Checking Source Claims

Checking Source Claims

Overview

"Source lineage" means showing where an idea came from. Honest lineage keeps public claims clean. It links an idea to a real public source. At the same time, it keeps the repo from sounding like it formally meets that source's rules.

Decision contract

• Claim checked: every cited source is public and in the source map or marked "public URL needed", and each reference reads as influence or idea lineage rather than compliance, certification, or formal assurance.
• Artifact observed: the changed public text against source-map.md, source-to-concept-crosswalk.md, and compliance-boundaries.md -> narrowed wording and updated source-map or crosswalk rows.
• Decision affected: warn -- whether public/source wording is narrowed to honest influence or idea lineage rather than a compliance claim.
• Failure class: overstated-lineage (an unconfirmed source cited as direct lineage, or a compliance/approval claim outside a disclaimer).
• Next action: downgrade the source to "public URL needed" or reword to influence; wording affecting regulated, customer, or investor trust escalates.

When to Use

• A doc, template, skill, command, or change record cites a source family.
• New standards, frameworks, agencies, or assurance-sounding terms show up.
• A public claim might sound like compliance, certification, approval, or formal verification.
• A dependency, model, API, or vendor claim might get confused with proof from your own repo.

When Not to Use

• The change is private code with no method claim and no source claim.
• A source cannot be made public; use private, project-specific controls outside this public repo.

Inputs

• The changed public text.
• docs/00-standards-foundation/source-map.md.
• docs/01-field-guide/source-to-concept-crosswalk.md.
• docs/00-standards-foundation/compliance-boundaries.md.

Process

1. Find every cited source family and every assurance-sounding term.
2. Confirm each direct source is public, can be linked, and is listed in the source map.
3. Sort each reference: is it an influence, an analogy, evidence, a requirement, an authority, or a vendor claim?
4. Downgrade any unconfirmed source to "supporting context" or mark it "public URL needed."
5. Reword claims as influence, idea lineage, or workflow inspiration.
6. Remove or negate any wording that implies compliance, approval, or formal assurance.

Outputs

• Updated source-map or crosswalk rows.
• Narrowed public wording.
• A clear source-lineage note.

Verification

• Source claims point to source-map.md or to public URLs.
• Public docs never present an unconfirmed source as direct lineage.
• Scans for the boundary phrases find them only in negative or disclaimer sentences.

Escalation

• Stop when asked to cite a source that is not public, is proprietary, or is unverified as if it were public lineage.
• Escalate when the wording could affect regulated, purchasing, customer, or investor trust.

Common Rationalizations

• "Everyone knows what we mean." Public text has to survive a hostile reader.
• "It is only an influence." Then call it an influence, not something you meet.
• "The source probably exists." Verify it or downgrade it.

Red Flags

• A source row has no public URL and no status.
• A doc says "compliant", "approved", "certified", or "formal" outside a negative sentence.
• Every file repeats the source details instead of linking to the source map.

Prompt

Run a Nuclear-grade source-lineage check (where the ideas come from).

Inputs:
- changed public text: <paste/link>
- cited source families: <list>
- source-map rows: <links>
- source or vendor claims used as evidence: <list>

Return:
- a status for each source: verified-public, supporting-context, public-url-needed, or excluded-direct
- the difference between an influence, a source's claim, local proof, a requirement, and an authority
- the wording changes needed so you make no claim of compliance or approval
- the source-map or crosswalk updates
- the validation and scan commands

Source-lineage note

This skill is an original citation-safety workflow for public-source-inspired software methodology. It does not turn cited sources into requirements this repo satisfies.