diff --git a/docs/v3/core/v3.0.rst b/docs/v3/core/v3.0.rst
index d7366a79..1479a8ba 100644
--- a/docs/v3/core/v3.0.rst
+++ b/docs/v3/core/v3.0.rst
@@ -1258,9 +1258,7 @@ Stores
 ======
 
 A Zarr store is a system that can be used to store and retrieve data
-from a Zarr hierarchy. For a store to be compatible with this
-specification, it must support a set of operations defined in the `Abstract store
-interface`_ subsection. The store interface can be implemented using a
+from a Zarr hierarchy. The store interface can be implemented using a
 variety of underlying storage technologies, described in the
 subsection on `Store implementations`_.
 
@@ -1273,6 +1271,8 @@ when opening a Zarr hierarchy to automatically determine the appropriate store.
 Abstract store interface
 ------------------------
 
+(This subsection is not normative. It is intended only as a recommendation for API design, but does not need to be strictly followed like the specification for the on-disk storage does.)
+
 The store interface is intended to be simple to implement using a
 variety of different underlying storage technologies. It is defined in
 a general way here, but it should be straightforward to translate into