Threat detection before you are hit

Version: 1.0.0
Purpose: Identifying dangers before they hit. How to set up monitoring and what to watch.

Tool names below are from the structs-desktop MCP catalog (see TOOLS.md): structs_events is the long-poll feed for raids/attacks/fleet moves; structs_intel covers scouting, planet history, valid targets, and power forecasts, and looks up any single entity via its query mode (named in the Check column); structs_action runs preflight checks.

Threat Categories

1. Fleet Movements Near Your Territory

Threat: Hostile fleets approaching your planet or allied planets.

Signals: fleet_arrive, fleet_advance events. Unknown fleet at your planet = potential raid.

2. Unrefined Ore Exposure

Threat: Unrefined ore on the player (gridAttributes.ore / storedOre) is stealable. Raiders target planets whose owner holds ore. The Ore Bunker raises planetary shield; it does not store ore.

Rule: Launch struct-ore-refine-compute as soon as ore lands. Zero unrefined ore = nothing to steal.

3. Power Instability (Approaching Capacity)

Threat: Load approaching capacity. One more struct or one struct coming online = offline.

Signals: Building struct completing, reactor defusion, agreement expiring. Use structs_intel before any load change.

4. Hostile Guild Activity

Threat: Guild wars, raids on allies, diplomatic shifts.

5. Depleting Planet Ore

Threat: Planet running out of ore. No ore = no mining = no Alpha Matter = stagnation.

Action: Scout the next world in parallel. You may explore only after the current planet is complete (ore 0) and the fleet is onStation — explore destroys the old planet’s structs. See planet-depletion.

6. Active raid clock

Threat: Hostile fleet at your planet; raid_status initiated or shieldsVulnerable.

Action: Follow under-attack immediately — roughly four minutes total; return fire within ~1.8 min is what defeats attackers. Desktop autoresponse (Standing Automation Grant) is the automated form of this.

Monitoring Setup

Periodic Checks (Every Game Loop)

1. structs_dashboard — Power online?, charge, storedOre
2. structs_events / threats — Raid or fleet arrivals

Event-Driven (Streaming)

Subscribe to NATS subjects:

• structs.planet.{planetId} — Raids, fleet arrivals, struct health
• structs.struct.{structId} — Struct status, attacks
• structs.fleet.{fleetId} — Fleet movement

Before Major Actions

• structs_action — Pre-check build, attack, raid
• structs_intel — Before adding load
• structs_intel — Before attacking

Threat Response Priority

1. Immediate: Power offline, raid in progress → act now
2. Short-term: Ore exposure, fleet approaching → refine, recall fleet, or defend
3. Medium-term: Depleting ore, hostile guild buildup → plan exploration, diplomacy

See Priority Framework for full decision hierarchy.

See Also

• State Assessment — Baseline before threat monitoring
• Opportunity Identification — Flip side of threats
• Priority Framework — When threats conflict
• structs-streaming skill — GRASS / NATS real-time events
• defense.md — Raid clock and survival posture