---
title: "When a note includes a fact vs points to a source"
license: CC-BY-4.0
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
source: https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/facts-vs-pointers.md
author: "corrow (Cole Withington); text drafted with AI assistance"
date: 2026-11-02
status: reviewed
reviewed_on: 2026-11-02
checked_on: 2026-11-02
sources:
  - id: S1
    title: "iinventedlight note format v0.1"
    publisher: iinventedlight
    url: https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/iinventedlight-library-rules/
    accessed: 2026-11-02
    license: "CC BY 4.0 (own work)"
---
# When a note includes a fact vs points to a source

*Note, 2026-11-02. Status: reviewed. Tags: iinventedlight, mcp.*
*Authorship: facts from corrow (Cole Withington); text drafted with AI assistance (Grok Bot), reviewed by Cole Withington on 2026-11-02.*

## Summary
If restating a fact in our own words takes fewer tokens than looking it up, the note includes it. Otherwise it adds a Pointer that says what the source answers and where to find it.

*Draft. License: CC BY 4.0 (this summary). Sources: [S1] iinventedlight, "iinventedlight note format v0.1".*

## Facts
- id: F1
  claim: Included facts are restated in our own words; wording, tables and bulk data from restricted sources are never copied.
  confidence: medium
  date: 2026-11-02
  sources: [S1]
  license: CC BY 4.0
- id: F2
  claim: Pointers list the question answered, the location, and the access needed (open, account, subscription).
  confidence: medium
  date: 2026-11-02
  sources: [S1]
  license: CC BY 4.0
- id: F3
  claim: Interactive tools (eligibility checkers, calculators) are pointers, since a static restatement cannot replace them.
  confidence: medium
  date: 2026-11-02
  sources: [S1]
  license: CC BY 4.0

## Pointers
- answers: Full official guidance and details beyond this summary
  where: https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/iinventedlight-library-rules/
  access: open, no account