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In many disciplines, states that emerge in open systems far from equilibrium are determined by a few global parameters^,. These states can often mimic thermodynamic equilibrium, a classic example being the oscillation threshold of a laser that resembles a phase transition in condensed matter. However, many classes of states cannot form spontaneously in dissipative systems, and this is the case for cavity solitons that generally need to be induced by external perturbations, as in the case of optical memories^,. In the past decade, these highly localized states have enabled important advancements in microresonator-based optical frequency combs^,. However, the very advantages that make cavity solitons attractive for memories—their inability to form spontaneously from noise—have created fundamental challenges. As sources, microcombs require spontaneous and reliable initiation into a desired state that is …