Overview
MTP (Mapping the Prompt) is a framework for steering LLM output through structured controls — sliders, grid coordinates, and presets — instead of long natural-language behavior instructions.
It controls model tone and style through a coordinate-based compilation step rather than direct verbal instructions. Instead of relying on requests such as “be concise” or “think deeply,” it uses a position in a structured space: a slider value, a grid coordinate, or a named preset. The compiler deterministically converts that position into constraint XML that reshapes the model’s output.
This page summarizes core terms and a lightweight description of the two layers behind MTP’s controls. In practical terms, those layers are grid position and intensity / polarity; in the formal model they are called Space and Intensity. Full equations and zone boundaries are covered in Grid and Coordinate System; per-node behavior is summarized in Node Reference.
The 3x3 color arrangement used by Space is:
| Position | Left | Center | Right |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top | Yellow | Red | Magenta |
| Middle | Green | Transparent | White |
| Bottom | Cyan | Blue | Purple |
Core terms
Section titled “Core terms”The following terms recur throughout MTP documentation. Together they describe the pipeline from user input to applied constraints:
┌─────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐ ┌───────────────────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │ Input │ ──→ │ Compiler │ ──→ │ Constraint extraction │ ──→ │ Output │ └─────────┘ └──────────────────┘ └───────────────────────────┘ └─────────────┘
preset ─── expands to ──→ grid coordinates ──┐ slider (node:intensity) ───────────────────→ ├→ (axis, polarity, intensity) → node file → constraints grid coordinate (column:row) ──────────────→ ┘| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Node | One of the nine semantic axes (for example, Red). Each node has a Side A name (for example, Power) and a Side B name (for example, Void). |
| Color / Axis | The color-based identity used to distinguish nodes: Yellow, Red, Magenta, Green, Transparent, White, Cyan, Blue, Purple. |
| Side A / Side B | The two poles of each axis. Positive intensity activates Side A; negative intensity activates Side B. |
| Intensity | A strength value from 0 to 100. It determines which constraint tier (Low / Mid / High) is extracted. |
| Slider | Input in node:intensity format. Examples: power:70, void:80, yellow:-30 |
| Grid | Input in column:row format on the 19×19 grid. Examples: D:16, A:1. The compiler calculates axis, polarity, and intensity from the position. |
| Preset | A named blend that expands into grid coordinates before parsing. Example: strategist expands to P:16 P:4. |
All input paths ultimately converge on the same internal representation: (axis, polarity, intensity). Inputs such as power:100, red:100, and J:4 resolve to the same three components and therefore extract the same constraints.
| Color / Axis | Side A Node | Side B Node | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow | open | still | |
| Red | power | void | |
| Magenta | return | surge | |
| Green | grow | wither | |
| Transparent | helix | collapse | |
| White | focus | haze | |
| Cyan | enter | drift | |
| Blue | flow | abyss | |
| Purple | close | fade |