anchor-a2ml

= ANCHOR.a2ml Specification

1. Overview

ANCHOR.a2ml is the intervention layer for the A2ML Format Family. It’s a "drop document" that helps projects survive scope storms and get back on track.

When AI agents or projects drift from their intended path, an ANCHOR file provides:

• Authority Declaration - Who is issuing the intervention

• Purpose Statement - Why realignment is needed

• Directives - Specific actions to take

• A2ML Review - Which A2ML files need attention

• Verification - How to confirm success

2. A2ML Format Family

This specification is part of the A2ML Format Family:

Format	Repository	Purpose
META.a2ml	meta-a2ml	Constitutional authority, architecture decisions
STATE.a2ml	Companion to META	Project state tracking
ECOSYSTEM.a2ml	Companion to META	Ecosystem positioning
PLAYBOOK.a2ml	playbook-a2ml	Executable plans derived from META
AGENTIC.a2ml	agentic-a2ml	Operational gating for AI agents
NEUROSYM.a2ml	neurosym-a2ml	Symbolic semantics, proof obligations
ANCHOR.a2ml	anchor-a2ml (this repo)	Project recalibration/realignment

All formats are satellites of hyperpolymath/standards.

3. When to Use ANCHOR

Use ANCHOR.a2ml when:

• Scope Drift - Project has expanded beyond intended boundaries

• Direction Change - Strategic pivot requires explicit realignment

• Stock-Taking - Periodic review and verification of alignment

• Course Correction - AI agent has accumulated incorrect assumptions

4. Quick Start

4.1. 1. Create the ANCHOR file

Name it ANCHOR.a2ml or ANCHOR-[purpose]-[date].a2ml.

4.2. 2. Define Authority

[anchor.authority.superintendent]
name = "Project Owner"
role = "owner"

[anchor.authority.issued]
date = "2026-01-03"

4.3. 3. State Purpose

[anchor.purpose]
type = "scope-arrest"
summary = "Halt scope expansion and stabilize"

4.4. 4. Add Directives

[[anchor.directives.immediate]]
action = "halt-new-features"
priority = "critical"

4.5. 5. Drop into Repository

Place in root or .machine_readable/ directory.

4.6. 6. Instruct AI

Tell the AI: "Go to the ANCHOR.a2ml file first."

See examples/ for complete examples.

5. Execution Pipeline Position

ANCHOR operates at the intervention tier - above normal execution:

INTERVENTION LAYER:
  ANCHOR.a2ml     <- Recalibration directives

EXECUTION PIPELINE:
  1. META validation
  2. AGENTIC gating
  3. NEUROSYM semantics
  4. PLAYBOOK derivation
  5. Execution
  6. ECOSYSTEM check
  7. STATE update

ANCHOR can override or reset any level of the execution pipeline.

6. Specification

The complete normative specification is in spec/ANCHOR-FORMAT-SPEC.adoc.

7. Repository Structure

anchor-a2ml/
+-- spec/
|   +-- ANCHOR-FORMAT-SPEC.adoc    # Normative specification
+-- examples/
|   +-- minimal.a2ml                # Minimal valid ANCHOR file
|   +-- comprehensive.a2ml          # Full-featured example
+-- .machine_readable/
|   +-- STATE.a2ml                  # Project state
|   +-- META.a2ml                   # Architecture decisions
|   +-- ECOSYSTEM.a2ml              # Ecosystem position
+-- README.adoc                     # This file

8. Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Please ensure:

• All changes follow the normative specification

• Examples validate against the spec

• SPDX license headers on all files

9. License

PMPL-1.0-or-later with Palimpsest philosophical overlay. See LICENSE.