---
title: "Pointer · Agentic Atlas"
description: "Pointer: the resident stand-in for an off-window payload; costs its own few tokens always, and carries the signal that triggers paying for the rest."
canonical: "https://agentic-atlas.dev/glossary/pointer"
last-updated: "2026-08-19"
---

Glossary definition

# Pointer

Atlas key

pointer

Catalog order

29

Used in

6 sections

Catalog revision · 35263c4c415da742953d0462804fb14424e2244dae4c63efd27e468988de70ab

the resident stand-in for an off-window payload; costs its own few tokens always, and carries the signal that triggers paying for the rest. A **data pointer** (deferred context: follow it, get bytes) or a **function pointer** (subagent offload: call it, get a return — the agent's name + description, whose contract role is the *trigger contract*). ([cost relocation](https://agentic-atlas.dev/nodes/cost-relocation))

[Browse the complete glossary](https://agentic-atlas.dev/glossary)

## Used in

- [The Contract](https://agentic-atlas.dev/nodes/contract-documentation#model-and-claims) Model and claims · 1 mention
- [Deferred Context](https://agentic-atlas.dev/nodes/deferred-context#forces) Forces · 1 mention
- [Heavy Agent](https://agentic-atlas.dev/nodes/heavy-agent#application) Application · 1 mention
- [One Guide, Three Bills](https://agentic-atlas.dev/nodes/one-guide-three-bills#choice) Choice · 1 mention
- [Reference Data](https://agentic-atlas.dev/nodes/reference-data#structure-authoring-a-corpus-to-be-searched-into) Structure · 1 mention
- [Subagent Offload](https://agentic-atlas.dev/nodes/subagent-offload#forces) Forces · 1 mention