# Charter Lock Protocol -- Scope-Gate Operational Definition

**Scope:** Scope-gate computation, drift classification, amendment grammar ONLY. Yield math lives in `probabilistic_recall_miss.md`; contradictions in `contradiction_partial_reset.md`; framing in `saturation_typology.md`; anti-patterns in `anti_patterns_volume_floor.md`.

## 1. PRISMA-ScR analog (load-bearing citation)

The Charter is operationally a pre-registered scoping-review protocol in the tradition of Arksey, H. & O'Malley, L. (2005), Levac, D. et al. (2010), and Tricco, A.C. et al. (2018) PRISMA-ScR (*Annals of Internal Medicine* 169(7):467-473). The charter is declared BEFORE the inquiry run begins and constrains what counts as in-scope. Deviations are permitted but must be logged and justified -- the pattern PROSPERO and OSF use for systematic-review registration.

## 2. Envelope dimensions

The scope envelope carries four orthogonal dimensions; each novel claim is checked against each:

- **Discipline-domain:** disciplines declared in-scope.
- **Population:** populations (human groups, geographies, org types) in-scope.
- **Time-window:** temporal range in-scope.
- **Evidence-type:** evidence types in-scope.

A claim is IN SCOPE iff all four are satisfied; otherwise a drift event is registered.

## 3. Drift classification grammar

Every drift event carries one of three classifications:

- **warn:** claim touches an envelope boundary (edge country, edge year). Does NOT block STOP alone; logged for operator visibility; re-evaluated next invocation.
- **halt:** claim is materially outside the envelope (excluded population or discipline). BLOCKS STOP; writes `CHARTER_AMENDMENT_REQUEST` with `pending` status; emits `SCOPE_DRIFT_PENDING`.
- **operator-escalate:** claim requires restructuring multiple envelope dimensions. BLOCKS STOP; writes the amendment AND a `CHARTER_RESTRUCTURE_REQUIRED` event; routes to operator via Claim-Typing Engine.

The Governor never auto-accepts an amendment; acceptance is the Claim-Typing Engine's authority acting on operator signal.

## 4. Parallel cadence

Drift detection runs on every invocation in PARALLEL with yield monitoring (Phase 3), from the same snapshot as Phase 2. Running the two gates in parallel is load-bearing: it prevents F4 (scope-drift masquerading as low yield). If scope is checked AFTER yield closes, the yield-closed signal emits first and drift is never surfaced.

## 5. Amendment record grammar

A `CHARTER_AMENDMENT_REQUEST` contains:

- `amendment_id` (UUID), `drifting_claim_id`.
- `offending_dimension(s)` in {discipline, population, time_window, evidence_type}.
- `drift_classification` in {warn, halt, operator-escalate}.
- `proposed_extension` -- candidate envelope extension.
- `status` -- pending | accepted | rejected (initial pending; transitions owned by Claim-Typing Engine).
- `produced_at` -- ISO-8601.

The scope gate is CLOSED iff zero records have status `pending` AND no halt- or operator-escalate-class event was registered in the current invocation. A warn-only state does not open the gate.

## 6. Anti-sycophancy constraints

The operator may SAY "close enough, stop expanding scope." The Governor does NOT act on that. Its job is DETECT and ROUTE, not adjudicate. Suppressing drift on operator satisfaction is a SKILL.md Section 4.3 anti-example and constitutes skill failure.
