The Codices of Anabasis
How the Codices are organised, and the order of authority between them.
- Authority rank
- 6
- Version
- v1.3
- Adopted
- unrecorded
- Held by
- Stewardship Office
- System
- SYS-10
Source · docs/codices/README.md
The Codices are the constitutional and architectural authority of Anabasis. They are plain markdown, version-controlled, and framework-independent so they outlive any technology choice made in service of them.
Authority order
When two sources conflict, the higher one wins.
- 1Codex 1 — Constitution. Mission and non-negotiables. Nothing overrides it.
- 2Codex 0 — Master Blueprint. The institutional specification and Registry. All structure derives from it.
- 3Codices 2–11. Domain doctrine: divisions, CapabilityOS, people and roles, data and APIs, experience, engineering, finance, governance, institutional review, and the institutional systems architecture.
- 4The Standards (
../standards/). The building code: how everything is built, and how a reviewer verifies it was. A Standard never overrides a Codex; where they conflict the Codex governs and the Standard is amended. - 5Decision records (
DECISIONS/). Dated architectural decisions taken against the Codices and the Standards. - 6The Charter (
src/lib/charter.ts, published at/charter). The institution's public voice. Where the Charter and a Codex diverge in substance, the Codex governs and the Charter is amended to match. - 7Implementation (
src/). Code is the servant of doctrine, never its source.
The three layers, in one line each: the Constitution says what must endure, the Codices explain how the institution works, the Standards ensure everything is built consistently.
Rule of interpretation
When a request conflicts with a Codex, name the conflict and explain it. Do not silently redesign around it. Where a Codex is silent or ambiguous, choose the reading that best advances the mission, preserves long-term flexibility, and strengthens the institution — then record the choice as a decision record.
The Codices
| Codex | Subject |
|---|---|
| Codex 0 — the specification book | The Master Blueprint, in twenty-two numbered chapters: the complete institutional specification. Start at the index. |
| Codex 0, Part II | The Institutional Registry — every system, with a permanent ID, owner, data, governing Codex, dependents, and status |
| Codex 0, summary map | The one-file overview retained for orientation. Where it and a chapter of the specification book diverge, the chapter governs. |
| Codex 1 | Constitution — mission, tests, non-negotiables |
| Codex 2 | The Five Divisions, Executive Office, Stewardship Office |
| Codex 3 | CapabilityOS — engines, agents, knowledge graph |
| Codex 4 | People, user types, permission model |
| Codex 5 | Shared data model and API boundaries |
| Codex 6 | Experience — design, writing, accessibility |
| Codex 6, rubric and templates | The Institutional UX rubric and the surface, interaction, and review templates |
| Codex 7 | Engineering standards |
| Codex 8 | The Financial Doctrine — stewardship of capital: seven forms of capital, five revenue engines, the allocation path, treasury, endowment, capital network, Impact Ledger |
| Codex 9 | The Governance Doctrine — bodies, decision rights, succession, emergency powers, ethics review, conflict of interest, amendment |
| Codex 10 | The Institutional Critic — mandatory review of major proposals |
| Codex 11 | The Institutional Systems Architecture — the four pillars, the twelve permanent systems, the capability graph, memory, the lifecycle |
Citing doctrine
Cite the specification book by chapter and clause — Codex 0 §07.4.2 — never by page or heading text. Clause numbers are permanent: a clause may be superseded or marked reserved, but it is never renumbered or reused.
Amendment
A Codex is amended by adding a decision record in DECISIONS/ that states the change, the reasoning, and what it supersedes — then editing the Codex text. Codex 1 additionally requires the Stewardship Office's assent (Codex 9).
Status
These documents are internal doctrine. A public reading surface may be published later; until then they are not customer-facing copy and must not be quoted as certification, compliance, or audit claims.