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CIP Specification — Draft v0.1

Character Identity Protocol (CIP) — Operational Governance Specification

Status: Draft — v0.1
Licensed under CC BY 4.0 — 2026

Preamble

This document defines normative requirements for conformant implementation of the Character Identity Protocol (CIP).

Key words SHALL, SHOULD, MAY are interpreted per RFC 2119 / RFC 8174.

This specification governs the operational layer only.

1. Anchor Requirements

1.1 Definition

An Anchor is a validated identity reference image.

1.2 Selection

  • SHALL be converged identity
  • SHALL NOT be draft
  • SHOULD be highest-purity
  • SHALL be operator-owned

1.3 Storage

  • SHALL be reusable
  • SHOULD have UID
  • SHOULD include metadata

2. Minimal Prompt

  • SHALL describe invariant traits only
  • SHALL NOT use rigid numeric constraints
  • SHOULD remain minimal
  • Anchor carries primary identity

3. Identity Gates

Face / Skeleton / Proportion

PASS ⇔ Face Gate ∧ Skeleton Gate ∧ Proportion Gate

  • SHALL evaluate every output
  • SHALL be human-primary

4. Hard Abort

  • SHALL trigger on any FAIL
  • SHALL terminate cycle
  • SHALL discard outputs

5. Re-Binding

  • SHALL re-inject last valid anchor
  • SHALL start new cycle

6. Cycle

  • SHALL start with anchor
  • SHOULD re-anchor every 10–15 steps

7. Audit

  • SHALL log anchor, prompt, gate, time, operator

8. Boundaries

  • SHALL NOT control model internals
  • SHALL NOT guarantee determinism

9. Conformance

CIP-conformant ⇔ all SHALL requirements are satisfied and enforced at runtime

Conformance MAY include measurement-based validation using identity distance models as defined in Appendix C.

Appendix C — Measurement Model (Informative)

This appendix defines an operational measurement model for CIP implementations. It is informative but intended for standardization in future versions.

D_total = w1 * D_face + w2 * D_skeleton + w3 * D_proportion
Condition Result
D_total < T1 PASS
T1 ≤ D_total < T2 WARNING
D_total ≥ T2 FAIL 
Drift_n = Σ D_total(i)

We do not measure C. We measure drift.

Drift represents the observable effect of C acting on identity reconstruction.

Appendix D — Constraint Dynamics (Non-Normative)

This appendix is non-normative. It provides a theoretical interpretation of C and drift.

C = distributional gravity + entropy
Anchor = counter-force
Identity = force equilibrium
Drift = convergence to wrong target

C pulls toward high-density regions of the training distribution. The anchor constrains toward a specific validated identity. Identity stability emerges from the balance between these forces.

CIP does not eliminate drift. It governs drift under probabilistic constraints.

See: Technical Mechanism — Decision Pack