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Semantic Ownership Changelog

Purpose

This changelog records the semantic ownership split that emerged during the BEAM platform build.

It does not imply that semantic authority moved to Elixir. Phase 9 closed with Python still authoritative for the frozen Phase 1 scope.

Ownership Timeline

Phase 1

  • Python was frozen as the semantic reference
  • the fixture bundle and reference docs became the migration oracle

Phases 3 through 5

  • BEAM implemented the operational write path, projector runtime, and service query surfaces
  • parity tests were added so BEAM runtime behavior could be compared against the Python oracle

Phase 9

  • the repo confirmed strong frozen-core BEAM parity
  • the project chose to keep Python as the permanent semantic authority
  • the ownership split became a stable architecture rather than a temporary migration phase

Current Ownership By Area

Area Semantic authority BEAM status Notes
Event envelope and frozen event vocabulary Python mirrored BEAM mirrors the frozen vocabulary; WorkflowReviewRequested remains a BEAM-only extension outside the frozen baseline
Payload validation and PII guard Python mirrored BEAM uses pure validation modules for runtime parity, but Python remains the oracle for frozen-core rules
Canonical JSON and payload hashing Python mirrored BEAM has pure equivalents used in store and projector flows; authority stays Python-led
Append ordering, idempotency, and trace locking Python operational owner BEAM is the self-hosted write runtime, but the frozen contract still comes from the Python reference docs and fixtures
Projection outputs and deterministic digests Python operational owner BEAM computes the operational projections and digests; parity remains release-gated against Python fixtures
Query ordering and freshness safeguards Python operational owner BEAM serves trace, graph, precedent, and health reads through the runtime, while Python remains the reference contract source
Embedded library, CLI, and SQLite mode Python not replaced This remains intentionally Python-owned product value
Workflow review and operator-era extensions BEAM BEAM-owned These are outside the frozen Phase 1 semantic authority scope

Phase 9 Outcome

The important Phase 9 outcome is:

  • no semantic authority transfer occurred
  • no speculative additional semantic port was required
  • mirrored BEAM semantic primitives remain in place because they are useful for the runtime
  • the Python local and reference surface remains an intentional long-term part of the product

Update Rule

Update this changelog whenever one of the following happens:

  • a frozen-core semantic area changes authority
  • a new semantic mirror is added on the BEAM side
  • a BEAM-only extension is formally added to the frozen comparison scope
  • a future ADR changes the current long-term split