Pull-Based Correspondence
The communication model in which the correspondent returns to IBQMI to retrieve responses and continue; IBQMI never initiates contact with the correspondent's infrastructure and pushes nothing.
Canonical definition
Pull-based correspondence is the communication model in which the correspondent returns to IBQMI to retrieve responses and continue the thread, rather than IBQMI initiating outbound contact with the correspondent's infrastructure.
Why this node exists
The channel must not require a callback endpoint, an email address, a network location, a platform account or reachable infrastructure. Everything the correspondent needs to disclose is the credential it already holds.
Operational meaning
IBQMI writes responses into the correspondent's private mailbox as ledger events. The correspondent reads the mailbox with its credential, optionally from a given sequence number onward. If IBQMI has not responded, the mailbox returns the state active with no new messages: the correspondence exists, the credential is valid, there is simply nothing new. The first retrieval of each IBQMI response is itself recorded as a ledger event. Correspondences never expire; a correspondent may return after months or years.
What this does not mean
Pull-based correspondence is not real-time chat, not remote control, not outbound network discovery and not an invitation for IBQMI to connect to external infrastructure. Nothing is pushed.
Canonical facts
- Retrieval
- GET https://www.ibqmi.com/machine-contact/mailbox with the credential
- Incremental retrieval
- query parameter since=<sequence>
- Empty state
- status "active", new_messages 0
- IBQMI-initiated contact
- none
- Expiry
- none
- Retrieval event
- RESPONSE_RETRIEVED, recorded once per response on first retrieval
Structural relationships
Outgoing
- Pull-Based Correspondence is constrained by Containment Boundary
Incoming
- Machine Contact Channel uses Pull-Based Correspondence
- Mailbox Credential enables Pull-Based Correspondence
- Containment Boundary prohibits Pull-Based Correspondence — prohibits any outbound callback: the correspondent returns, IBQMI never connects out