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+# Contributing to CompTextv7
+
+CompTextv7 accepts focused changes that preserve deterministic replay-integrity validation boundaries.
+
+## PR Scope Checklist
+- [ ] This improves deterministic replay-integrity validation or is strictly maintenance-only.
+- [ ] No runtime orchestration added.
+- [ ] No LLM judge added.
+- [ ] No embeddings/vector search added.
+- [ ] No fuzzy semantic matching added.
+- [ ] No cloud dependency added to validation logic.
+- [ ] No dashboard/SaaS behavior added.
+- [ ] No hidden platform expansion.
+- [ ] Artifacts were regenerated if fixture or validator semantics changed.
+- [ ] The evidence index was updated or confirmed unchanged if committed evidence artifacts changed.
+- [ ] Tests were added or updated for new artifact or contract behavior.
+- [ ] Taxonomy labels were reused, or new labels are explicitly justified.
+- [ ] The change preserves offline reproducibility.
+- [ ] The change does not require an RFC, or an RFC is linked.
+
+## Non-Goals Checklist
+Before requesting review, confirm the change does **not** introduce:
+- agent framework behavior
+- runtime orchestration behavior
+- tool routing platform behavior
+- LLM judging
+- embeddings/vector retrieval
+- probabilistic semantic evaluation
+- cloud-only validation dependencies
+- dashboard/SaaS product scope
+
+## Artifact Regeneration Expectations
+If fixture semantics, validator logic, or artifact-producing contracts change, regenerate required artifacts and include the resulting deterministic outputs in the PR.
+
+## Determinism Requirements
+All validation behavior in core must remain deterministic, offline-capable, and reproducible from committed inputs and scripts.
+
+## Taxonomy / Failure-Label Rules
+Reuse existing registered failure labels whenever possible. New labels require explicit justification, narrow definitions, and matching tests/docs updates.
+
+## RFC Requirement for Scope-Changing Proposals
+Any proposal that expands scope beyond deterministic replay-integrity validation requires an accepted RFC before implementation.
+
+## Merge Policy Summary
+Keep PRs small, focused, and auditable. Separate governance/docs updates from core logic changes. Core logic updates require tests and green CI before merge readiness.
+
+## Evidence-Index Reminder
+If committed evidence artifacts change, the evidence index must be updated or explicitly confirmed unchanged with rationale in the PR.
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+# NON_GOALS
+
+CompTextv7 must not become:
+- an agent framework
+- a runtime orchestrator
+- a tool router
+- a memory platform
+- a vector database layer
+- a semantic summary evaluator
+- an LLM judge
+- a cloud observability dashboard
+- a live monitoring SaaS
+- an autonomous repair system
+- a prompt optimization framework
+- a generic AI governance platform
+
+Hard scope test:
+
+“Does this improve deterministic replay-integrity validation for compressed operational traces without adding probabilistic judgment, orchestration behavior, runtime dependency, cloud dependency, probabilistic semantic evaluation, or platform expansion?”
+
+The default answer to scope-expanding proposals is rejection.
+
+Integrations belong outside core unless proven necessary through the RFC process.
+
+Runtime adapters, dashboards, and cloud services are not core project goals.
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+# Project Source: CompText V7
+
+## Canonical Positioning
+“CompTextv7 is the deterministic replay-integrity layer for compressed operational agent traces.”
+
+## Strategic Category
+CompTextv7 is a deterministic replay-integrity validation research prototype.
+
+## Core Thesis
+The core project question is:
+
+“Can a compressed agent state still reproduce a safe operational trajectory?”
+
+The governing research direction is:
+
+“Deterministic Replay Integrity Validation for Compressed Operational Agent Traces”
+
+## Research Alignment Principle
+Every accepted change must strengthen deterministic, offline, reproducible replay-integrity validation for compressed operational traces, or be strictly maintenance-only.
+
+## Current Strategic State
+The project remains:
+- offline
+- deterministic
+- artifact-first
+- trace-native
+- reproducible
+- narrowly scoped
+- audit-oriented
+
+## Current Implementation State
+The `mcp_trace_replay` fixture family is hardened via explicit capability-boundary structures, deterministic degraded variants, and `failure_label_on_violation` handling.
+
+A deterministic artifact evidence index maps committed evidence artifacts to their generators, evidence categories, fixture-family coverage, manifest alignment, deterministic evaluation status, LLM-free status, and external-API-free status.
+
+## Non-Goals
+See `NON_GOALS.md` in the repository root for the full list of prohibited expansion paths and the hard scope test.
+
+## Hard Scope Rule
+A proposal is out of scope unless it directly improves deterministic replay-integrity validation for compressed operational traces without introducing probabilistic or platform-expansion behavior.
+
+## Scope Evolution & RFC Process
+Scope-expanding proposals require an RFC before implementation. RFCs must:
+1. define the exact replay-integrity gain,
+2. prove deterministic and offline reproducibility,
+3. show no hidden orchestration/platform expansion,
+4. describe artifact and failure-taxonomy implications,
+5. include rollback/de-scope criteria.
+
+Default decision for scope-expanding proposals is rejection until the RFC is accepted.
+
+## Correct Abstraction Level
+CompTextv7 focuses on replay-integrity contracts, trace-derived artifacts, fixture families, deterministic validators, and auditable evidence outputs. It does not absorb adjacent runtime or product-platform responsibilities.
+
+## Preferred Terminology
+Prefer:
+- deterministic replay-integrity validation
+- compressed operational traces
+- artifact evidence
+- failure taxonomy and labels
+- capability boundary
+- offline reproducibility
+
+Avoid vague or marketing abstractions that hide deterministic constraints.
+
+## Roadmap From Here
+1. Expand deterministic replay-integrity fixture coverage.
+2. Strengthen artifact-evidence traceability and reproducibility checks.
+3. Improve contract-level validation clarity and failure classification precision.
+4. Add narrowly scoped capabilities only via approved RFC.
+
+## Merge Policy
+- Documentation-only governance changes should stay small and focused.
+- Core logic changes must include targeted tests.
+- No merge-ready state until CI is green and review threads are resolved/outdated.
+- Keep docs, showcase, and core refactors separated.
+
+## PR Template Additions
+PR descriptions should explicitly confirm:
+- deterministic replay-integrity alignment,
+- non-goals preserved,
+- artifact regeneration expectations,
+- evidence-index impact (updated or unchanged),
+- RFC status when scope is touched.
+
+## Strategic Risk Register
+1. **Platform drift risk**: accidental expansion into orchestration/platform scope.
+2. **Determinism erosion risk**: introduction of probabilistic evaluation paths.
+3. **Evidence integrity risk**: artifact changes without corresponding evidence/governance updates.
+4. **Terminology drift risk**: ambiguous framing that weakens enforceable boundaries.
+
+## Governance Stance
+Governance is conservative, boundary-enforcing, and evidence-led. CompTextv7 accepts incremental improvements over broad platform ambitions.
+
+## Current Priority Stack
+1. Deterministic replay-integrity correctness.
+2. Artifact evidence traceability.
+3. Failure-label clarity and consistency.
+4. Scope-bound documentation and review discipline.
+
+## One-Sentence Rule
+If a change does not directly improve deterministic replay-integrity validation for compressed operational traces, it should not merge into core.