Glossary (Normative)

This glossary defines canonical meanings for terms used by Janus specifications in this repository.

Semantic stability rule: when a term in this glossary is changed, any dependent specification text MUST be reviewed and updated accordingly.

Conventions

• Capitalized tokens (e.g., AUDIT_LOG, OMISSION_DETECTED) denote canonical identifiers.
• RFC 2119 keywords (MUST, SHOULD, MAY) are used for normative requirements.

Canonical terms

Adapter

A component that maps between Janus runtime interfaces and an external storage or transport surface.

Adapters do not define Core semantics; they implement a mapping.

AUDIT_LOG

An append-only log that records audit-relevant events, evaluations, and attestations needed to support review.

AUDIT_LOG entries MAY reference records from MANAGEMENT_LOG and SCHEMA_LOG when relevant, and MAY also represent governance events that do not originate in those logs (e.g., OMISSION_DETECTED).

An AUDIT_LOG entry MAY record:

• gate outcomes and their explanations (gates)
• risk classifications (e.g., R2) and escalation/handling outcomes
• explicit human accountability events (HUMAN_DECISION)
• omission findings (OMISSION_DETECTED) and their supporting omission evidence (E−)

AUDIT_LOG entries SHOULD preserve linkability to the originating expectations, scopes, and referenced artifacts.

contractRef

A stable reference to an external rule source that is outside the Janus repository (e.g., policy text, contract clause, regulation section, internal procedure).

contractRef is a reference mechanism only. It does not import external text into Core semantics.

E+ (explicit evidence)

Evidence explicitly recorded in a system of record.

E+ indicates that a claim or event is supported by a recorded artifact.

E− (omission evidence)

Evidence derived from a verified absence of an expected record.

E− requires:

• a defined expectation
• a deterministic search scope
• a reproducible observation showing the record is missing.

E− is not counter-argumentation. It represents a verified omission relative to an explicit expectation.

gates

Framework-defined checks that mediate state transitions or outputs.

A gate consumes inputs (e.g., proposed actions, evidence sets, risk flags) and produces a decision (allow, block, require escalation) plus an auditable explanation.

HUMAN_DECISION

A canonical event indicating that a designated human authority has made or confirmed a decision.

When a specification requires human accountability, the system MUST record a HUMAN_DECISION and MUST NOT substitute it with an automated inference.

Management

The superset organizational context in which decisions, actions, and accountability occur.

Examples include government, project, education, and business contexts.

MANAGEMENT_LOG

An append-only log of management-relevant events.

Typical entries include proposals, actions, decisions (including HUMAN_DECISION), assignments, exceptions, and references to evidence artifacts.

OMISSION_DETECTED

A canonical event type indicating that an expected record, state, or linkage is missing.

An OMISSION_DETECTED event MUST include enough context to support E− (omission evidence), including: the expectation definition, the deterministic search scope, the reproducible observation that the expected record is absent, and the scope/time window to which the omission applies.

R2

A risk classification indicating that a matter requires heightened controls.

At minimum, R2 handling MUST require explicit escalation rules and MUST support human final authority where accountability is required.

Runtime

An execution environment that runs a Janus workflow or protocol implementation.

Runtimes implement the Core and Framework specifications but do not redefine their semantics.

SCHEMA_LOG

An append-only log that defines schema declarations and schema versions used to interpret other logs.

If an event format or meaning depends on a schema version, the relevant SCHEMA_LOG entry MUST be referencable from the consuming record.