Laws of the Governance Runtime

I. Execution Requires Birth

No artifact may execute without first being born into the governance runtime. Birth establishes the first epoch. Without an epoch, the gate does not open.

II. Conformance is Monotonic

Conformance may only improve or remain constant. Regression is structurally impossible. An artifact that was conformant cannot become non-conformant.

III. Epochs are Immutable

An epoch, once created, cannot be overwritten, amended, or deleted. E1 is followed by E2. The chain is append-only. History is preserved, not replaced.

IV. The Gate is Binary

Execution is either allowed or blocked. There is no warning mode. There are no overrides. The gate opens or it does not.

V. Agents Propose, Humans Approve

Autonomous agents may submit proposals. They may not execute them. They may not commit epochs. They may not bypass validation. Approval requires human authority.

VI. Capabilities are Earned

No actor begins with execution authority. Observe and Validate are default. Propose, Commit, Execute, and Delegate must be granted. Grants are epoch-bound.

VII. The Ceiling Cannot be Exceeded

No actor may grant capabilities they do not possess. No actor may delegate authority they have not been given. The ceiling is inviolable.

VIII. Supersession is Final

Once a capability is superseded, it cannot be un-superseded. Forward-only removal. The audit chain records the moment of loss.

IX. No MDK, No Execution

MDK is mandatory for execution eligibility. Platform and Primitive licenses are valid without MDK, but execution is blocked. MDK is the gate key.

X. The Audit Chain is Sacred

Every action is recorded. Every epoch is hashed. Every grant is logged. The chain cannot be broken. The truth cannot be hidden.