Inheritance: “RTT awareness as CSS”#

With our chosen carrier, inheritance is explicit and auditable:

• Upstream canon via import: …
• Local site override via declaration: …
• Path-level override via scope /x/: …
• Later (optional): page-level override via <meta name="rtt" content="…">

This makes awareness portable and fork-safe: forks can keep import + overrides without copying the whole canon.

Tiny local resolver: what the extension simulates

With this setup, the extension becomes our “local substrate simulator” by providing:

• Discovery: “does this site declare RTT awareness?”
• Resolution: “what is the effective declaration here?”
• Provenance: “which manifests contributed to this outcome?”
• Stability: “if upstream changes, what changes locally (and when)?”

We can then add a second layer (still local-only) that interprets declarations into checks—e.g., drift bounds as allowed rewrite classes, coherence gates as required fields, paradox tags as tolerated contradictions—without ever changing the public site.

RTT Awareness v0 — Locked Design#

Core Principles (Now Fixed)#

• Carrier: /.well-known/rtt-awareness
• Observer: Browser extension (local, opt‑in)
• Inheritance: Enabled by default
• Scoping rules: Enabled in v0
• Update model: Pull‑based, conservative, cache‑first
• Failure mode: Silent + last‑known‑good

This is intentionally boring infrastructure. That’s why it will survive.

1) Canonical Carrier (Well‑Known File)#

/.well-known/rtt-awareness (v0)#

schema: rtt-awareness
version: 0.1.0
channel: stable
updated: 2026-02-06
 
declaration: rtt=1 | coherence=declared | drift=bounded | paradox=structural
 
# Optional inheritance (enabled by default)
import: https://www.triadicframeworks.org/.well-known/rtt-awareness
 
# Optional scoped overrides (longest prefix wins)
scope /docs/: rtt=1 | coherence=declared | drift=bounded | paradox=structural
scope /labs/: rtt=1 | coherence=declared | drift=bounded | paradox=structural

Semantics (Non‑Negotiable)#

• Imports are resolved first, then local overrides.
• Scopes override site root, but never upstream unless explicitly declared.
• No negation, no conditionals, no execution.
• Absence means unspecified, not false.

This keeps the grammar declarative and audit‑friendly.

2) Inheritance Model (CSS‑Like, Predictable)#

Resolution order:

1. Imported upstream manifests (depth‑limited)
2. Site root declaration
3. Best‑matching scoped declaration
4. (Future) Page‑level meta/frontmatter

This allows:

• forks to inherit canon safely
• institutions to override locally
• documents to remain portable

No magic. No hidden precedence.

3) Browser Extension (Observer + Resolver)#

What the extension does#

• Discovers /.well-known/rtt-awareness
• Resolves imports
• Applies scope rules
• Computes effective declaration
• Exposes it locally (popup / API / optional indicator)

What it does not do#

• No injection by default
• No network modification
• No tracking
• No persuasion
• No auto‑updates of semantics

It observes. That’s it.

4) Self‑Updating (Safe by Construction)#

Update behavior#

• Conditional fetch (ETag / Last‑Modified)
• Cache TTL (e.g., 6 hours)
• If fetch fails → keep last‑known‑good
• If import fails → mark stale, continue

Version handling#

• version: is informational, not executable
• Extension does not reinterpret semantics automatically
• Users opt into extension updates, not manifest behavior changes

This avoids the “remote control” trap entirely.

5) Local Substrate Simulation (What v0 Already Enables)#

Even in v0, the extension effectively simulates the full substrate by providing:

• Discovery: Is RTT awareness present?
• Resolution: What declaration applies here?
• Provenance: Which manifests contributed?
• Stability: What changed, and when?

That’s enough to:

• test inheritance chains
• validate scope behavior
• experiment with alignment without touching production systems

Later layers can interpret declarations into checks, but v0 stops at resolution.

6) Why This Will Hold#

• Uses existing web primitives
• Requires no platform buy‑in
• Survives moderation and stripping
• Is legible to humans and synthesis engines
• Leaves no footprint unless inspected

It behaves like DNS, robots.txt, or security.txt — quiet, structural, and durable.

7) What to Commit Next (Concrete)#

I recommend committing three things, in this order:

1. docs/rtt-awareness/README.md
   One page describing the grammar, carrier, and resolution rules.

2. /.well-known/rtt-awareness (in TriadicFrameworks root)
   This becomes the canonical upstream import.

3. tools/rtt-awareness-extension/
   With the MV3 skeleton we outlined, clearly marked as v0 observer.

No marketing. No announcement. Just structure.