TEMPLATE — a Codex

The canonical structure of a Codex. Doctrine is authored externally; this file states the form it arrives in, so that any Codex can be read, cited, and amended the same way a century from now.

Delete every instruction line in italics before publishing. A section that does not apply is stated as "None." — never removed.

Front matter

# CODEX N — THE <NAME> DOCTRINE

Version: 1.0 · Adopted: YYYY-MM-DD · Office: <holding office> · Division: <owner, where one exists>
System: SYS-NN · Authority: <rank, per docs/standards/00-index.md>
Governs: <ids> · Governed by: <ids>
Registry: <the classes this Codex enumerates, e.g. `ENG-`, `WF-`>

An epigraph of one or two sentences: the belief this Codex exists to hold. Not a summary.

Purpose

One paragraph. What this Codex is for, and what question it settles that no other Codex settles. If another Codex settles it, this one should not exist.

Scope

What this Codex governs, and — explicitly — what it does not. Name the neighbouring Codices at each boundary.

Definitions

Only terms this Codex uses in a narrower sense than ordinary usage, or that appear in no other Codex. Every other term belongs in the glossary.

Article I — <name>

Clauses are numbered I.1, I.1.1, and cited as Codex N, Article I.1.1. Each clause states one obligation, in one sentence where possible, in the normative vocabulary of docs/standards/00-index.md: must, must not, should, may.

A clause is written so that a person who did not draft it can check whether it was met.

Article II — <name>

Continue in Roman numerals. Articles are stable: an article is not renumbered once published, even when superseded. A superseded article is marked, not deleted.

Final principle

One sentence a member could recite. It restates nothing; it is what remains when the articles are forgotten.

Amendment

How this Codex is amended, where it differs from Codex 9. Where it does not differ: "Per Codex 9."

Amendment record

Every version is accounted for by a decision record. A version with no decision record behind it is reported as a defect on `/codices/health`.

Rules of form

1. 1One subject. A Codex governs one domain. Two subjects means two Codices.
2. 2No restatement. Cite the governing clause; never paraphrase it. A paraphrase becomes a second source of truth and then a conflict.
3. 3Numbered clauses. Anything an implementer must satisfy carries a number, so it can be cited by a reviewer.
4. 4Checkable obligations. "Must be secure" is not a clause. "Must enforce authorization server-side and record an audit entry" is.
5. 5Article Zero applies. Every item a Codex introduces names one purpose, one owner, one doctrine, one measurable outcome, and one place in the architecture (DECISIONS/0008).
6. 6Every introduced item is registered. A Codex that introduces an engine, workflow, entity, surface, or revenue stream names its Registry class and identifier.
7. 7Plain register. Institutional, calm, and readable by a capable person outside the institution. No slogans, no emphasis by exclamation, no marketing.