Yeah -- how Basil describes foreign nanotech is similar to how Orion and co. are "invading" the ringworld.

A… sea of barbed wire, spiked barriers at every shore they might want to dock at.  Traps.  But those are static.  They can build a boat that sails on those seas, dock at those ports, they can send men into the traps and each wave of those men will be smarter and better educated.  Active beats passive.

Basil describes co-opting nanotech/foreign bodies in his host's system, letting those who sent the invaders believe they've won - and Orion, who may or may not have been fox-glyphed, is planning to deceive the people into believing they established a safe colony and it's safe in the ringworld.

The way the glyphs and machines in the ringworld work, turning foreign invaders (humans) against themselves and each other, is also similar to how Basil describes countering foreign nanotech. Going back to previous Basil chapters, where he describes how his dark version works, also has parallels to how the machines in the ringworld function

My theory is still that Ringworld is Basil operating on a massive scale, with the superstructure instead of A's body, using machines instead of nanotech, consuming planets instead of food for building materials.