# Reference Instance

> How this repository governs its own specification using the architecture it defines.

The reference instance applies Truth Machine semantics to one domain: the
Truth Machine project and its current specification.

It is intentionally concrete. Its packet schemas and Git workflow are examples
that can be tested, not a universal runtime for other domains.

## Account map

| Path | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `reference/current.toml` | Typed selection of current accepted records |
| `reference/evidence/` | Source claims and exact-revision implementation reviews |
| `reference/records/` | Immutable reviewed project and specification accounts |
| `reference/changes/` | Exact transitions against canonical revisions |
| `reference/publications/` | Frozen public release and delivery records after publication |
| `scripts/truth_state.py` | Offline, read-only governed reader |
| `schemas/` | Reference packet and result schemas |

## Local commit gate

Truth Machine uses a versioned local pre-commit hook rather than remote CI.
Activate it once per checkout:

```bash
task hooks:install
```

The hook refuses a partially staged or untracked worktree, selects the correct
accepted or proposal read mode, and runs the complete test, schema, generated-
artifact, site, and patch-hygiene contract. `task check:staged` invokes the same
gate directly. A deliberate Git hook bypass is not verification evidence for
exact review.

## Accepted bootstrap

The 0.1.0 transition was accepted as `TMC-0001` on 2026-08-09 against canonical
seed revision `cc03fe06a40ee80076887d4fad36d512a8f086c2`. It introduced the first
accepted selection across all four reference domains.

Exact proposal review used:

```bash
python3 scripts/truth_state.py --worktree --allow-proposed
```

That mode validated proposed records without making them current. Accepted
canonical `origin/main` now must pass:

```bash
python3 scripts/truth_state.py
```

## Domains

The initial reference account declares four domains:

1. `foundation` — project identity, scope, ownership, and maturity;
2. `core-specification` — the normative 0.1 semantic requirements;
3. `conformance-model` — bounded claims, schemas, fixtures, and assessment;
4. `publication-contract` — canonical sources and derived human/AI forms.

No publication record exists merely because the site can build. `TMP-0001`
freezes the first accepted artifact, records its hashes, identifies its
operations-owned deployment and rollback, and preserves the independently
verified public state. An accepted packet remains immutable; a later artifact
or lifecycle observation receives a new packet that may identify the exact
packet it supersedes.

## Why self-hosting is not self-proof

The repository cannot establish conformance by declaring itself conformant.
Its reader and tests provide evidence. Its accepted change supplies authority.
Its publication record supplies release identity. A conformance report must
still assess each requirement and state public audit limits.