manual page/ Reference
Source authority
- Sections
- 7
- Format
- Markdown
- Order
- 35 / 156
Source authority decides which written intent governs when artifacts conflict.
Tools may flag conflicts. People resolve them.
Minimum model
Use these rules first:
- Specs state intended behavior.
- Code can falsify a spec, not silently amend it.
- Review rows judge against current spec text and evidence.
- Changed requirements or changed exercised code make old evidence stale.
- Findings inform future work but are not requirements until promoted into a spec.
Artifact rank
| Rank | Artifact |
|---|---|
| 1 | accepted ADR |
| 2 | approved spec |
| 3 | accepted finding |
| 4 | reviewed audit |
| 5 | reviewed research |
| 6 | task notes |
| 7 | chat |
Drafts rank one step below their accepted tier.
Domain rank
| Rank | Domain |
|---|---|
| 1 | enforced policy |
| 2 | compliance |
| 3 | security |
| 4 | architecture |
| 5 | product |
| 6 | team |
| 7 | task scoping |
| 8 | memory |
Conflict rule
- If either statement is enforced-policy, compliance, or security, higher domain wins.
- Otherwise, higher artifact rank wins.
- If artifact rank ties, higher domain rank wins.
- If both ranks tie, resolve by amendment.
The losing statement is not deleted. Reconcile it.
Approval
These edits need the governing owner:
- add, remove, or renumber a requirement
- change actor, trigger, strength, outcome, or non-goal
- change a public interface
- resolve a blocking open question
- add, remove, or repoint
Verify with: - accept manual evidence where automated evidence was expected
- approve, supersede, or amend an ADR
- promote a finding into a spec requirement
Meaning-preserving cleanup does not need the same approval.
High-oversight work
Use named human review for:
- critical-risk work
- destructive operations
- migrations
- shared databases
- public interfaces
- security-sensitive changes
Waivers in this band need a named human, reason, affected rows, and expiry.
Related
Starter kit: Set up a workspace