Governance
Governance Protocols
Practical implementation tools for the Master Constraints Manifest. These protocols translate safety constraints into daily operational practices.
Daily Thermostat Protocol
Purpose: Protect cognitive autonomy while using AI systems
Mode selection (WORK/PLAY/CARE), medium rules, and mandatory value tokens that prevent AI dependency by requiring human seed generation first.
Key concept: Generate first. Delegate second.
Tripwire Detection Guide
Purpose: Recognize drift early and execute immediate downshift
Six concrete tripwire categories (urgency, superiority, mission inflation, rationalization, obsession, paranoia) with mandatory S⁴ protocol responses.
Key concept: Name drift early. Downshift immediately. Ground before continuing.
Truth-Labeling Protocol
Purpose: Implement the Truthful Constraint through explicit epistemic categorization
Five-category system (Known/Inferred/Assumption/Uncertain/Speculation) that makes claim status visible and verifiable.
Key concept: Make epistemic status explicit. Verify what matters. Accept uncertainty.
How These Fit Together
Daily Thermostat prevents dependency
Tripwire Detection catches drift
Truth-Labeling maintains epistemic hygiene
Together they create a complete operational system for safe AI collaboration.
Relationship to Other Governance
These protocols implement the broader governance framework:
- Master Constraints Manifest — Constitutional foundation (18 constraints)
- Trust Ladder — Controls AI autonomy levels (L0-L5)
- Thread Constitution — Conversation structure requirements
- These protocols — Daily operational tools
The Master Constraints Manifest defines what; these protocols define how to actually do it.
For New Users
Start here:
- Read Master Constraints Manifest for complete framework
- Apply Daily Thermostat in every AI session
- Watch for Tripwires and downshift when detected
- Use Truth-Labeling for high-stakes decisions