Update dialect and meta-schema IRI semantics for v1

specs/jsonschema-core.md

@@ -874,21 +874,14 @@ define new keywords that begin with `$`.
 
 ### Meta-Schemas
 
-Meta-schemas are used to inform an implementation how to interpret a schema.
-Every schema has a meta-schema, which can be explicitly declared using the
-`$schema` keyword.
-
-The meta-schema serves to describe valid schema syntax. A schema resource MUST
-successfully validate against its meta-schema, which constrains the syntax of
-the available keywords. (See {{compound-validation}} for information on
-validating schemas which contain embedded schema resources that declare a
-different meta-schema.) The syntax described for a given keyword is expected to
-be compatible with the document which defines the keyword; while it is possible
-to describe an incompatible syntax, such a meta-schema would be unlikely to be
-useful.
-
-Meta-schema authoring is an advanced usage of JSON Schema, so the design of
-meta-schema features emphasizes flexibility over simplicity.
+A meta-schema is a schema that describes the valid syntax for a JSON Schema.
+Meta-schemas can be used by implementations to verify that a schema can be
+processed by that implementation. They can also be used by developer tooling to
+ensure that all schemas in a project are compatible with a specific JSON Schema
+release.[^15]
+
+[^15]: See {{compound-validation}} for information on validating schemas which
+contain embedded schema resources that declare a different meta-schema.
 
 #### Dialect Determination
 
@@ -923,12 +916,10 @@ MUST refuse to process the schema.
 
 #### The `$schema` Keyword {#keyword-schema}
 
-The `$schema` keyword is both used as a JSON Schema dialect identifier and as
-the identifier of a resource which is itself a JSON Schema, which describes the
-set of valid schemas written for this particular dialect. The identified dialect
-applies to the resource in which it is declared as well as any embedded schema
-resources, unless such a resource itself declares a different dialect by
-including the `$schema` keyword with a different value.
+The `$schema` keyword is used as a JSON Schema dialect identifier. The
+identified dialect applies to the resource in which it is declared as well as
+any embedded schema resources, unless such a resource itself declares a
+different dialect by including the `$schema` keyword with a different value.
 
 The value of this keyword MUST be an
 [absolute IRI](https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc3987) (without a fragment).
@@ -1207,24 +1198,6 @@ disabled by default to prefer offline operation. When schemas are downloaded,
 for example by a generic user-agent that does not know until runtime which
 schemas to download, see {{hypermedia}}.
 
-#### Detecting a Meta-Schema
-
-Implementations MUST recognize a schema as a meta-schema if it is being examined
-because it was identified as such by another schema's `$schema` keyword. This
-means that a single schema document might sometimes be considered a regular
-schema, and other times be considered a meta-schema.
-
-In the case of examining a schema which is its own meta-schema, when an
-implementation begins processing it as a regular schema, it is processed under
-those rules. However, when loaded a second time as a result of checking its own
-`$schema` value, it is treated as a meta-schema. So the same document is
-processed both ways in the course of one session.
-
-Implementations MAY allow a schema to be explicitly passed as a meta-schema, for
-implementation-specific purposes, such as pre-loading a commonly used
-meta-schema and checking its requirements up front. Meta-schema authors MUST NOT
-expect such features to be interoperable across implementations.
-
 ### Dereferencing
 
 Schemas can be identified by any IRI that has been given to them, including a
@@ -2317,7 +2290,7 @@ and only allows the "data" and "children" properties. An example instance with
 
 ```jsonschema "Tree schema, extensible"
 {
-  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/v1/2026",
+  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/v1",
   "$id": "https://example.com/tree",
   "$dynamicAnchor": "node",
 
@@ -2336,7 +2309,7 @@ and only allows the "data" and "children" properties. An example instance with
 
 ```jsonschema "Strict-tree schema, guards against misspelled properties"
 {
-  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/v1/2026",
+  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/v1",
   "$id": "https://example.com/strict-tree",
   "$dynamicAnchor": "node",
 

specs/jsonschema-validation.md

@@ -102,12 +102,13 @@ specification.
 
 ## Meta-Schema {#meta-schema}
 
-The current IRI for the default JSON Schema dialect meta-schema is
-`https://json-schema.org/v1/2026`. This IRI encodes the specification's version
-and release year. Because all schemas written to conform to a given version are
-guaranteed to be compatible with later releases within the same version, the
-meta-schema IRI `https://json-schema.org/v1` is also recognized to represent the
-latest release within the indicated version.
+The current IRI for the default JSON Schema dialect is
+`https://json-schema.org/v1`. The current IRI for the meta-schema for this
+dialect is `https://json-schema.org/v1/2026`. This IRI encodes the
+specification's version and release year. Because all schemas written to conform
+to a given version are guaranteed to be compatible with later releases within
+the same version, implementations MAY configure the the dialect IRI to identify
+the meta-schema for the latest release within the indicated version.
 
 The meta-schema describes a dialect consisting of all keywords defined in this
 specification and the JSON Schema Core specification. Certain keywords specify
@@ -119,9 +120,9 @@ Schema Core specification, the specifications take precedence, and the
 meta-schema is to be considered in error. The meta-schema may be occasionally
 updated to correct any such errors.
 
-Although the IRI for the default JSON Schema dialect meta-schema is also a valid
-URL, implementations MUST NOT assume that a document is provided at this
-location. Rather than performing a network request to retrieve the meta-schema,
+Although the IRI for the JSON Schema dialect meta-schema is also a valid URL,
+implementations MUST NOT assume that a document is provided at this location.
+Rather than performing a network request to retrieve the meta-schema,
 implementations SHOULD include a copy of the meta-schema and MAY encode it as
 required by the language or framework used by the implementation.