DECLARATION_OF_DEPENDENCE.md

Declaration of Dependence

This system depends on Echo Memory Governor for responsibility.

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What This Means

stop-first-rag is structurally dependent on Echo Memory Governor.

This is not a technical dependency. This is an ethical and architectural dependency.

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The Dependence

stop-first-rag depends on Echo Memory Governor for:

1. Snapshot-based context — RAG uses snapshots (NOT raw database queries)
2. Pending exclusion — Snapshots constitutionally filter pending items
3. Evidence citation — Every RAG result references snapshot lineage
4. No vector scoring — Context selection based on snapshot membership, not similarity

Removing this dependency invalidates accountability claims.

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What Breaks If Governor Is Removed

Without Echo Memory Governor:

❌ RAG context becomes untraced — No snapshot references ❌ Pending items leak into context — No constitutional exclusion ❌ Vector scores return — No snapshot-based selection ❌ Evidence becomes unverifiable — No lineage tracking

stop-first-rag becomes just another RAG system.

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Why This Is a Declaration

This is not a README dependency note. This is a constitutional declaration.

If you:

• Query memory directly (bypass snapshots)
• Include pending items in context
• Add vector similarity ranking
• Remove snapshot lineage references

You are no longer running stop-first-rag.

You are running something else.

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What "Dependence" Means

Technical Dependence (Normal)

• Library imports
• API calls
• Data formats

Constitutional Dependence (This)

• Evidence structure
• Pending exclusion
• Lineage requirement

stop-first-rag's claim to cite evidence depends on governor.

Remove governor → Remove evidence claim.

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Integration Points

stop-first-rag depends on:

1. Snapshot-based context — RAG reads from snapshots only
2. Pending exclusion — Snapshots filter pending automatically
3. Lineage metadata — Every RAG result includes parent chain
4. Audit views — Evidence traced to approval events
5. No scoring — Context selected by snapshot membership, not similarity

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What This Proves

This declaration proves:

1. RAG can cite evidence — Without hidden scoring
2. Context can be traced — Via snapshot lineage
3. Pending cannot leak — Snapshots constitutionally exclude it

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For Forks and Derivatives

If you fork stop-first-rag:

✅ You MAY

• Improve RAG algorithms
• Add new retrieval strategies
• Optimize query performance
• Change ranking methods (within snapshot)

❌ You MAY NOT (and still claim evidence)

• Query memory directly (bypass snapshots)
• Include pending items in context
• Remove snapshot lineage references
• Hide context sources

If you remove the dependency:

• Do not claim this cites evidence
• Do not use the stop-first name
• Do not reference this constitution

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Evidence Is External

stop-first-rag does NOT:

• Generate its own context without snapshots
• Decide what memory is approved
• Hide context sources

stop-first-rag DEPENDS on external systems:

• Echo Memory Governor for snapshot structure
• Pending exclusion for isolation
• Audit views for lineage tracking

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Final Statement

This system depends on Echo Memory Governor for responsibility.

Not for convenience. Not for features. For the ability to claim RAG results cite evidence, not hidden scores.

Removing this dependency invalidates accountability claims.

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Declared: 2026-01-11

Repository: stop-first-rag

Constitution: Echo Judgment Constitution v1.0

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🤖 Generated with Claude Code

Co-Authored-By: Claude noreply@anthropic.com