CANONIC: A Framework for Declarative Governance

Whitepaper v1.0 | 2026

Abstract: We present CANONIC, a governance framework where rules are expressed as declarative specifications validated through a directed acyclic graph (DAG). CANONIC enables recursive validation across organizational boundaries using a 7-bit dimensional model (DETROSP) supporting 128 distinct governance compositions.

1. Introduction

Traditional governance systems fail at scale because rules are ambiguous, enforcement is manual, and compliance is retrospective. CANONIC inverts this model: governance is declarative, validation is automated, and compliance is continuous.

2. The DETROSP Model

Each governance dimension is a bit. Organizations select their composition: from minimal (D∩S = 33) to full (DETROSP = 127).

3. BYOL: Universal Language Support

CANONIC is language-agnostic. LANGUAGE/MACHINE/ governs code. LANGUAGE/HUMAN/ governs natural language specifications. RFC 2119 keywords are internationalized.

4. Conclusion

CANONIC demonstrates that governance can be both rigorous and practical through declarative specifications, automated validation, and universal language support.

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