mirror_urls": [
    {
      "name": "berafoot",
      "url": "https://berafoot.com/spec/lengths.json"
    },
    {
      "name": "vercel",
      "url": "https://supercard-seven.vercel.app/spec/lengths.json"
    }
  ]
}