Compliance
Compliance checklist
- RCOS-Core version: v0.1
- Last audited: 2026-04-22
- Audit method: Self-audit (content definition complete; pending formal adoption)
- Overall status: Pending adoption — all artifacts have substantive content; none yet formally adopted through a governance vote
Status key:
Present— file exists with substantive, adopted contentDraft— file exists with substantive content; not yet formally adoptedStub— file exists but is a placeholder only; does not count as compliantMissing— file does not existNon-compliant— file exists but systematically violates RCOS requirements
RCOS Compliance Progress
RCOS-Core compliance is binary per §10.1.1: a community is either compliant or non-compliant. EcoHubs is currently non-compliant — all artifacts are in Draft status and have not been formally adopted through a governance vote.
The two bars below show content readiness and formal adoption separately.
Content Coverage (spec requirements addressed in artifacts)
Layer 0 — Identity & Scope ████████████████████ 98%
Layer 1 — Membership System ██████████████████░░ 92%
Layer 2 — Governance & Logic ████████████████████ 98%
Layer 3 — Economic & Resource ████████████████░░░░ 82%
Layer 4 — Conflict & Repair ███████████████████░ 93% (updated 2026-04-22)
Layer 5 — Operations ██████████████████░░ 92% (updated 2026-04-22)
Layer 6 — Evolution ████████████████████ 97% (updated 2026-04-22)
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Overall content coverage ████████████████████ 93%Scoring method: each normative MUST requirement in the spec counts as 1 point. Fully addressed = 1, partially addressed = 0.5, not addressed = 0. Total ~198 normative MUST requirements identified across Layers 0–6. Score: ~185/198 ≈ 93%.
Formal Adoption (artifacts voted and adopted through Snapshot)
Layer 0 — Identity & Scope ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 0%
Layer 1 — Membership System ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 0%
Layer 2 — Governance & Logic ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 0%
Layer 3 — Economic & Resource ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 0%
Layer 4 — Conflict & Repair ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 0%
Layer 5 — Operations ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 0%
Layer 6 — Evolution ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 0%
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Overall formal adoption ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 0% (19 artifacts pending)Once all 19 artifacts are adopted through Snapshot votes, formal adoption reaches 100% and EcoHubs becomes RCOS-Core compliant (subject to any remaining content gaps being resolved first).
Layer 0 — Identity & Scope
Layer compliance: Pending adoption — content complete
| Artifact | File | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose Charter | layers/0-identity/01-purpose-charter.md | Draft | Content complete; not yet adopted |
| Scope Declaration | layers/0-identity/02-scope-declaration.md | Draft | Content complete; not yet adopted |
| Invariants Register | layers/0-identity/03-invariants-register.md | Draft | Content complete; not yet adopted |
Layer 1 — Membership System
Layer compliance: Pending adoption — content complete; some technical implementations missing
| Artifact | File | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Membership Agreement | layers/1-membership/01-membership-agreement.md | Draft | Content complete; not yet adopted |
| Onboarding Protocol | layers/1-membership/02-onboarding-protocol.md | Draft | Content complete; several technical implementations pending — see missing-technical-implementations.md |
| Exit & Separation Protocol | layers/1-membership/03-exit-separation-protocol.md | Draft | Content complete; exit flow in ecohubsOS not yet implemented — see missing-technical-implementations.md |
| Membership State Registry | layers/1-membership/04-membership-state-registry.md | Draft | Content complete; not yet adopted |
Layer 2 — Governance & Decision Logic
Layer compliance: Pending adoption — content complete; Snapshot proposal template missing
| Artifact | File | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decision Matrix | layers/2-governance/01-decision-matrix.md | Draft | Content complete; not yet adopted |
| Governance Protocol | layers/2-governance/02-governance-protocol.md | Draft | Content complete; Snapshot proposal template not yet created — see missing-technical-implementations.md |
| Authority Registry | layers/2-governance/03-authority-registry.md | Draft | Content complete; updated to reference specific operational roles from Layer 5 |
Layer 3 — Economic & Resource System
Layer compliance: Pending adoption — content complete; ECO decay mechanism and concentration risk indicators deferred
| Artifact | File | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internal Economy Protocol | layers/3-economy/01-internal-economy-protocol.md | Draft | Content complete; ECO expiration/decay mechanism deferred; concentration risk indicators not yet defined — see future-proposals.md |
| Treasury Ruleset | layers/3-economy/02-treasury-ruleset.md | Draft | Content complete; treasury spending thresholds deferred until community funds exist — see future-proposals.md |
Layer 4 — Conflict, Repair & Accountability
Layer compliance: Pending adoption — content complete
| Artifact | File | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conflict Resolution Ladder | layers/4-conflict/01-conflict-resolution-ladder.md | Draft | Content complete; updated 2026-04-22 to add per-class response timelines, non-response/withdrawal/deadlock handling, and power-differential intake channels |
| Accountability Protocol | layers/4-conflict/02-accountability-protocol.md | Draft | Content complete; not yet adopted |
Layer 5 — Operations & Coordination
Layer compliance: Pending adoption — content complete; all operational roles currently held by founding member
| Artifact | File | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operations Manual | layers/5-operations/01-operations-manual.md | Draft | Content complete; updated 2026-04-22 to add temporary/ad-hoc responsibility rules and information anti-gatekeeping policy |
| Role Registry | layers/5-operations/02-role-registry.md | Draft | Content complete; 12 roles defined; all operational roles currently held by founding member |
| Meeting Templates | layers/5-operations/meeting-templates/ | Draft | All 5 templates complete (Operations, Governance, Coordination/Alignment, Reflection & Learning, Conflict Handling) |
Layer 6 — Evolution & Adaptation
Layer compliance: Pending adoption — content complete
| Artifact | File | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Change Protocol | layers/6-evolution/01-change-protocol.md | Draft | Content complete; updated 2026-04-22 to add experiment review checkpoints and safety suspension mechanism |
| Version History | layers/6-evolution/02-version-history.md | Draft | Active; v0.0 scaffold entry present; will be updated as artifacts are formally adopted |
| Learning Log | layers/6-evolution/03-learning-log.md | Draft | Active; updated 2026-04-22 to define learnable events, ownership, and synthesis cadence; no entries yet |
RCOS Spec Coverage Gaps
The following items were identified during a systematic §-by-§ audit of RCOS-Core v0.1 on 2026-04-22. Items already fully addressed in artifacts are not listed. Items marked REQUIRED correspond to MUST requirements in the spec. Items marked OPTIONAL correspond to MAY or SHOULD requirements.
Items are grouped by whether they are addressed, partially addressed, or still open.
Fixed During This Audit (2026-04-22)
| Ref | Requirement | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| §2.1.3 | Primary purpose change threshold — artifact incorrectly stated “simple majority” instead of required “supermajority ≥⅔” | Fixed — Purpose Charter corrected |
| §6.1.3 | Each conflict class MUST define expected response priority and timelines | Fixed — per-class initial response windows added to CRL classification table |
| §6.2.3 | Resolution ladder MUST define how refusal, non-response, withdrawal, and procedural deadlock are handled | Fixed — “Non-Response, Withdrawal, and Deadlock” section added to CRL |
| §6.3.3 | Where power differential exists, elevated safeguards MUST include separate intake/communication channels | Fixed — power differential separate intake channel added to CRL safeguards |
| §7.1.5 | Temporary/ad-hoc responsibilities MUST be explicitly time-bounded and MUST NOT become ongoing without formal role definition | Fixed — “Temporary and Ad-Hoc Responsibilities” section added to Operations Manual |
| §7.3.5 | Information flow MUST be designed to prevent gatekeeping, bottlenecks, or dependency on informal intermediaries | Fixed — “Information Flow and Anti-Gatekeeping” section added to Operations Manual |
| §8.3.2 | Every experiment MUST define review checkpoints within its duration | Fixed — Change Protocol experiment requirements updated |
| §8.3.5 | If experiment introduces safety risk, MUST suspend or terminate immediately with post-hoc review | Fixed — Safety suspension clause added to Change Protocol |
| §8.6.5 | Learning Log MUST define what constitutes a learnable event, documentation ownership, and review/synthesis cadence | Fixed — “What Constitutes a Learnable Event” section added to Learning Log |
Partially Addressed — Open Items (REQUIRED)
These are genuine gaps that require more design work or governance decisions to fully resolve. They are not errors in the current artifacts but represent requirements not yet completely satisfied.
| Ref | Requirement | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| §2.4.3 | Identity constraints MUST be testable and enforceable through defined processes | Partial | Behavioral and governance constraints (constraints 1–3) are enforceable via Layer 4. Ecological constraints (4–5) are stated as design principles but do not have a defined enforcement mechanism for the network community context. Enforcement would require defining what “sustained net harm to ecosystems” means in measurable terms. |
| §3.5.3 | Substitution of participation (e.g., outsourcing labor) MUST be explicitly governed | Not addressed | The Membership Agreement defines participation expectations and contribution categories but does not address whether a member may have others perform their contributions on their behalf. REQUIRED. Add a clause to the Membership Agreement or Internal Economy Protocol. |
| §5.1.4 | For commons resources, MUST explicitly define stewardship responsibilities, maintenance obligations, and funding mechanisms | Partial | The IEP resource table lists stewards and access rules. Maintenance obligations are implied (Infrastructure Steward for platforms) but not explicit per-resource. Funding mechanisms (operational costs) are covered in the Treasury Ruleset. Add a “Maintenance obligations” column or sub-note to the IEP resource table. |
| §5.4.4 | MUST define reviewable indicators of economic concentration risk and an explicit mechanism to adjust constraints when such risks are detected | Not addressed | No concentration risk indicators defined. Given current early stage (one member, no significant balances), this is low-risk but still a MUST requirement. REQUIRED. Define simple indicators (e.g., if one member holds >50% of total ECO balance, a review is triggered) and a review/adjustment pathway. |
Deferred — Governance Decision Required
These items are deferred because they require a community governance decision to define, not just a content update.
| Ref | Requirement | Priority | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECO expiration / decay mechanism | §5.2.4 + §5.4.2 — if internal units exist, MUST define expiration/decay/cap | Medium | Non-transferability currently serves as the single accumulation-limiting mechanism (satisfies §5.4.2 minimum). Expiration/decay would add additional protection. Deferred — see future-proposals.md |
| Treasury spending thresholds | §5.3.3 — spending authority MUST be explicitly bounded by thresholds | Low urgency | Finance Steward currently has €0 unilateral authority (effectively no spending authority). Thresholds should be defined once community funds exist. Deferred — see future-proposals.md |
| Suspended Member state | §3.7 (MAY) — temporary suspension states | Low | Technically not yet feasible in ecohubsOS. Optional per spec. Deferred — see future-proposals.md |
| Consent-based decision-making for Strategic decisions | §4.2.2 (MAY) — alternatives to majority vote | Low | Currently using simple majority for Strategic decisions. Consent-based approach is optional. Deferred. |
Path to Full Compliance
All artifacts have substantive content. To achieve full compliance, each artifact must be:
- Proposed and deliberated per the Governance Protocol (Layer 2)
- Adopted through an authorized Snapshot vote
- Status fields updated from Stub — not yet adopted to Active — adopted
- Recorded in
layers/6-evolution/02-version-history.md
Remaining content gaps to resolve before claiming compliance (from “Partially Addressed — Open Items” above):
- §3.5.3 — Substitution of participation rule (Membership Agreement or IEP)
- §5.1.4 — Per-commons maintenance obligations (IEP resource table)
- §5.4.4 — Economic concentration risk indicators (IEP)
- §2.4.3 — Ecological identity constraint enforcement mechanism (Purpose Charter or separate protocol)
Open technical gaps (required for full operational compliance — see missing-technical-implementations.md):
- Member exit flow in ecohubsOS
- Voluntary exit request flow in ecohubsOS
- Artifact links in onboarding flow
- Explicit in-app consent to Membership Agreement and Layer 0
- Onboarding reminder emails and expiry notifications
- 6-month re-application block after rejection or incomplete onboarding
- Onboarding expiry actions in ecohubsOS admin panel
- Snapshot proposal template
Deferred governance decisions (see future-proposals.md):
- Treasury spending thresholds (trigger: first community funds received)
- Consent-based decision making for Strategic decisions
- ECO accumulation limits and decay
- Suspended Member state