RFC-PCS-0002

 

Cognitive State Types and Registries

Status: Draft

Intended Status: Standards Track

Updates: RFC-PCS-0001

Expires: TBD

 

1. Abstract

This document defines the Cognitive State Types and associated registries used by systems conforming to the Persistra Cognitive Standard (PCS).

 

Cognitive State Types provide a structured, interoperable vocabulary for representing persistent cognition, including decisions, policies, constraints, identity, and provenance.

 

Registries defined herein enable extensibility while preserving semantic stability across implementations.

 

2. Motivation

Persistent cognition requires more than storage. It requires semantic agreement on what is being stored, why it matters, and how it must be enforced.

 

Without standardized cognitive state types:

• Systems cannot reliably interoperate

• Cognitive continuity degrades across vendors

• Policy enforcement becomes ambiguous

• Certification and compliance are unverifiable

 

PCS registries establish a shared cognitive vocabulary analogous to MIME types, OAuth scopes, or POSIX resource classes.

 

3. Design Principles

Cognitive State Types and Registries adhere to the following principles:

• Minimal Core, Extensible Edge
• Semantic Stability Across Versions
• Model-Agnostic Representation
• Deterministic Interpretation
• Auditability and Provenance Preservation

 

4. Cognitive State Type Overview

All PCS-compliant systems MUST represent persistent cognition using one or more Cognitive State Records (CSRs).

 

Each CSR consists of:

• A record_type
• A unique identifier
• Structured payload
• Metadata (timestamps, provenance)
• Enforcement semantics (where applicable)

 

5. Core Cognitive State Types

The following core record types are REQUIRED for PCS compliance.

5.1 Decision Record (decision_record)

 

Represents an immutable architectural, design, or operational decision.

 

Use cases:

• Architectural constraints
• Technology selections
• Non-reversible choices
• Required properties:
• decision_id
• decision_statement
• decision_scope
• timestamp
• author
• immutability_flag

 

Decision Records MUST NOT be modified after creation.

 

5.2 Policy Record (policy_record)

Represents enforceable constraints governing system behavior.

 

Use cases:

• Security restrictions
• Budget caps
• Compliance requirements
• Required properties:
• policy_id
• policy_category
• policy_rules
• enforcement_level
• violation_response

 

Policy Records MUST be evaluated deterministically prior to output emission.

 

5.3 Vision Anchor (vision_anchor)

Represents long-lived intent or guiding principles that MUST persist across sessions.

 

Use cases:

• System goals
• Design philosophy
• Mission constraints
• Required properties:
• anchor_id
• anchor_type
• anchor_statement
• priority_level

 

Vision Anchors MAY override transient contextual inputs.

 

5.4 Identity Context (identity_context)

Represents identity-scoped cognitive state.

 

Use cases:

• User preferences
• Role-based behavior
• Permission boundaries
• Required properties:
• identity_id
• identity_type
• permission_scope
• contextual_attributes

 

5.5 Provenance Record (provenance_record)

Represents traceability and audit metadata.

 

Use cases:

• Compliance audits
• Forensic analysis
• Decision lineage
• Required properties:
• source_record_ids
• generation_method
• model_context
• timestamp

 

6. Registry Architecture

PCS defines authoritative registries for enumerated cognitive concepts.

Registries ensure interoperability and prevent semantic fragmentation.

 

7. Defined Registries

 

7.1 Record Type Registry

Defines valid record_type values.

• Initial registry entries:

• decision_record

• policy_record

• vision_anchor

• identity_context

• provenance_record

 

7.2 Policy Category Registry

Defines standardized policy domains.

• Initial entries:

• security

• compliance

• budget

• safety

• governance

 

7.3 Violation Type Registry

Defines standardized violation semantics.

 

Initial entries:

• forbidden_technology

• policy_conflict

• budget_exceeded

• compliance_violation

• permission_denied

 

7.4 Anchor Type Registry

Defines categories of long-lived intent.

 

Initial entries:

• architectural

• security

• mission

• ethical

• operational

 

8. Registry Governance

 

Registries MUST be:

• Publicly readable
• Versioned
• Append-only (no deletion of existing entries)
•  

New registry entries MAY be proposed by implementers.

Registry modification policies are outside the scope of this document.

 

9. Extensibility

Implementations MAY define private or experimental record types, provided:

• They do not conflict with registered types
• They are clearly namespaced
• They do not alter PCS invariants

 

Private extensions MUST NOT be represented as PCS-certified types.

 

10. Versioning and Compatibility

• Cognitive State Types MUST remain backward compatible.
• Deprecated types MAY be marked as such but MUST remain interpretable.
• Breaking changes require a new major PCS version.

 

11. Security Considerations

Improper handling of cognitive state types may result in:

• Policy bypass
• Identity leakage
• Decision corruption

 

Implementations SHOULD protect registries and records using appropriate cryptographic and access controls.

 

12. Relationship to Intellectual Property

Certain implementations of Cognitive State Types and registries may be covered by existing or pending intellectual property rights.

 

This document does not grant any license to such rights.

 

13. IANA Considerations

This document defines registries analogous to IANA-managed registries but does not request IANA action.

 

Registry stewardship is defined outside the scope of this specification.

 

14. Conclusion

Standardized Cognitive State Types and Registries provide the semantic foundation for persistent AI cognition.

 

By defining a shared vocabulary, PCS enables interoperability, auditability, and governance across AI systems without constraining model innovation.

 

End of RFC-PCS-0002