SEMANTIC_ANCHORING_GOVERNANCE.md•5.91 kB
# 🏛️ Semantic Anchoring Governance Rules
## 🚨 **MANDATORY COMPLIANCE**
**All development on this codebase MUST follow semantic anchoring and intent mapping principles established in the breakthrough solution.**
---
## 📜 **Core Governance Rules**
### **Rule 1: Semantic Over Structural**
```typescript
// ❌ PROHIBITED: Using technical characteristics for behavioral decisions
const isExecutiveBrief = analysisDepth === 'quick';
// ✅ REQUIRED: Using semantic meaning for behavioral decisions
const semanticExecutiveVersion = title.includes('executive') || title.includes('brief');
```
### **Rule 2: Intent Preservation**
- **NEVER override semantic intent** in transformation layers
- **ALWAYS preserve** original document type semantics
- **MAINTAIN** semantic contracts through all pipeline stages
### **Rule 3: Observable Anchoring**
- Base behavior on **directly observable semantic properties**
- Use **semantic markers** (titles, content types, explicit flags)
- Avoid **derived or inferred** behavioral triggers
### **Rule 4: Immutability Protection**
```typescript
// ✅ REQUIRED: Freeze options to prevent semantic violations
const frozenOptions = Object.freeze({...options});
const protectedOptions = new Proxy(frozenOptions, {
set() { throw new Error('Semantic contract violation') }
});
```
---
## 🛡️ **APPROVAL REQUIRED FOR DEVIATIONS**
### **When Approval is Required**
- Any pattern that uses **technical depth** instead of **semantic meaning**
- Transformation logic that **overrides** document type intent
- Behavioral decisions based on **structural characteristics**
- Changes to the **executiveVersion** semantic anchoring pattern
### **Approval Process**
1. **Document the deviation** with technical justification
2. **Prove semantic intent** is preserved through alternative means
3. **Add compensating controls** (immutability protection, validation)
4. **Update governance rules** if deviation becomes a new pattern
---
## ✅ **Compliance Checklist**
### **Before ANY code change, verify:**
- [ ] Does this preserve semantic intent?
- [ ] Are we using semantic markers instead of technical characteristics?
- [ ] Is document type meaning maintained through transformations?
- [ ] Are semantic contracts protected with immutability patterns?
- [ ] Would this change break the `executiveVersion` anchoring pattern?
### **RED FLAGS - Immediate Review Required:**
- Using `analysisDepth` for document type decisions
- Overriding semantic flags in transformation layers
- Adding logic that ignores document title/type semantics
- Removing immutability protection from semantic contracts
- Creating new behavioral patterns without semantic anchoring
---
## 🏗️ **Architecture Boundaries**
### **Semantic Domain Ownership**
```
Document Type Domain:
- Owns: executiveVersion, document titles, semantic markers
- Responsibility: Preserve document type intent
Analysis Domain:
- Owns: analysisDepth, complexity levels, processing tiers
- Responsibility: Content analysis, NOT document type decisions
Transformation Domain:
- Owns: Pipeline processing, format conversion
- Responsibility: Preserve semantic contracts, NEVER override intent
```
### **Forbidden Cross-Domain Violations**
- ❌ Analysis Domain determining document types
- ❌ Transformation Domain overriding semantic intent
- ❌ Technical characteristics driving semantic behavior
---
## 🎯 **The Semantic Anchoring Philosophy**
### **Established Principles**
1. **Semantic meaning drives behavior** - not technical implementation details
2. **Intent preservation is sacred** - protect through all transformations
3. **Observable properties anchor decisions** - use what you can directly see
4. **Domain boundaries must be respected** - each domain owns its semantics
### **Success Pattern: executiveVersion**
The `executiveVersion` boolean flag represents **perfect semantic anchoring**:
- Based on **observable document semantics** (title content)
- **Preserved through transformations** without override
- **Protected by immutability** patterns
- **Drives consistent behavior** across the entire pipeline
---
## 🚀 **Enforcement**
### **Code Review Requirements**
- All PRs must demonstrate semantic anchoring compliance
- Semantic contract violations result in **automatic rejection**
- New behavioral patterns require explicit semantic anchoring design
### **Automated Protection**
- Immutability protection patterns in critical semantic areas
- Runtime validation of semantic contract preservation
- Debug logging to detect semantic violations
### **Documentation Standards**
- Document semantic intent for all behavioral decisions
- Explain how semantic anchoring is preserved in transformations
- Maintain examples of compliant vs non-compliant patterns
---
## 📚 **Reference Implementation**
**The Breakthrough Solution** (commit `7de571c`) serves as the **canonical example** of proper semantic anchoring. All future development must follow this pattern.
**Location**: `src/reportProcessing/OrchestratorTransformer.ts:1000-1025`
---
## ⚖️ **Violations and Consequences**
### **Immediate Rollback Required:**
- Any change that breaks PDF differentiation
- Semantic intent overrides in transformation layers
- Removal of immutability protection from semantic contracts
### **Architecture Review Required:**
- New patterns that don't follow semantic anchoring
- Cross-domain semantic violations
- Performance optimizations that compromise semantic integrity
---
**This governance ensures the semantic anchoring breakthrough remains the foundation for all future development, preserving the clean, predictable, and maintainable behavior patterns we established.** 🏛️
---
*Established: September 10, 2025*
*Authority: Semantic Anchoring Breakthrough (commit 7de571c)*
*Enforcement: Mandatory for all codebase changes*