Reference

This page is a compact reference for Canon wiki concepts. Use the source repository for exact CLI behavior and policy defaults.

Machine-Facing Integration

For downstream runtimes (like Boundline), use the JSON-based canon governance commands instead of scraping human CLI prose:

canon governance capabilities --json
canon governance start --json < request.json
canon governance refresh --json < request.json

These commands resolve the workspace and provide machine-readable status, packet refs, and metadata.

Governance Semantics

Canon separates semantic posture into two contracts:

• Authority Governance (authority-governance-v1): The required baseline contract.
• Adaptive Governance (adaptive-governance-v1): An optional companion contract.

Type	Term	Definition
Governance State	advisory	A state in the Adaptive Governance layer suggesting guidance.
Governance State	catch	A state in the Adaptive Governance layer indicating observation/alerting.
Governance State	rule	A state in the Adaptive Governance layer enforcing a constraint.
Governance State	hook	A state in the Adaptive Governance layer indicating a required process integration.
Rollout Profile	minimal	Earliest maturity label for a feature/system.
Rollout Profile	guided	Guided maturity label.
Rollout Profile	governed	Full governance maturity label.
Rollout Profile	strict	Highest level of strictness maturity.

Mode Reference

Mode	Primary Use
discovery	Explore ambiguous problem space.
requirements	Define bounded scope, outcomes, and acceptance.
domain-language	Stabilize vocabulary and term status.
domain-model	Model concepts, relationships, invariants, and contexts.
system-shaping	Explore capability boundaries and structural options.
architecture	Capture bounded structural decisions.
backlog	Decompose approved upstream knowledge into delivery slices.
change	Frame bounded modification in an existing system.
implementation	Guide execution for an approved delivery slice.
refactor	Improve structure without expanding feature scope.
review	Assess non-PR artifacts with findings-first posture.
verification	Challenge claims, evidence, and quality signals.
pr-review	Review a real diff or worktree.
incident	Capture incident impact, containment, and follow-up.
security-assessment	Assess threats, risks, mitigations, and gaps.
system-assessment	Evaluate current system state and findings.
migration	Plan a bounded source-to-target move.
supply-chain-analysis	Examine dependencies, SBOM, vulnerabilities, licenses, and legacy risk.

Packet Document Reference

PR-Review Conventional Comments

pr-review Conventional Comments always retain explicit derived scope.

• scope:pr: the comment applies at the whole-PR level.
• scope:surface: all changed surfaces for the finding stay within one functional group.
• scope:file: the finding spans more than one functional group.

When the stored diff resolves to one changed surface and one contiguous interval, Canon may also render one host-agnostic anchor as surface:start or surface:start-end.

When evidence is cross-surface, disjoint, stale, or otherwise insufficient, Canon omits the anchor and keeps scope-only output.

Common ordered document roles:

• 01-context.md: why this packet exists and what boundary applies
• 02-findings.md: observations, facts, or conclusions
• 03-decisions.md: choices, rationale, and alternatives
• 04-evidence.md: supporting material and traceability
• 05-next-steps.md: follow-up work, if the mode calls for it

Mode-specific packets may use different names, but should preserve an intentional reading order.

Evidence Reference

Strong evidence:

• exact file refs
• command output
• test or CI results
• logs and timestamps
• reviewer comments
• prior packet refs
• source examples
• dependency or vulnerability data

Weak evidence:

• generic summaries
• uncited assumptions
• stale observations
• "the assistant thinks" claims
• conclusions without checks

Approval And Readiness Reference

Approval answers: may downstream work rely on this?

Readiness answers: is this packet complete enough for its intended use?

Do not collapse the two. A reusable packet may still require approval for high-impact use. An approved packet may still be bounded to one context.

Promotion Reference

Promote knowledge when it is:

• durable
• evidence-backed
• source-linked
• appropriately approved
• useful for downstream work
• compatible with the destination memory surface

Do not promote raw drafts, unresolved questions, or low-confidence generated prose.

Glossary

Authored input: user- or team-authored material that grounds a Canon run.

Boundline: a downstream runtime delivery system that can consume Canon-governed knowledge.

Evidence: inspectable support for a packet claim.

Governed packet: structured, mode-specific engineering knowledge with evidence, readiness, approval, and lineage.

Lineage: trace from source input to packet, evidence, publication, promotion, and downstream consumption.

Mode: the kind of work Canon is governing.

Project memory: durable governed knowledge promoted for future use.

Promotion: moving selected packet knowledge into durable memory or documentation.

Readiness: whether a packet is usable for its stated purpose.

Semantic authority: Canon-owned governed meaning that downstream tools should respect.

Zone: governance context indicating operational confidence or criticality.