Contributing

Contribution Types

• Standard change (new requirements, modified requirements)
• Implementation guidance (non-normative examples, checklists)
• Case study (applied scenario with evidence artifacts)
• Issue / gap report (ambiguities, missing controls, conflicts)

Pull Request Checklist

1. Scope: link the PR to a file in 00_foundations/scope_and_non_scope.md (or propose a scope update).
2. Ethical mapping: reference at least one axiom ID from 00_foundations/ethical_axioms.md (e.g., A3 Justice).
3. Normative language: use MUST/SHOULD/MAY only for requirements; keep rationale non-normative.
4. Risk tiers: state the highest tier the change affects (Tier 0–3) and why.
5. Evidence: add or update a “Compliance Evidence” section describing what an auditor can verify.

Change Management (Living Corpus Rules)

• Backwards compatibility: when tightening a MUST, document transition guidance.
• Safety-first: if there is a conflict between usability and safety, document the tradeoff explicitly.
• Minimal ambiguity: define terms (or reference 00_foundations/definitions.md) instead of using overloaded language.

Style

Each standard document should follow the template in 00_foundations/standard_template.md.

Visual Guide

See:

• diagrams/use_flow.d2 (source) and diagrams/rendered/use_flow.svg (rendered): how to apply the corpus to a system
• diagrams/contribute_flow.d2 (source) and diagrams/rendered/contribute_flow.svg (rendered): how to propose, review, and release changes
• diagrams/use_and_contribute.d2 (source) and diagrams/rendered/use_and_contribute.svg (rendered): combined overview
• diagrams/release_pipeline.d2 (source) and diagrams/rendered/release_pipeline.svg (rendered): versioning and release discipline
• diagrams/traceability_flow.d2 (source) and diagrams/rendered/traceability_flow.svg (rendered): axiom → requirement → evidence traceability