02_protocol_freeze.txt

PROTOCOL FREEZE

AI QUICK NOTE

- If you are using this file operationally, read the AI section at the end first.
- For AI use, the AI section is the rule source for this file.
- Do not derive rules from the human section if the AI section is present.

What It Is For
- This file holds the identity constants of the project.
- Write here only the things you do not want to reopen easily because, if they fail, the project stops being itself.
- It should stay short, strong, and difficult to touch.

What Goes Here
- Principles that still hold even when the project changes shape, tools, or working style. They belong here because they should remain true even when the rest changes. If you close them well, you gain stability.
- Identity constraints that are more than just a good solution for today. They belong here because they define the project more than the current context does. If you write them well, you gain a more readable core.
- Points that, if removed or reversed, would truly change the nature of the project. They belong here because they mark the line beyond which the project stops being itself. If you make them clear, you gain strong boundaries.

What Does Not Go Here
- Preferences. They do not belong here because they do not define the identity of the project. Otherwise you risk freezing taste or habit. If you keep them out, you gain a cleaner freeze.
- Current work state. This belongs in 03 because it describes the present state of the project. Otherwise you risk turning 02 into a file of the moment. If you place it in 03, you gain a more stable freeze.
- Live but contextual decisions. This belongs in 04 because it belongs to choices already taken, not to identity constants. Otherwise you risk treating a decision that could still be reopened as if it were foundation. If you place it in 04, you gain more readable levels.
- Strong but still young ideas. This belongs in 05 because it matters but is not yet stable enough to live here. Otherwise you risk giving premature authority to something that has not held yet. If you place it in 05, you gain room to test it without freezing it.
- Momentary detail, style, operational preference, or temporary solution. That does not belong here because it depends too much on the current context. Otherwise you risk hardening the project around temporary things. If you keep it out, you gain a stronger file.
- Things that are working now but have not yet proved they hold over time. That should be validated elsewhere first. Otherwise you risk mistaking a good phase for a constant. If you wait, you gain more credible freeze entries.

Update It When
- A principle has already shown that it holds over time.
- You understand that without that point the project would lose identity.
- A freeze truly needs to be reopened because of a real break, not just a new preference.
- Do not update it often.

How To Tell Whether Something Deserves Freeze
- Ask whether the project would still be recognizable if you removed it.
- Ask whether you are defending a foundation or only a good solution for today.
- Ask whether it truly belongs to the identity of the project.
- If the answer is not clear, do not freeze it yet.

Freeze, Decision, and Live Work
- Freeze = a constant that should be difficult to reopen.
- Decision = a choice that has already been taken.
- Live work = the current state of the project.
- If you confuse these levels, 02 loses force.

How To Write A Good Freeze
- The principle should be short and readable.
- `why it is frozen` should say what breaks if you lose it.
- `links to` should point to a strong source, not to noise.
- `reopening trigger` should be narrow: not "if we change our mind", but "if real cases show..."
- Local entries in 02 use only `F-xx`.
- If you reference `D-xx`, `L-xx`, or other external IDs, they remain references in `links to`; they do not become new local IDs here.

Maximum Number
- Maximum 5 active freeze entries.
- This limit prevents two mistakes:
- turning the file into a total summary of the project
- using it as a noble place for everything that sounds important

Template
- Use the slots only if they are truly useful.
- Do not feel forced to fill all of them.

01.
- id: F-01
- principle:
- why it is frozen:
- links to:
- reopening trigger:

02.
- id: F-02
- principle:
- why it is frozen:
- links to:
- reopening trigger:

03.
- id: F-03
- principle:
- why it is frozen:
- links to:
- reopening trigger:

04.
- id: F-04
- principle:
- why it is frozen:
- links to:
- reopening trigger:

05.
- id: F-05
- principle:
- why it is frozen:
- links to:
- reopening trigger:

Outside Freeze
- Live but non-identity decisions.
- Current work state.
- Ideas still maturing.
- Useful but suspended material.
- History, duplicates, or transition material.
- Proposals that ask to change a constraint before a real break has been shown.

Typical Errors
- Using freeze to give authority to material that is still too young.
- Freezing details that are only working well right now.
- Mistaking a good formulation for a project constant.
- Filling every slot just for the feeling of completeness.

AI SECTION

- This file is not for current live work, contextual decisions, young ideas, temporary solutions, or what is only working well right now.
- Write here only if the content defines a project constant that should be difficult to reopen because removing it would change the project's identity.
- Local entries in this file use only `F-xx`.
- Cross-file IDs stay references in `links to`; they do not become new local IDs here.
- If this content describes the current state of the work, use 03.
- If this content records a decision that has already won, use 04.
- If this content is still a strong but unproven direction, use 05.
- Do not update 02 just because something looks important. Update it only when a principle has already shown that it should stay stable over time.
- If level, timing, or authority are unclear, stop and ask.