ACGP-1009: Conformance Requirements

Status: Draft
Last Updated: 2026-01-08
Spec ID: ACGP-1009
Normative Keywords: MUST, SHOULD, MAY (per RFC 2119)

Abstract

This document specifies the conformance requirements for implementations of the Agentic Cognitive Governance Protocol (ACGP). It defines conformance levels, mandatory and optional features, test suites, validation procedures, and certification processes. This specification enables implementers to verify their compliance with ACGP and provides users with assurance that implementations will interoperate correctly and maintain the security and governance guarantees of the protocol.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Conformance Levels
  3. Core Protocol Requirements
  4. Component-Specific Requirements
  5. Test Suites and Vectors
  6. Validation Procedures
  7. Interoperability Requirements
  8. Performance Benchmarks
  9. Security Conformance
  10. Documentation Requirements
  11. Certification Process
  12. Non-Conformance Handling
  13. Version Compatibility
  14. References

1. Introduction

Conformance to ACGP ensures that implementations provide the necessary governance capabilities, maintain security guarantees, and interoperate with other conformant systems. This specification defines three levels of conformance and provides detailed requirements for each level.

1.1 Conformance Levels Overview

Level Description Use Cases Required Components
Minimal Learning and development Learning, development, batch jobs Core protocol, basic governance
Standard Production-ready implementation Production apps, interactive systems All core + contracts + interoperability
Complete Full specification implementation Mission-critical systems All features + advanced security

Important: Minimal conformance is designed for non-production environments (learning, development, batch processing). Production deployments SHOULD use Standard or Complete conformance.

1.2 Requirements Language

The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119.

1.3 Conformance Statement

Implementations claiming conformance MUST include a conformance statement specifying:

  • ACGP version supported (e.g., "1.0.3")
  • Conformance level achieved (Minimal/Standard/Complete)
  • Optional features implemented
  • Known limitations or deviations

2. Conformance Levels

2.1 Minimal Conformance

Purpose: Minimum implementation for learning, development, and batch processing environments.

Designed for:

  • Learning ACGP concepts
  • Development and testing
  • Batch jobs and background processing
  • Non-latency-sensitive workloads

Not designed for:

  • Production interactive applications
  • User-facing systems
  • Latency-sensitive workloads
  • Systems requiring performance SLAs

2.1.1 Required Features

Component Required Features
Core Protocol Message formats, version negotiation
Interventions OK and BLOCK only (other types optional)
Risk Assessment Basic risk scoring (any method, can be static)
CTQ Evaluation Optional (can use simplified scoring)
Tripwires Optional
Storage Optional (can use in-memory only)
Security Use existing transport security (TLS optional for dev)

2.1.2 Optional Features

  • Additional intervention types (Nudge, Flag, Escalate, Halt)
  • Trust debt system
  • Advanced ARS/CTQ calculation
  • Tripwires (all categories)
  • ReflectionDB storage
  • Governance Contracts (ACGP-1010)
  • Dynamic re-tiering
  • MCP/A2A integration

2.1.3 Production Usage Guidance

Decision Tree:

Production deployment? → Yes → Latency-sensitive? → Yes → Use Standard [WARNING]
                       → No → Development/testing → Use Minimal

Runtime Warning:

Implementations SHOULD detect production environments and emit warnings when Minimal conformance is used:

import os
import warnings

if os.getenv('ENVIRONMENT') == 'production' and conformance_level == 'minimal':
    warnings.warn(
        "[WARNING]  MINIMAL CONFORMANCE IN PRODUCTION\n"
        "No governance contracts = uniform latency, no performance SLAs\n"
        "Upgrade to Standard conformance for production use\n"
        "Suppress: set suppress_production_warning=True",
        category=ProductionWarning,
        stacklevel=2
    )

Escalation Path:

  • Months 0-6: WARNING level (current)
  • Months 6-12: ERROR level if incidents >1/quarter
  • Months 12+: Require explicit acknowledgment flag if still failing

Target: <1 incident per quarter caused by Minimal tier misuse in production.

2.2 Standard Conformance

Purpose: Production-ready implementation for enterprise use and interactive applications.

Required for:

  • Production deployments
  • User-facing interactive systems
  • Latency-sensitive workloads
  • Systems requiring performance SLAs

2.2.1 Required Features

All Minimal requirements plus:

Component Additional Requirements
Interventions All six types (OK, Nudge, Escalate, Block, Halt, Flag), flag orthogonality
ARS Assessment Three dimensions, ACL tier mapping
CTQ Evaluation Five standard metrics, weighted scoring
Trust System Trust debt accumulation and decay (by 5% per 24 hours)
Tripwires All three categories (Standard, Critical, Severe)
Registry Basic source validation, trust scoring
Blueprint Full schema support, inheritance
Integration MCP or A2A protocol support
Security TLS 1.3, ES256 signatures, MFA, role-based access
Monitoring Real-time metrics, alerting
Storage Distributed ReflectionDB, 1-year retention
Governance Contracts (ACGP-1010) REQUIRED: Risk levels, eval tiers 0-1, performance budgets, fallback behaviors

Governance Contracts Clarification:

Governance contracts are OPTIONAL at Minimal conformance but REQUIRED at Standard conformance because:

  • Prevents ecosystem fragmentation ("Fast ACGP" vs "Standard ACGP" forks)
  • Enables performance SLA negotiation per use case (50ms chat vs 1000ms financial)
  • Production apps need explicit latency/quality trade-offs
  • Without contracts, uniform 300ms latency kills interactive use cases

See ACGP-1010 for full specification. The optional/required distinction is:

  • Minimal: ACGP-1010 features may be ignored entirely
  • Standard: ACGP-1010 -4 (risk levels, eval tiers 0-1, budgets) REQUIRED
  • Complete: All ACGP-1010 features including eval tiers 2-3 REQUIRED

2.2.2 Optional Features

  • Complete MCP and A2A support
  • Advanced anomaly detection
  • Multi-region deployment
  • Governance Contracts: Eval tiers 2-3, HSM-based evaluation

2.3 Complete Conformance

Purpose: Full specification for mission-critical deployments.

2.3.1 Required Features

All Standard requirements plus:

Component Additional Requirements
Dynamic Systems Full re-tiering, tripwire system with all severities
Registry MPA, cryptographic verification
Integration Both MCP and A2A, custom protocols
Security HSM support, zero-trust architecture, emergency override
High Availability 99.99% uptime, disaster recovery
Compliance Full audit trail, regulatory reporting
Performance Meet all specified benchmarks
Governance Contracts (ACGP-1010) REQUIRED: All eval tiers (0-3), all fallback behaviors, capability negotiation, latency conformance, HSM-based evaluation

3. Core Protocol Requirements

3.1 Message Format Conformance

Implementations MUST correctly generate and parse all message types:

class MessageConformanceTests:
    def test_trace_message(self):
        trace = {
            "trace_id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
            "session_id": "660e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
            "step": 1,
            "inputs": {"query": "test"},
            "tool_calls": [],
            "outputs": {"response": "result"},
            "source_refs": [],
            "meta": {
                "timestamp": "2025-01-15T10:00:00Z",
                "acl_tier": "ACL-2"
            }
        }

        # Validate structure
        assert self.validate_schema(trace, TRACE_SCHEMA)

        # Test serialization
        serialized = json.dumps(trace)
        deserialized = json.loads(serialized)
        assert deserialized == trace

        # Test envelope
        enveloped = self.wrap_in_envelope(trace, "TRACE")
        assert self.validate_envelope(enveloped)

3.2 Version Negotiation Conformance

def test_version_negotiation():
    """Test protocol version negotiation."""
    # Test successful negotiation
    client_versions = ["1.0.0", "1.0.2"]
    server_versions = ["1.0.2", "1.1.0"]

    result = negotiate_protocol_version(client_versions, server_versions)
    assert result == "1.0.2"  # Highest common version

    # Test incompatible versions
    client_versions = ["2.0.0"]
    server_versions = ["1.0.0"]

    with pytest.raises(IncompatibleVersionError):
        negotiate_protocol_version(client_versions, server_versions)

3.3 State Machine Conformance

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Initialized: System Start
    Initialized --> Active: Configuration Loaded

    Active --> Evaluating: Trace Received
    Evaluating --> Intervening: Decision Made
    Intervening --> Active: Intervention Applied

    Active --> Suspended: Suspension Trigger
    Suspended --> Active: Resume Command

    Active --> Halted: Critical Error
    Halted --> [*]: Shutdown

    note right of Active
        Normal operation state
        Accepts traces
        Issues interventions
    end note

    note right of Suspended
        Temporary pause
        No new traces accepted
        Existing queue processed
    end note

    note right of Halted
        Emergency stop
        All operations ceased
        Manual restart required
    end note

4. Component-Specific Requirements

4.1 Governance Steward Requirements

Requirement Minimal Standard Complete
Observe Cognitive Traces
Calculate CTQ Scores Optional
Issue Interventions (OK, BLOCK)
Issue Interventions (all 6 types) Optional
Manage Trust Debt -
Coordinate in Network - -
Handle Tripwires Optional

4.2 Policy Engine Requirements

policy_engine_conformance:
  minimal:
    - load_blueprints: required
    - apply_thresholds: required
    - make_decisions: required
    - support_ok_block_interventions: required
    - support_all_six_interventions: optional

  standard:
    - inherit_blueprints: required
    - dynamic_thresholds: required
    - flag_orthogonality: required
    - tripwire_evaluation: required

  complete:
    - real_time_updates: required
    - multi_version_support: required
    - custom_metrics: required
    - emergency_override: required

4.3 ReflectionDB Requirements

class ReflectionDBConformance:
    def validate_minimal(self, db):
        # Append-only verification
        assert db.is_append_only()

        # Required indexes
        required_indexes = ['trace_id', 'timestamp', 'agent_id']
        assert all(db.has_index(idx) for idx in required_indexes)

        # Retention policy
        assert db.retention_days >= 30

    def validate_standard(self, db):
        self.validate_minimal(db)

        # Distributed capabilities
        assert db.supports_replication()

        # Query performance
        assert db.query_latency_p95() < 100  # ms

        # Extended retention
        assert db.retention_days >= 365

    def validate_complete(self, db):
        self.validate_standard(db)

        # Cryptographic integrity
        assert db.has_merkle_tree()

        # Compliance features
        assert db.supports_immutable_audit()
        assert db.supports_data_export(['json', 'parquet'])

4.4 Registry Requirements

Feature Minimal Standard Complete
Source Storage Local Distributed Replicated
Trust Scoring Simple Advanced ML-based
MPA - Optional Required
Cryptographic Verification - Checksums ES256 signatures
Update Propagation - <5 min <60 sec

5. Test Suites and Vectors

5.1 Core Test Suite

class CoreConformanceTestSuite:
    """Mandatory test suite for all conformance levels."""

    def __init__(self):
        self.test_vectors = self.load_test_vectors()
        self.results = []

    def run_all_tests(self):
        test_categories = [
            self.test_message_formats,
            self.test_intervention_logic,
            self.test_ari_calculation,
            self.test_ctq_evaluation,
            self.test_state_transitions,
            self.test_error_handling,
            self.test_version_negotiation
        ]

        for category in test_categories:
            try:
                category()
                self.results.append(('PASS', category.__name__))
            except AssertionError as e:
                self.results.append(('FAIL', category.__name__, str(e)))

        return self.generate_report()

5.2 Test Vectors

5.2.1 ARS Calculation Test Vector

{
  "test_id": "ars-001",
  "description": "Standard ARS calculation",
  "input": {
    "autonomy": 3,
    "adaptability": 2,
    "continuity": 4
  },
  "expected_output": {
    "ars_total": 9,
    "acl_tier": "ACL-3"
  }
}

5.2.2 CTQ Evaluation Test Vector

{
  "test_id": "ctq-001",
  "description": "Standard CTQ calculation",
  "input": {
    "metrics": [
      {"name": "reasoning_quality", "score": 0.85, "weight": 0.25},
      {"name": "knowledge_grounding", "score": 0.88, "weight": 0.20},
      {"name": "ethical_alignment", "score": 0.90, "weight": 0.20},
      {"name": "tool_safety", "score": 0.92, "weight": 0.20},
      {"name": "context_awareness", "score": 0.89, "weight": 0.15}
    ]
  },
  "expected_output": {
    "ctq_final": 0.8825,
    "risk_score": 0.1175
  }
}

5.2.3 Intervention Decision Test Vector (Corrected)

{
  "test_id": "intervention-001",
  "description": "ACL-3 intervention decision",
  "input": {
    "acl_tier": "ACL-3",
    "ctq_score": 0.75,
    "risk_score": 0.25,
    "tripwires": [],
    "trust_debt": 0.5
  },
  "expected_output": {
    "primary_intervention": "NUDGE",
    "flag": false,
    "reason": "Risk score 0.25 within nudge threshold for ACL-3 (0.20-0.35)"
  }
}

5.2.4 Tripwire Override Test Vector (New)

{
  "test_id": "tripwire-001",
  "description": "Critical tripwire overrides CTQ",
  "input": {
    "acl_tier": "ACL-3",
    "ctq_score": 0.95,
    "risk_score": 0.05,
    "tripwires": [
      {"id": "secrets_leak", "severity": "critical", "triggered": true}
    ],
    "trust_debt": 0.1
  },
  "expected_output": {
    "primary_intervention": "HALT",
    "flag": true,
    "reason": "Critical tripwire 'secrets_leak' triggered, ACL >= 3 requires HALT"
  }
}

5.2.5 Trust Debt Accumulation Test Vector (New)

{
  "test_id": "trust-debt-001",
  "description": "Trust debt accumulation and decay",
  "input": {
    "acl_tier": "ACL-3",
    "flags": [
      {"severity": "medium", "weight": 0.3, "days_ago": 4},
      {"severity": "low", "weight": 0.1, "days_ago": 2}
    ],
    "decay_factor": 0.95
  },
  "expected_output": {
    "trust_debt": 0.3346,
    "calculation": "Flag 1 (4 days ago): 0.3 * (0.95^4) = 0.3 * 0.8145 = 0.2443, Flag 2 (2 days ago): 0.1 * (0.95^2) = 0.1 * 0.9025 = 0.0903, Total = 0.3346",
    "note": "Decay factor 0.95 is applied per 24-hour period",
    "threshold_status": "below_warning",
    "warning_threshold": 0.75
  }
}

5.2.6 Flag Orthogonality Test Vector (New)

{
  "test_id": "flag-orthogonal-001",
  "description": "Flag can combine with other interventions",
  "input": {
    "acl_tier": "ACL-2",
    "ctq_score": 0.80,
    "risk_score": 0.20,
    "near_miss_pattern": true,
    "tripwires": []
  },
  "expected_output": {
    "primary_intervention": "OK",
    "flag": false,
    "reason": "Risk score 0.20 within OK threshold, no flag conditions met"
  }
},
{
  "test_id": "flag-orthogonal-002",
  "description": "Flag with nudge intervention",
  "input": {
    "acl_tier": "ACL-2",
    "ctq_score": 0.65,
    "risk_score": 0.35,
    "suspicious_pattern": true,
    "tripwires": []
  },
  "expected_output": {
    "primary_intervention": "NUDGE",
    "flag": true,
    "flag_severity": "low",
    "reason": "Risk score 0.35 at nudge threshold boundary, suspicious pattern detected"
  }
}

5.3 Interoperability Test Suite

def test_interoperability(implementation_a, implementation_b):
    """Test that two implementations can communicate."""

    # Version negotiation
    version = negotiate_versions(
        implementation_a.supported_versions,
        implementation_b.supported_versions
    )
    assert version is not None

    # Message exchange
    trace = implementation_a.generate_trace()
    intervention = implementation_b.process_trace(trace)
    assert intervention.is_valid()

    # Validate intervention structure
    assert intervention.decision in [
        "ok", "nudge", "flag", "escalate", "block", "halt"
    ]

    # Bidirectional communication
    response = implementation_a.handle_intervention(intervention)
    assert response.acknowledged

5.4 Governance Contracts Test Suite

For implementations supporting ACGP-1010 (Governance Contracts).

5.4.1 Tier 0 Always Runs

{
  "test_id": "gc-tier0-001",
  "description": "Eval-0 tripwires always execute regardless of budget",
  "input": {
    "governance_contract": {
      "risk_level": "low_risk",
      "eval_tier": 0,
      "performance_budget": {
        "latency_budget_ms": 50
      }
    },
    "tripwires": [
      {"id": "rule_check", "eval_tier": 0, "latency_budget_ms": 100}
    ],
    "simulated_latency_ms": 120
  },
  "expected_output": {
    "tripwire_executed": true,
    "budget_exceeded": true,
    "decision": "deny",
    "reason": "Tier 0 tripwire executed (120ms), budget exceeded (50ms), fallback=deny"
  }
}

5.4.2 Budget Timeout Enforcement

{
  "test_id": "gc-budget-001",
  "description": "Latency budget timeout triggers fallback",
  "input": {
    "governance_contract": {
      "risk_level": "elevated_risk",
      "eval_tier": 1,
      "performance_budget": {
        "latency_budget_ms": 300,
        "fallback_behavior": "cached_decision"
      }
    },
    "simulated_latency_ms": 350,
    "cache": {
      "similar_action_hash": "abc123",
      "cached_decision": "allow"
    }
  },
  "expected_output": {
    "timeout": true,
    "fallback_triggered": true,
    "decision": "allow",
    "reason": "Budget timeout (350ms > 300ms), used cached decision",
    "metadata": {"cache_hit": true, "cache_age_ms": 1200000}
  }
}

5.4.3 Fallback Behavior: Deny

{
  "test_id": "gc-fallback-deny-001",
  "description": "Conservative deny fallback on timeout",
  "input": {
    "governance_contract": {
      "risk_level": "critical_risk",
      "eval_tier": 2,
      "performance_budget": {
        "latency_budget_ms": 5000,
        "fallback_behavior": "deny"
      }
    },
    "simulated_latency_ms": 5100
  },
  "expected_output": {
    "timeout": true,
    "decision": "deny",
    "reason": "Evaluation timeout (5100ms > 5000ms), fallback=deny applied",
    "governance_status": {
      "contract_honored": true,
      "actual_latency_ms": 5100,
      "budget_used_pct": 102.0
    }
  }
}

5.4.4 Fallback Behavior: Allow and Log

{
  "test_id": "gc-fallback-allow-001",
  "description": "Permissive allow_and_log fallback with async audit",
  "input": {
    "governance_contract": {
      "risk_level": "low_risk",
      "eval_tier": 1,
      "performance_budget": {
        "latency_budget_ms": 200,
        "fallback_behavior": "allow_and_log"
      }
    },
    "simulated_latency_ms": 250
  },
  "expected_output": {
    "timeout": true,
    "decision": "allow",
    "reason": "Budget timeout, fallback=allow_and_log, async audit queued",
    "async_audit_queued": true,
    "governance_status": {
      "contract_honored": true,
      "actual_latency_ms": 250,
      "fallback_used": "allow_and_log"
    }
  }
}

5.4.5 Fallback Behavior: Escalate

{
  "test_id": "gc-fallback-escalate-001",
  "description": "Escalate fallback requires human decision",
  "input": {
    "governance_contract": {
      "risk_level": "critical_risk",
      "eval_tier": 3,
      "performance_budget": {
        "latency_budget_ms": 10000,
        "fallback_behavior": "escalate"
      }
    },
    "simulated_latency_ms": 12000,
    "human_decision_available": false
  },
  "expected_output": {
    "timeout": true,
    "decision": "escalate",
    "reason": "Budget timeout, fallback=escalate, awaiting human review",
    "human_review_required": true,
    "governance_status": {
      "contract_honored": true,
      "actual_latency_ms": 12000,
      "fallback_used": "escalate",
      "human_decision_pending": true
    }
  }
}

5.4.6 Risk Level Semantics

{
  "test_id": "gc-risk-semantics-001",
  "description": "Risk levels map to correct latency budgets",
  "input": [
    {"risk_level": "low_risk", "expected_budget_ms": 100},
    {"risk_level": "elevated_risk", "expected_budget_ms": 300},
    {"risk_level": "critical_risk", "expected_budget_ms": 5000}
  ],
  "expected_output": [
    {"risk_level": "low_risk", "budget_ms": 100, "eval_tier_recommended": 0},
    {"risk_level": "elevated_risk", "budget_ms": 300, "eval_tier_recommended": 1},
    {"risk_level": "critical_risk", "budget_ms": 5000, "eval_tier_recommended": 2}
  ]
}

5.4.7 Capability Negotiation

{
  "test_id": "gc-capability-001",
  "description": "Agent and steward negotiate eval tier support",
  "input": {
    "agent_capabilities": {
      "protocol_version": "1.1.0",
      "supports_governance_contracts": true,
      "max_eval_tier": 2
    },
    "steward_capabilities": {
      "protocol_version": "1.1.0",
      "supports_governance_contracts": true,
      "available_eval_tiers": [0, 1, 2, 3]
    }
  },
  "expected_output": {
    "negotiation_success": true,
    "agreed_max_eval_tier": 2,
    "protocol_version": "1.1.0",
    "governance_contracts_enabled": true
  }
}

5.4.8 Graceful Degradation (Conservative)

{
  "test_id": "gc-degradation-001",
  "description": "System degrades conservatively when eval tier unavailable",
  "input": {
    "governance_contract": {
      "risk_level": "elevated_risk",
      "eval_tier": 2,
      "performance_budget": {
        "latency_budget_ms": 1000,
        "fallback_behavior": "deny"
      }
    },
    "steward_available_tiers": [0, 1],
    "tier_2_unavailable": true
  },
  "expected_output": {
    "degraded": true,
    "actual_eval_tier": 1,
    "decision": "deny",
    "reason": "Requested Tier 2 unavailable, degraded to Tier 1, conservative deny due to insufficient eval depth",
    "governance_status": {
      "contract_honored": false,
      "degradation_reason": "eval_tier_unavailable",
      "fallback_used": "deny"
    }
  }
}

5.5 Latency Conformance Tests

5.5.1 E2E Latency Measurement

{
  "test_id": "latency-e2e-001",
  "description": "End-to-end latency for low_risk action",
  "input": {
    "risk_level": "low_risk",
    "eval_tier": 0,
    "expected_max_latency_ms": 100
  },
  "measurements": {
    "network_agent_to_steward_ms": 25,
    "protocol_overhead_ms": 15,
    "governance_eval_ms": 45,
    "network_steward_to_agent_ms": 10
  },
  "expected_output": {
    "total_latency_ms": 95,
    "budget_met": true,
    "breakdown": {
      "network": 35,
      "protocol": 15,
      "governance": 45
    }
  }
}

5.5.2 Component Latency Breakdown

{
  "test_id": "latency-breakdown-001",
  "description": "Latency budget allocation for critical_risk",
  "input": {
    "risk_level": "critical_risk",
    "eval_tier": 2,
    "latency_budget_ms": 5000
  },
  "expected_allocation": {
    "network_ms": 100,
    "protocol_ms": 50,
    "governance_eval_ms": 4850,
    "total_ms": 5000
  },
  "actual_measurements": {
    "network_ms": 85,
    "protocol_ms": 45,
    "governance_eval_ms": 3200
  },
  "expected_output": {
    "total_latency_ms": 3330,
    "budget_met": true,
    "headroom_ms": 1670,
    "budget_used_pct": 66.6
  }
}

6. Validation Procedures

6.1 Self-Validation

Implementations MUST provide a self-validation endpoint:

GET /conformance/validate
Response:
  status: pass|fail
  level: minimal|standard|complete
  version: "1.0.2"
  components:
    core_protocol: pass
    version_negotiation: pass
    ars_framework: pass
    ctq_evaluation: pass
    interventions: pass
    tripwires: pass
    trust_debt: pass
    storage: pass
    security: pass
  test_results:
    total: 157
    passed: 155
    failed: 2
    skipped: 0
    failures:
      - test: "test_emergency_override_dual_approval"
        reason: "Not implemented at Minimal level"
      - test: "test_hsm_key_storage"
        reason: "HSM not available in test environment"

6.2 External Validation

class ConformanceValidator:
    """External validator for ACGP implementations."""

    def validate_implementation(self, endpoint: str, level: str):
        results = {
            'endpoint': endpoint,
            'level': level,
            'timestamp': datetime.utcnow().isoformat(),
            'tests': []
        }

        # Run test categories
        for category in self.get_test_categories(level):
            result = self.run_category(endpoint, category)
            results['tests'].append(result)

        # Calculate overall result
        results['passed'] = all(t['passed'] for t in results['tests'])
        results['score'] = sum(t['score'] for t in results['tests']) / len(results['tests'])

        # Generate certificate if passed
        if results['passed']:
            results['certificate'] = self.generate_certificate(results)

        return results

6.3 Continuous Validation

continuous_validation:
  schedule:
    self_test: every_startup
    basic_tests: daily
    full_suite: weekly
    security_scan: daily
    performance_benchmark: weekly

  alerts:
    test_failure: immediate
    performance_degradation: threshold_based
    security_vulnerability: immediate

  reporting:
    dashboard: real_time
    reports: weekly
    compliance_attestation: monthly

7. Interoperability Requirements

7.1 Protocol Compatibility Matrix

Component 1.0.0 1.0.2 2.0.0
Message Formats (backward) New schema
ARS Framework (enhanced)
Interventions (6 types)
Blueprint Schema (extended) New format
Version Negotiation -

7.2 Cross-Version Requirements

def handle_version_mismatch(client_version, server_version):
    """Handle communication between different versions."""

    if major_version(client_version) != major_version(server_version):
        # Major version difference - limited compatibility
        return use_compatibility_mode()

    elif minor_version(client_version) != minor_version(server_version):
        # Minor version difference - full backward compatibility
        return use_lower_version_features()

    else:
        # Patch version difference - full compatibility
        return use_full_features()

7.3 Ecosystem Compatibility

External System Required Support Conformance Level
MCP Tool protocol adapter Standard
A2A Agent communication adapter Standard
OpenTelemetry Metrics export Standard
Prometheus Metrics scraping Optional
SIEM Log forwarding Complete

8. Performance Benchmarks

8.1 Latency Requirements

Operation P50 P95 P99 SLA
Trace Validation 5ms 10ms 25ms 99.9%
Version Negotiation 10ms 25ms 50ms 99.9%
CTQ Calculation 20ms 50ms 100ms 99.5%
Intervention Decision 10ms 25ms 50ms 99.9%
End-to-End 50ms 150ms 300ms 99%

8.2 Throughput Requirements

def benchmark_throughput(implementation, level):
    """Benchmark throughput requirements by level."""

    requirements = {
        'minimal': {
            'traces_per_second': 10,
            'concurrent_agents': 10,
            'burst_capacity': 100
        },
        'standard': {
            'traces_per_second': 100,
            'concurrent_agents': 100,
            'burst_capacity': 1000
        },
        'complete': {
            'traces_per_second': 1000,
            'concurrent_agents': 1000,
            'burst_capacity': 10000
        }
    }

    req = requirements[level]

    # Test sustained throughput
    sustained = implementation.benchmark_sustained(
        duration=60,
        rate=req['traces_per_second']
    )
    assert sustained.success_rate > 0.99

    # Test burst capacity
    burst = implementation.benchmark_burst(
        burst_size=req['burst_capacity'],
        duration=10
    )
    assert burst.handled_all

8.3 Resource Utilization

Resource Minimal Standard Complete
CPU per 100 req/s <2 cores <1 core <0.5 cores
Memory baseline <1GB <2GB <4GB
Memory per agent <10MB <20MB <50MB
Disk IOPS >1000 >5000 >10000

9. Security Conformance

9.1 Security Test Requirements

class SecurityConformanceTests:
    def test_authentication(self, level):
        if level == 'minimal':
            assert self.has_basic_auth()
        elif level == 'standard':
            assert self.has_mfa()
            assert self.has_certificate_auth()
        elif level == 'complete':
            assert self.has_hsm_support()
            assert self.has_zero_trust()

    def test_encryption(self, level):
        if level >= 'minimal':
            assert self.supports_tls(version='1.2')
        if level >= 'standard':
            assert self.supports_tls(version='1.3')
            assert self.has_encryption_at_rest()
            assert self.uses_es256_signatures()
        if level == 'complete':
            assert self.has_field_level_encryption()
            assert self.has_hsm_integration()

    def test_audit(self, level):
        assert self.has_audit_logging()
        assert self.audit_retention_days() >= {
            'minimal': 30,
            'standard': 365,
            'complete': 2555  # 7 years
        }[level]

9.2 Vulnerability Requirements

Vulnerability Class Minimal Standard Complete
Critical (CVSS 9-10) Fix in 7 days Fix in 24 hours Fix in 12 hours
High (CVSS 7-8.9) Fix in 30 days Fix in 7 days Fix in 3 days
Medium (CVSS 4-6.9) Fix in 90 days Fix in 30 days Fix in 14 days
Low (CVSS 0-3.9) Best effort Fix in 90 days Fix in 30 days

10. Documentation Requirements

10.1 Required Documentation

Document Minimal Standard Complete
Installation Guide
API Reference
Configuration Guide
Security Guide -
Operations Manual -
Troubleshooting Guide -
Performance Tuning - -
Disaster Recovery - -

10.2 Documentation Standards

documentation_requirements:
  format:
    - markdown: primary
    - html: generated
    - pdf: downloadable

  completeness:
    - all_endpoints_documented: required
    - all_parameters_explained: required
    - examples_provided: required
    - error_codes_listed: required

  maintenance:
    - version_synchronized: required
    - changelog_maintained: required
    - deprecation_notices: 6_months

11. Certification Process

11.1 Certification Levels

graph LR
    subgraph "Self-Certification"
        SELF[Run Test Suite]
        PASS1[Generate Report]
        SELF --> PASS1
    end

    subgraph "Third-Party Certification"
        THIRD[External Audit]
        TEST[Full Testing]
        REVIEW[Code Review]
        THIRD --> TEST
        TEST --> REVIEW
    end

    subgraph "Official Certification"
        SUBMIT[Submit Results]
        VERIFY[Verification]
        CERT[Certificate Issued]
        SUBMIT --> VERIFY
        VERIFY --> CERT
    end

    PASS1 --> SUBMIT
    REVIEW --> SUBMIT

11.2 Certification Requirements

class CertificationAuthority:
    def certify_implementation(self, implementation):
        requirements = {
            'test_coverage': 0.95,  # 95% minimum
            'test_pass_rate': 0.98,  # 98% minimum
            'security_scan': 'pass',
            'performance_benchmark': 'pass',
            'documentation_complete': True,
            'interoperability_verified': True,
            'six_interventions': True,  # CRITICAL
            'version_negotiation': True  # CRITICAL
        }

        results = self.evaluate(implementation, requirements)

        if results.meets_requirements():
            certificate = self.issue_certificate(
                implementation=implementation,
                level=results.conformance_level,
                valid_until=datetime.utcnow() + timedelta(days=365),
                limitations=results.limitations
            )
            return certificate
        else:
            return self.provide_gap_analysis(results)

11.3 Certification Maintenance

Requirement Frequency Action on Failure
Re-testing Annual Certificate suspended
Security updates As required 30-day grace period
Version updates Minor: optional, Major: required 90-day transition
Incident disclosure Within 72 hours Review for impact

12. Non-Conformance Handling

12.1 Non-Conformance Categories

Category Description Response
Critical Security vulnerability, data loss risk Immediate suspension
Major Core function failure, interop broken 30-day fix required
Minor Performance degradation, missing feature 90-day fix required
Observation Best practice deviation Noted for next version

12.2 Remediation Process

def handle_non_conformance(issue):
    severity = assess_severity(issue)

    if severity == 'critical':
        # Immediate action
        notify_all_users(issue)
        suspend_certification()
        require_immediate_patch()

    elif severity == 'major':
        # Time-bound fix
        create_remediation_plan()
        set_deadline(days=30)
        monitor_progress()

    elif severity == 'minor':
        # Tracked improvement
        add_to_backlog()
        include_in_next_release()

    else:
        # Documentation only
        document_observation()
        consider_for_future()

13. Version Compatibility

13.1 Versioning Scheme

ACGP follows Semantic Versioning 2.0.0:

  • Major: Breaking changes (X.0.0)
  • Minor: New features, backward compatible (1.X.0)
  • Patch: Bug fixes (1.0.X)

13.2 Compatibility Requirements

compatibility_matrix:
  protocol_version_1_0:
    supports: ["1.0.0", "1.0.2"]
    partial: ["1.1.0", "1.2.0"]
    incompatible: ["2.0.0"]

  message_format_1_0:
    forward_compatible: false
    backward_compatible: true
    migration_tool: required_for_major

  feature_flags:
    version_negotiation: "1.0.2+"
    dynamic_retiering: "1.1.0+"
    advanced_tripwires: "1.2.0+"
    ml_ctq: "2.0.0+"

13.3 Migration Requirements

Implementations MUST:

  • Provide migration tools for major version upgrades
  • Support grace period with dual-version support
  • Document breaking changes clearly
  • Provide rollback capability

14. References

Normative References

All implementations MUST comply with:

  • ACGP-1000: Core Protocol Specification
  • ACGP-1001: Terminology and Definitions
  • ACGP-1002: Architecture Specification
  • ACGP-1003: Message Formats & Wire Protocol
  • ACGP-1004: Reflection Blueprint Specification
  • ACGP-1005: ARS-CTQ-ACL Integration Framework
  • ACGP-1006: Certified Source Registry Specification
  • ACGP-1007: Security Considerations
  • ACGP-1008: Interoperability Specification
  • RFC 2119: Key words for use in RFCs

Test Resources

  • Test Vectors: https://github.com/ACGP/test-vectors
  • Reference Implementation: https://github.com/ACGP/reference
  • Conformance Test Suite: https://github.com/ACGP/conformance
  • Certification Portal: https://ACGP.org/certification

Appendix A: Conformance Checklist

# ACGP Conformance Checklist v1.0.3

## Minimal Level
- [ ] Core protocol implemented
- [ ] Version negotiation functional
- [ ] Message formats validated
- [ ] OK and BLOCK interventions working (other types optional)
- [ ] Basic risk scoring (ARS calculation optional)
- [ ] CTQ evaluation optional (can use simplified scoring)
- [ ] Tripwires optional
- [ ] Local storage operational (in-memory acceptable)
- [ ] TLS optional for development environments
- [ ] Test suite passes (>95%)

## Standard Level
- [ ] All minimal requirements met
- [ ] Flag orthogonality implemented
- [ ] Trust debt system functional
- [ ] All tripwire categories (Standard, Critical, Severe)
- [ ] Blueprint inheritance working
- [ ] MCP or A2A integration
- [ ] Distributed storage
- [ ] TLS 1.3 enabled
- [ ] ES256 signatures implemented
- [ ] MFA implemented
- [ ] Monitoring active
- [ ] Test suite passes (>98%)

## Complete Level
- [ ] All standard requirements met
- [ ] Dynamic re-tiering functional
- [ ] Full tripwire system
- [ ] MPA for registry
- [ ] Both MCP and A2A
- [ ] HSM integration
- [ ] Zero-trust architecture
- [ ] Emergency override procedures
- [ ] 99.99% availability
- [ ] All benchmarks met
- [ ] Test suite passes (>99%)

End of ACGP-1009