#A.6.B:6.4 — Dependency direction (no “upward” imports)

Preface node heading:a-6-b-6-4-dependency-direction-no-upward-imports:7260

#Content

The square is intended to preserve layered modularity: semantics should not depend on governance text, and evidence semantics should not depend on duties.

Normative rule (no upward dependencies).

• L-* claims MUST NOT depend on or reference A-*, D-*, or E-* claims (except for purely informative notes explicitly marked informative).
• A-* claims MUST NOT depend on or reference D-* claims. (A-* may reference L-* for defined terms/invariants.)
• E-* claims MUST NOT depend on or reference D-* claims. (E-* may reference A-* for conditioning and L-* for metric/term meanings.)
• D-* claims MAY reference L-*, A-*, and/or E-* claims as needed, and SHOULD do so by ID rather than restating content.

Rationale (informative). This keeps foundational meaning stable (L), keeps runtime gates independent of governance prose (A), and keeps evidence semantics independent of enforcement policy (E). Governance (D) is the place where “who must do what, using which gates and which evidence” is assembled.