Research: Model Lifecycle Telemetry as a UX Signal for Local RAG

[AccessiT3ch]

Summary

Implement a mechanism for deliberate model lifecycle management (warm-up/cool-down) in the RAG pipeline to serve as a high-fidelity telemetry signal for human users.

Background

In local model contexts, the delay associated with model loading (pulling into RAM) and unloading is often viewed as a performance bottleneck. However, from an Augmentative Partnership perspective (MANIFESTO.md § Augmentative Partnership), this delay is a valuable signal of process health and progression.

Rationale

• High-Fidelity Telemetry: Spinning up/down models provides clear, accurate feedback that the system is responding to the user's intent.
• Cognitive Reset: The loading delay provides a natural "moment to stop and think," which is critical for maintaining human oversight in complex decision-making loops.
• Verification-First: The signal of a model warming up serves as a visual confirmation that the correct substrate is being prepared for the task.

Proposal

• Research telemetry patterns for local inference (Ollama/llama.cpp) specifically for warm-up phases.
• Propose a "Verification Delay" UI/CLI pattern that surfaces loading status as a first-class citizen of the task lifecycle.
• Evaluate the impact on human-in-the-loop (HITL) quality when these signals are present vs. suppressed.

Acceptance Criteria

• RAG benchmark script supports a --warm-up-telem or equivalent flag.
• CLI output clearly distinguishes between loading latency and inference latency.
• Design document in docs/research/ detailing the "Delay as Signal" UX pattern.