# Allocator
> No-discretion deterministic clearing, constraint-authority inputs, federation announcements, withhold-on-stale, and whole-pool ramp sizing.
- Repository: g2tf-org/g2tf-standards
- GitHub: https://github.com/g2tf-org/g2tf-standards
- Human docs: https://grok-wiki.com/public/docs/g2tf-org-g2tf-standards-436ba3f3e0ff
- Complete Markdown: https://grok-wiki.com/public/docs/g2tf-org-g2tf-standards-436ba3f3e0ff/llms-full.txt
## Source Files
- `members/allocator.md`
- `specs/gcap/spec.md`
- `specs/g2p/spec.md`
- `architecture/allocation-domains.md`
- `architecture/federation.md`
- `architecture/failsafe-model.md`
---
---
title: "Allocator"
description: "No-discretion deterministic clearing, constraint-authority inputs, federation announcements, withhold-on-stale, and whole-pool ramp sizing."
---
The Allocator is the per-domain clearing agent in `members/allocator.md`. Each one-minute interval it executes [GCAP](/gcap-reference) over [G2P](/g2p-reference) messages: it listens for in-zone Member Service Descriptors and peer-Allocator federation announcements, then broadcasts per-class **commit-%** (plus **committed dispatch** / **committed take**) and federation announcements. It holds **no internal intelligence or discretion**. Any party with the same inputs MUST be able to reproduce the same allocations.
**Status:** Draft — seeking input · **Editors:** TBD · **Source:** RFC #1 Protocol Interactions table. GCAP and G2P are independently versioned on the **26.0-draft** line. RFC 2119 / RFC 8174 keywords apply. Wire format, encoding, and per-element state machines are unspecified.
## Role and scope
An Allocator represents one **Allocation Domain**: the Member Elements cleared against a common Grid 1 constraint set. Domains nest (local transmission congestion zone → utility / balancing authority → regional RTO/ISO). One Allocator's associated scope can sit at any of those levels: transmission line → utility load zone → RTO region.
It represents the zone's Grid 1 **power production capacity** and **transmission constraints**. It MAY incorporate power distribution factors and dynamics from Dynamic Line Ratings (DLR) and similar sources. It does **not** see or direct workloads inside a facility; it clears class-level positions only.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Canonical spec | `members/allocator.md` |
| Clearing logic | `specs/gcap/spec.md` (GCAP 26.0-draft) |
| Message layer | `specs/g2p/spec.md` (G2P 26.0-draft) |
| Class order | DESP C → B → A; Grid 1 Firm is never curtailed |
| Interval | Whole one-minute window; allocations expire with the interval |
| v26.0 quantity | Units of energy in the interval |
| Identity | Stable element identifier bound to a provisioned Allocation Domain (identifier format open) |
| Prices | Out of scope — coordination without prices |
```mermaid
flowchart LR
subgraph custodians [Grid 1 custodians]
TO["Transmission owner
MUST provision local + regional constraints"]
RSO["Regional system operator
MAY add capacity constraints"]
end
subgraph domain [Allocation Domain]
ALLOC["Allocator
GCAP, no discretion"]
USE["Use Members"]
BUF["Buffer Members"]
SRC["Source Members"]
end
subgraph peers [Coupled zones]
PEER["Peer Allocators"]
end
TO -->|constraint inputs| ALLOC
RSO -.->|optional capacity| ALLOC
USE -->|"Service Descriptor (+ consume)"| ALLOC
BUF -->|"Service Descriptor (−/+ charge-discharge)"| ALLOC
SRC -->|"Service Descriptor (− supply)"| ALLOC
ALLOC -->|"Commitment: commit-%"| USE
ALLOC -->|"Commitment: committed dispatch"| BUF
ALLOC -->|"Commitment: committed take"| SRC
ALLOC <-->|"Federation Announcement"| PEER
USE -->|"Response / Telemetry"| ALLOC
BUF -->|"Response / Telemetry"| ALLOC
SRC -->|"Response / Telemetry"| ALLOC
```
Authority is **not** derived from the protocol. The utility transmission owner MUST provision the Allocator's local and regional constraints. A regional system operator MAY additionally provision capacity constraints to a regional Allocator. Commercial terms (class-mix limits, charging, enforcement of flex) stay in the domain agreement.
## Broadcasts and listens
Two interaction patterns exist: **Member ↔ Allocator** and **Allocator ↔ Allocator**. Both ride G2P. All four message families are per-interval unless noted.
| Direction | G2P family | Payload the Allocator handles |
|---|---|---|
| In | Service Descriptor (§3.1) | Signed in-zone requests/offers over a forward time vector |
| In | Federation Announcement (§3.3) | Coupled-boundary quantities from peer Allocators |
| In | Response / Telemetry (§3.4) | Verified self-dispatch vs. Commitment |
| Out | Commitment (§3.2) | Per-class commit-%; committed dispatch; committed take |
| Out | Federation Announcement (§3.3) | This domain's announce-and-listen export |
Signed positions in energy-in-the-interval units. Use: one consume (+) position per DESP class. Buffer: − discharge / + charge. Source: supply (−). MAY be reissued each interval; classes MAY change per interval.
MUST identify the **interval**, the **domain**, and the **clearing inputs version**. Use receives per-class **commit-%**. Buffer receives **committed dispatch** (cleared before any load is curtailed). Source receives **committed take**.
MUST identify announcing **domain**, **interval**, and **coupled-boundary quantities**. Message schema is still to be specified in G2P.
Members MUST report actual per-class dispatch against the Commitment. Verification granularity, metering source of truth, and attestation are open.
Descriptors and Commitments MUST be authenticated; message integrity MUST be verifiable end-to-end. Transmission-level deployments are expected on private networks. PKI, NERC CIP mapping, and replay protection are open (Discussion: Engineering).
## Interval cycle
Clearing MUST finish so Members receive commit-% with time to self-dispatch **before the interval opens**. Descriptor, clearing, and publication deadlines, plus clock sync, are open. Where a Grid 1 dispatch instruction conflicts with a Grid 2 allocation, **Grid 1 prevails**.
Take the Grid 1 set provisioned by the domain's custodians: zone power production capacity, transmission constraints, target reserves; optionally DLR and distribution factors. If those inputs are stale, or the **local domain** is partitioned from its constraint authority, **do not clear**.
Ingest signed Member Service Descriptors. Ingest peer-Allocator announcements. Missing required peer announcements do **not** stop local clearing — treat the coupled boundary as contributing **no additional headroom**.
If inputs are fresh, run the headroom → buffers → C-B-A algorithm. Identical inputs MUST yield identical allocations. SHOULD publish (inside the domain) the input digest the Commitment was computed against.
Emit Commitments and federation announcements. Bound total cleared participation so simultaneous member fallback stays inside domain ramp limits. Per-member allocation deltas MUST respect each member's agreed ramp rates.
```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
participant TO as Grid 1 custodians
participant A as Allocator
participant M as Members
participant P as Peer Allocators
TO->>A: Provision constraints (capacity, transmission, reserves; optional DLR)
M->>A: Service Descriptor (signed positions)
P->>A: Federation Announcement (boundary quantities)
alt Stale local constraints or local domain partition
A--xM: Withhold Commitment
M->>M: Fallback to Grid 1 baseline
else Fresh local constraints
A->>A: GCAP: headroom, then Buffers, then C→B→A
A->>M: Commitment (interval, domain, inputs version)
A->>P: Federation Announcement
M->>M: Self-dispatch before interval open
M->>A: Response / Telemetry
end
```
## Constraint inputs
Each interval the Allocator clears **only** against:
1. **Grid 1 constraints** from this domain's custodians.
2. **Member Service Descriptors** in-zone.
3. **Peer-Allocator announcements**, which MAY add boundary headroom but **MUST NOT relax local constraints**.
Which existing transmission-owner signals are the right inputs, and how to standardize them, is a headline Engineering discussion. Input-digest publication is an Allocator open item even though GCAP already says Allocators SHOULD publish the digest.
Peer announcements inform; they never override local custodians. An Allocator MUST clear only against constraints provisioned by **its own** domain's Grid 1 custodians.
## Clearing algorithm
GCAP redispatches deterministically and proportionally, in this **strict** order:
| Step | Name | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Headroom | Compute surplus network capability for the interval. |
| 2 | Buffers | Clear Buffer committed dispatch to absorb shortfall or surplus. **Buffers clear before any load is curtailed.** |
| 3 | Tiered ramp-down | If relief is still required, reduce Use allocations C (Best Efforts) → B (Preferred) → A (Assured). Never touch traditional Firm (Grid 1). |
Within a class, curtailment MUST be **proportional** to connection size and differential request size. The exact weighting, indivisible loads, nodal vs. single-zone headroom, and cross-interval fairness (whether deferred Class C accrues priority) are GCAP open items.
Determinism is the trust model: the Allocator is not an operator. Edge Members own forecasting, workload-to-class mapping, charge/discharge timing, and self-dispatch.
v26.0 Source offers are a single supply class. Buffer SoC visibility needed for step 2 is unspecified.
## Outputs
Allocations apply to the **coming interval only** and expire with it.
| Recipient | Output | Member obligation |
|---|---|---|
| Use | Per-class **commit-%** | MUST self-dispatch within commit-% and agreed ramp rates; MUST report verified self-dispatch |
| Buffer | **Committed dispatch** | MUST honor dispatch within ramp rates; no Grid 2 support commitment while in fallback |
| Source | **Committed take** | MUST self-dispatch to committed take within ramp rates |
| Peer Allocators | Federation announcement | Listeners import boundary quantities; they MUST NOT use them to loosen local limits |
A Member that has not received a commit-% for the current interval MUST treat itself as in fallback. Explicit staleness timers are still to be specified in G2P.
## Withhold-on-stale vs conservative federation
`members/allocator.md` and GCAP say: on stale inputs or partition, **no clearing**. `architecture/federation.md` says: partition between **peer** Allocators MUST NOT prevent local clearing and MUST NOT trip Members in unaffected domains.
Treat those as two different failures:
| Condition | Allocator action | Member effect |
|---|---|---|
| Stale **constraint inputs**, invalid clearing inputs, or **local domain** partition from custodians / Members | MUST **withhold** clearing | Missed Commitment → Grid 1 fallback |
| Missing required **peer** announcements on a coupled boundary | MUST still clear, **conservatively**, as if the boundary adds **zero** headroom | Local Members keep receiving Commitments |
| Partition between peer Allocators only | Independent local operation | MUST NOT trigger fallback in unrelated domains |
Do not implement "any missing announcement ⇒ withhold." That would trip local Members on a peer-zone partition, which federation forbids. Withhold when **local Grid 1 constraint inputs** are stale or the **local** clearing context is partitioned.
Fallback at the edge is locally determinable from the Member's own state. It MUST NOT depend on reaching the Allocator.
| Element | On missed / stale Commitment |
|---|---|
| Use | Grid 1 baseline (firm load limit) or manual curtailment; follow ramp rates |
| Buffer | Standalone Grid 1 schedule; no Grid 2 support commitment |
| Source | Grid 1 interconnection behavior; follow ramp rates |
## Pool and ramp sizing
The Allocator MUST bound total cleared participation so **simultaneous fallback of all Members** produces aggregate ramps within manageable Grid 1 system ramp limits. That bound is the binding constraint on domain growth; the sizing methodology is open.
Per-member allocation deltas between consecutive intervals MUST respect each member's agreed ramp rates. All transitions — into fallback, out of fallback, and between interval allocations — MUST respect host-utility ramp rates.
## Hosting, redundancy, and Phase 0
Hosting (utility-operated vs. third-party under utility authority) and the redundancy model (active/standby Allocators per domain?) are open. Federation diagrams already allow **Allocator(s)** per nested domain.
There is no reference implementation or wire codec in this repository. Phase 0 is shadow mode: exchange and track commitments, execute only the Grid 1 baseline, then graduate to Phase 1 local integration and Phase 2 regional federation. Implementation reports belong in Discussions.
## Open items owned here
Redundancy (active/standby per domain). Clearing-inputs digest publication. Hosting and operational responsibility. Standardization of transmission-owner input signals (Discussion: Engineering).
Wire format. Intra-interval deadlines and clock sync. Staleness-timer values. Federation announcement schema (boundary headroom only vs. per-class aggregates). Loop prevention and inter-domain import policy. Exact proportionality formula. Overlapping-domain membership (local + regional).
## Next
Headroom, then buffers, then C-B-A; identical-input determinism; pool and ramp-safety bounds.
Four message families, commit-before-open timing, authenticated descriptors, stale-commitment faults.
Announce-and-listen, conservative missing-announcement clearing, peer partition that does not trip local Members.
Required Grid 1 set, optional DLR and distribution factors, digests, peers MUST NOT relax local limits.
Withhold-on-stale, interval-only commitments, locally determinable fallback.
Nested domains, transmission-owner authority, membership by spec compliance.