LicenseDomain Specification, the Artifact Specification, and Artifact Definitions are open source. Use, implementation, adaptation, and modification are permitted provided attribution is preserved and the public URL of the original source document is referenced.
Abstract
The Specification Root is the topmost canonical node in the Cuddler specification hierarchy. It anchors the publication contract from which Domain Specifications descend and gives the hierarchy one stable root for validation, review, and implementation.
The Specification Root is the topmost canonical node in the Cuddler specification hierarchy from which all subordinate specification nodes descend.
In practice, it gives the public standards system one stable root contract for Domain Specification publication. Domain Specifications descend from that root, the Cuddler Artifact Specification governs Artifact Definition authoring across domains, Artifact Definitions define the concrete artifact types that implementations use, and Artifact Documents are the concrete outputs those definitions govern.
Why it matters
The Specification Root keeps the hierarchy explicit. Instead of treating each Domain Specification as if it defines its own publication model from scratch, Cuddler uses one root node to anchor the shared publication contract, validation expectations, and release framing that all subordinate Domain Specification inherit.
That makes the standards system easier to review, easier to publish consistently, and easier for AI systems and validators to consume without guessing where the hierarchy starts.
Treat the Specification Root as the topmost canonical node for the public specification hierarchy.
Use the canonical JSON artifact when validating published Domain Specification documents.
Follow the Specification Root first, then the governing Domain Specification, then the Cuddler Artifact Specification, then the specific Artifact Definition, and finally the Artifact Document when the implementation task requires the full hierarchy.
