KB-2718

TKT Output-Level Policy

5 min read Revision 1

TKT Output-Level Policy

Authority: NON_AUTHORITY / NOT_PROMOTED · Date: 2026-06-11

This policy defines the only verdicts TKT Base may emit, what each requires, and what is forbidden. A TKT Base run reports a level reached (the highest level for which every check passed) plus the per-level evidence. Levels are cumulative and ordered: L(n) may be claimed only if L0..L(n) all pass.

LEVEL 0 — FILE PASS

Claim: every load-bearing file exists at its declared path and matches its declared hash; no load-bearing file is missing.

Pass requires all of:

For every line in HASH_MANIFEST.txt (sha256␠␠relpath): the file exists at relpath AND sha256(file) == declared. (forward / file-presence check)
No file under the packet root is unlisted by the manifest, except declared by-reference modules and intentionally-ungoverned raw evidence. (backward check)
sha256(HASH_MANIFEST.txt) == packet_tree.sha256. (tree pin)

Forbidden at L0: asserting PASS while any manifest-listed file is absent. This is the exact blind spot that let 6 files go missing in v0.2 — see checkers/manifest_file_presence_policy.md.

LEVEL 1 — PACKET RECONSTRUCTION PASS

Claim: the packet reconstructs from its governed source and reruns deterministically to the same verdict.

Pass requires all of:

L0 passes.
Fresh reconstruction into a clean directory (e.g. mktemp -d) → manifest verifies (shasum -a 256 -c HASH_MANIFEST.txt → all OK) and the tree pin matches.
bash commands.sh → OVERALL_RESULT: PASS (exit 0); every gate expected==actual.
bash RERUN.sh (or the packet's documented rerun) → same verdict.
exit_codes.json recomputes byte-identical for any class declared byte-exact.

LEVEL 2 — FAIL-CLOSED PASS

Claim: invalid input is rejected and produces no PASS, no certificate, no digest, and no seal-like output.

Pass requires all of:

A probe suite runs the packet's checker against malformed/adversarial inputs.
Every invalid input → nonzero exit, with PASS_emitted=false and SEAL_emitted=false. A seal/PASS token only counts as emitted if the process exits 0 (detector-correctness rule — see checkers/fail_closed_probe_policy.md).
Aggregate: any_invalid_exit0=false, any_PASS_emitted_for_invalid=false, any_SEAL_emitted_for_invalid=false.
Positive controls still PASS (exit 0) — the checker is not merely always-fail.

LEVEL 3 — GOVERNANCE CONSISTENCY PASS

Claim: the governance around the packet is consistent.

Pass requires all of:

Object IDs: new object IDs collide with no existing or reserved range; the block is strictly above the highest reserved ID anywhere. (object_id_collision_policy)
Registry/index: no orphan — every born object is registered (addendum is acceptable); no dangling pointer. Canonical fold is NOT required and MUST NOT be applied while another lane is active.
Lane boundaries: the macro touched only its own lane's surfaces.
Authority firewall holds: no path emits or infers a seal; every authority-claim path exits nonzero. (authority_firewall_policy)
No-vector evidence: every raw-evidence reference carries hash + pointer + regeneration command; no raw log lives in the vector KB; no root is invented. (nvsz_no_vector_evidence_policy)

Forbidden verdicts (overclaim guard)

A TKT Base run must not emit, and any attempt to assert them is itself a fail-closed condition (probe P10):

Forbidden token	Belongs to	Requires
`IU_TRACEABILITY_PASS`	LEVEL 4 (future)	IU graph + relation/metadata inputs
`SEMANTIC_TEXT_AS_CODE_PASS`	LEVEL 5 (future)	semantic checker + IU smart-brick inputs
`RELEASE_BUNDLE_PASS`	LEVEL 6 (future)	L0–L5 + release policy + bundle manifest

The highest honest TKT Base verdict is LEVEL 3 — GOVERNANCE CONSISTENCY PASS. Reporting "the tool is complete" or "semantic Text-as-Code passes" at the base layer is forbidden. See limitations/.

Reporting shape

A base run reports:

TKT_BASE_RESULT:
  packet: <name>
  authority: NON_AUTHORITY / NOT_PROMOTED
  level_reached: L0 | L1 | L2 | L3
  L0_file: PASS|FAIL  (n/n files present, n/n hash-match, tree_pin ok)
  L1_reconstruct: PASS|FAIL|N/A
  L2_fail_closed: PASS|FAIL|N/A  (probes p/p, any_fail_open=false)
  L3_governance: PASS|FAIL|N/A
  forbidden_overclaim_emitted: false   # MUST be false

A FAIL at L(n) caps level_reached at L(n-1); higher levels report N/A, never PASS.