Specification
Status
Section titled “Status”This document set defines Truth Machine 0.1.0, accepted as current
repository specification through exact transition TMC-0001 on 2026-08-09.
Acceptance does not make an implementation conformant or a built site publicly
released.
The specification defines semantic responsibilities and transition invariants for a system that maintains attributable current truth. It does not prescribe:
- a domain schema;
- a storage engine;
- a programming language;
- a user interface;
- Git;
- an AI model or agent harness;
- one review role or approval ladder; or
- one publication or observation policy.
An implementation chooses those mechanisms and demonstrates that they enforce the normative requirements.
Requirement language
Section titled “Requirement language”The key words MUST, MUST NOT, REQUIRED, SHOULD, SHOULD NOT, RECOMMENDED, MAY, and OPTIONAL are interpreted as described by BCP 14 when, and only when, they appear in all capitals.
Every normative requirement has a stable identifier:
| Prefix | Area |
|---|---|
TM-MOD |
semantic model and separation |
TM-EVD |
evidence and provenance |
TM-AUT |
source and actor authority |
TM-REC |
reconciliation and coherence |
TM-CHG |
review and transition |
TM-CUR |
current truth and ancestry |
TM-OBS |
governed observation |
TM-PUB |
publication and encounter |
TM-DEC |
degradation and recovery |
TM-CON |
conformance claims |
Requirement identifiers remain stable within a major specification version. A requirement may be clarified without changing its identifier only when its obligation does not change.
Normative and informative material
Section titled “Normative and informative material”Only paragraphs explicitly carrying a TM-* identifier are normative.
Examples, diagrams, rationale, implementation reports, profiles, patterns,
guides, and the reference repository layout are informative unless a
requirement expressly incorporates them.
Conformance target
Section titled “Conformance target”A conformance claim names:
- the implementation and version or revision assessed;
- the Truth Machine specification version;
- the coherence boundary in scope;
- every applicable requirement and its evidence;
- any declared optional profile;
- the assessor and assessment date; and
- unresolved or untested conditions.
Conformance is not inferred from vocabulary, repository structure, the presence of an AI Peer, or similarity to the reference implementation. See Conformance for the complete claim contract.