Point
Posture, lifecycle, review, and relations remain distinct
Authored stance, temporal state, review timing, and links to other Points answer different questions and must not collapse into one status.
- Posture
- asserted
- Lifecycle
- active
Posture states the Atlas author’s stance: asserted, open, proposed, or intended. It is not a confidence score and cannot prove truth or evidence strength. Lifecycle states whether the Point is active, historical, superseded, or withdrawn. Review metadata records when and by whom it was assessed. None of these dimensions can be inferred safely from another.
Relations are explicit directional links between Point identities and have one canonical source at the anchor. Every relation carries a note explaining that particular source-to-target edge. A relation can express support, dependency, contradiction, refinement, implementation, or replacement, but neither its type nor its note proves the edge is true or transfers lifecycle, authority, ownership, or publication scope to either endpoint. The graph records known authored edges; an absent edge does not establish that no relation or impact exists.
State and relationsSeparating authored stance, temporal state, review timing, and graph edges prevents one field from making claims that belong to another.
Agent change review uses explicit standing and relation edges to find recorded neighboring claims without treating the graph as complete impact analysis.
When an agent changes a Point, posture and lifecycle identify the recorded standing of that subject. Outgoing and incoming relations identify other Point identities whose claims may depend on, support, refine, implement, contradict, or replace it. Review can begin with those explicit neighbors instead of rediscovering every recorded connection from prose.
This graph is a bounded starting point, not proof of complete impact coverage. An authorized agent must still inspect relevant code, documents, and external sources, and reviewers must not treat an absent relation as evidence that no dependency exists.
Contribution boundariesBefore changing an anchor, an agent inspects its posture, lifecycle, outgoing relations, and incoming relations for consequences that may need another contribution.
Checks and reviewRecorded relation neighbors create a bounded review queue while code, documents, and external sources remain necessary for unrecorded impact.
Stewardship uses explicit state and replacement relations so intended work, open questions, current requirements, and consequential history cannot blur together.
Changing confidence is not the same as retiring a Point, and reviewing a Point is not the same as asserting it. Replacement must update lifecycle and add a canonical relation, while historical records remain only when they help a reader understand the current constraint.
Lifecycle and reversibilitySeparate lifecycle and replacement edges make reversal and supersession auditable.
Claim disciplineDistinct posture and lifecycle keep intended, open, current, and historical claims from impersonating each other.