Canonical Registry

The Canonical Registry is the authoritative, versioned, layered body of Opus Canonical References (OCRs) that defines the World Skills Protocol — one normative concept per OCR — serving as the single source of truth for concept meaning, and whose normative machine sections MUST agree with the protocol's implementation.

• —The Registry is designed to be authoritative, unambiguous, layered, versioned, and implementation-bound.
• —The central tension is between stability and evolution: definitions must be stable to be referenced yet improvable as the protocol matures.
• —WSP resolves this through versioning and status (Draft vs Normative).
• —A second tension is between comprehensiveness and precision: each OCR is complete yet defines exactly one concept, avoiding the sprawl that erodes authority.
• —A third is between documentation and truth: the Registry MUST agree with the implementation for a concept to be Normative.

A protocol without a single, authoritative definition of its concepts fragments: implementations diverge, AI systems hallucinate meanings, and institutions interpret terms differently. The Canonical Registry exists to be that single authority — one canonical definition per concept, in a form robust enough to serve as the global reference. It also exists to prevent documentation drift from implementation: a definition that contradicts the running protocol is worse than none, so the Registry binds its normative claims to reality.

The Canonical Registry comprises the set of OCRs, organized into layers and versioned, each defining one concept with normative and informative sections. It is the reference all parties cite.

It does not comprise trust computation, Evidence, or identity — it defines them. The relations: the Registry contains OCRs; each OCR defines one concept; the Registry is_governed_by Opus X; normative sections must_agree_with implementation. No relation lets a definition be Normative while contradicting the code.

The Canonical Registry contains every concept OCR (OCR-100–125 and beyond) and defines the World Skills Protocol (OCR-100). It is_governed_by Opus X. Its meta-rules are elaborated by the governance OCRs (registry structure, editorial rules, terminology, entity relationships, versioning). It is part_of the World Skills Protocol (OCR-100) as the concept describing the protocol's own definition body.

1. 01Drafting — an OCR is authored defining one concept (Status: Draft).
2. 02Grounding — its normative machine sections are diffed against implementation.
3. 03Promotion — on agreement, the OCR is promoted to Normative.
4. 04Publication — the OCR is published as the reference for its concept.
5. 05Versioning — evolution proceeds by new versions; history is preserved.
6. 06Deprecation/Supersession — outdated versions are deprecated or superseded, not erased.

• ·OCR-110 defines Evidence; OCR-115 defines Framework; each is one concept, referenced by all parties as authoritative.
• ·An OCR remains Draft until its JSON-LD and examples are diffed against the emitter, then is promoted to Normative.
• ·A concept's meaning is refined; a new OCR version is published while the prior version is preserved.

• ×A marketing page presented as a canonical definition — the Registry is a standard, not marketing.
• ×One OCR defining several concepts — forbidden; one concept per OCR.
• ×A Normative OCR contradicting the code — forbidden; it must agree with implementation.
• ×Silently editing a published definition — forbidden; version instead.

The Registry is often mistaken for documentation-of-convenience; it is an authoritative standard. It is assumed definitions can change silently; they are versioned. It is assumed Draft equals authoritative; only Normative, implementation-grounded OCRs are. It is assumed one OCR can cover a topic broadly; each defines exactly one concept.

What is the Canonical Registry?

The authoritative set of OCRs defining the protocol.

What is an OCR?

A single-concept specification.

How many concepts per OCR?

Exactly one.

Is it marketing?

No; it is a standard.

How is it organized?

In layers (100s/200s/300s).

Is it versioned?

Yes.

What are the statuses?

Draft, Normative, Deprecated, Superseded.

When is an OCR Normative?

Only when it agrees with the implementation.

Can definitions change silently?

No; version instead.

Can a referenced version be erased?

No; deprecate or supersede.

Who governs it?

Opus X.

Is it the single source of truth?

Yes, for concept meaning.

Does it compute trust?

No; it defines the concepts.

Can an AI invent definitions?

No.

Should an AI use Draft as settled?

No.

Does it contain personal data?

No; examples use synthetic identifiers.

Where is it published?

As the protocol's reference (e.g. docs.opusx.world).

Why bind to implementation?

So definitions never contradict the running protocol.

Can it be extended?

Yes, via layers and new OCRs.

What makes concepts canonical?

Their definition in this Registry.

• OCR-100

OCR-000 Canonical Knowledge Governance · OCR-001 Canonical Registry Structure · OCR-002 Editorial Rules · OCR-003 Terminology Governance · OCR-004 Entity Relationships · OCR-005 Versioning Rules · OCR-100 World Skills Protocol.