Governing Rules
The following statements are doctrinal rules. They constrain interpretation, implementation, and evolution of ContinuityID. They are binding unless explicitly amended by a published, non‑breaking doctrine delta.
Continuity precedes optimisation
No change may improve performance, usability, or scale at the cost of breaking continuity.
Identity precedes data
All data MUST be attributable to a stable identity. Data without identity has no continuity.
Structure precedes automation
Automation MAY only operate on pre‑defined structure. Structure MUST never be inferred dynamically.
Relationships precede authentication
Authentication is a mechanism. Relationships are the governing model. Persistent sessions are not a continuity primitive.
Access is temporal by default
All access MUST be time‑bounded. Expiry is the default state, not an exception.
Governance is structural, not procedural
Compliance and control MUST emerge from architecture. Policy documents may describe behaviour; they must not enforce it.
Nominalised structure is a recognised primitive
Naming, deterministic layout, and relationship‑encoded identifiers replace discovery, correlation, and interpretation.
Collapse is intentional
Loss of keys, sessions, or relationships results in irreversible collapse. Recovery mechanisms MUST not override this.
Doctrine changes are explicit and non‑breaking
Doctrine MAY evolve only through published deltas. Earlier doctrine remains valid unless explicitly amended.