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Terminology
Start with scope
Confirm the document uses the canonical terms consistently, stays inside its intended layer, and does not silently take on responsibilities owned by a sibling standard.
Cuddler Standards System
Standards
Explore the Cuddler standards system: the Specification Root, the peer review process, the implementation process, and the public standards surfaces it governs.
Why the Specification Root matters
The Specification Root gives Cuddler one explicit topmost node for the standards hierarchy. That matters because every subordinate specification can inherit from one known canonical starting point instead of redefining the hierarchy ad hoc.
It anchors a stricter publication discipline: stable canonical URLs, explicit document metadata, structured section summaries, and a repeatable execution model for implementers, reviewers, validators, and AI systems.
- Hierarchy clarity: every subordinate specification descends from one visible canonical root.
- Validation clarity: reviewers and tools can start from one top-level contract instead of guessing which document defines the publication model.
- Implementation clarity: public pages, JSON artifacts, and discovery files can all point back to the same governing root.
The hierarchy starts at one canonical root. From there, the Domain Specification classifies the domain, the Artifact Specification governs authoring rules, the Artifact Definition defines the specific artifact type, and the Artifact Document is the concrete implementation.
Topmost canonical node
Specification Root
Defines the publication hierarchy that all subordinate specification documents descend from.
Domain classification layer
Domain Specification
Classifies the artifact domain and sets the governing domain-level rules.
Shared authoring layer
Artifact Specification
Defines the common authoring, conformance, metadata, and publication requirements.
Specific artifact definition layer
Artifact Definition
Defines one concrete artifact type that must satisfy both the governing Domain Specification and the shared Artifact Specification.
Concrete implementation layer
Artifact Document
Implements one specific Artifact Definition as a real document, record, workflow, or other concrete artifact.
In practice, a valid Artifact Definition sits where the domain-specific rules and the shared authoring rules meet, and a valid Artifact Document implements that definition without contradiction.
Cuddler Standards showcase
The public standards surface works as a layered system. Start with the Specification Root, then move into the Domain Specification, the Cuddler Artifact Specification, and the Artifact Definitions that define concrete artifact types for implementation.
Topmost node
Specification Root
Read the canonical top-level node that anchors the publication contract for subordinate specification surfaces.
Open Specification Root Domain classification Domain SpecificationRead the governing domain contracts for data, report, and workflow artifacts.
Open Domain Specification Shared authoring rule set Cuddler Artifact SpecificationSee the normative authoring, conformance, metadata, attribution, and publication rules for public Artifact Definitions.
Open Cuddler Artifact Specification Specific artifact definitions Artifact DefinitionsBrowse concrete artifact-type definitions with aligned schema and example bundles.
Browse Artifact DefinitionsCuddler Standards peer review process
Each public standard should be readable as policy, reviewable as an implementation contract, and strict enough to validate mechanically. The peer review process exists to keep those three qualities aligned.
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Normative
Then test clarity
Check requirement statements, conformance rules, and publication requirements for ambiguity. If a sentence cannot guide an implementer or validator clearly, it is not ready.
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Validation
Verify the evidence
Verify that machine-readable sources, support artifacts, and canonical URLs all align with the prose contract and can be validated without private context.
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Readiness
Publish responsibly
Confirm attribution, copyright, public URL references, and release framing are present so third parties can implement the public standard responsibly.
Cuddler Standards implementation process
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Author
Start at the source
Start from the versioned JSON publication source. Required metadata, section summaries, and references belong in the canonical document first, not only in the page wrapper.
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Validate
Check the contract
Use the Specification Root to verify structure, then validate supporting artifacts and examples so the published surface remains internally coherent.
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Publish
Respect the hierarchy
Make sure the Domain Specification classifies the domain, the Artifact Specification governs Artifact Definitions, Artifact Definitions define concrete artifact types, and Artifact Documents implement them consistently.
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Sync
Ship as one surface
Ship the human-readable page, the machine-readable JSON, discovery files, and validator rules together so AI systems and implementers see the same contract.
