This glossary defines the operational vocabulary of Protocol-Governed Systems. PGS vocabulary is structural, not descriptive — each term corresponds to a specific architectural role. Understanding these terms is understanding the system. Core Paradigm Protocol-Governed System (PGS) A computational model in which system behavior is defined as compiled governance artifacts rather than as an emergent property of implementation code. All permissible behavior is declared before execution; only declared behavior is executable. ...

The canonical set of compiled protocol artifacts is maintained in the protocol_snapshot/ directory of the pgs_workspace repository. Why a live pointer instead of a static appendix? Prior editions included artifact listings in this appendix. Protocol artifacts are versioned, evolving artifacts — a static copy ages immediately. The live snapshot is always authoritative. Location pgs_workspace/ └── protocol_snapshot/ └── artifacts/ ├── workflows/ ├── capability_contracts/ ├── capability_transforms/ ├── capability_side_effects/ ├── runtime_bindings/ ├── intents/ ├── assertions/ ├── events/ ├── actors/ ├── layers/ └── invariants/ How to Browse # List all workflows ls protocol_snapshot/artifacts/workflows/ # List all capability side effects ls protocol_snapshot/artifacts/capability_side_effects/ # Read a specific artifact cat protocol_snapshot/artifacts/workflows/blockchain__WF_REGISTER_ACTOR_UNVERIFIED_V0.json Naming Convention All artifact filenames follow FQDN format: ...

pgs_runtime is the command-line interface for the PGS runtime engine. It provides two subcommands: run executes a workflow or intent against a compiled snapshot, and examine inspects an execution trace. Global Usage pgs_runtime <subcommand> [options] The CLI reads from protocol_snapshot/ and writes traces to traces/. It does not modify snapshot artifacts. pgs_runtime run Executes a workflow or intent against the compiled protocol snapshot. Synopsis pgs_runtime run \ (--wf <FQDN> | --intent <FQDN>) \ --payload <path> \ [--rb <FQDN>] \ [--mode <runtime|authoring>] \ [--debug] \ [--data-root <path>] \ [--workspace <path>] Entry Point (mutually exclusive, one required) Flag Argument Description ...

pgs_compiler is the command-line interface for the PGS compiler pipeline. It provides three subcommands: compile runs a single-structure build, build runs the full workspace build, and inspect queries compiled evidence without recompiling. Global Usage python -m pgs_compiler.cli <subcommand> [options] compile Runs the full 9-stage pipeline (S1–S9) for a single STRUCTURE_ artifact (Phase Type A). python -m pgs_compiler.cli compile --structure <STRUCTURE_NAME> Flag Description --structure Name of the STRUCTURE_ build artifact to compile (e.g., STRUCTURE_BUILD_BLOCKCHAIN_CONFIG_V0) ...

Every PGS artifact is a declarative unit of governance. Each artifact type has a fixed schema — a set of fields that the builder validates before compilation. This appendix documents the schema for each artifact type, drawn from the compiled artifacts in protocol_snapshot/. Artifacts are authored as Markdown files with a YAML machine: block. The builder extracts the machine: block and compiles it into a JSON artifact. The field definitions here describe the YAML schema — the same fields appear in the compiled JSON under frontmatter. ...