In plain terms: A source is something that comes in (a rule, a drawing, a
prior vessel’s records). A decision is something the system reasons out from
those sources. Forge keeps them in separate places on purpose.
Sources: what comes in
A is any input: rules, drawings, datasheets, prior vessel records. Two things are always true of a source:- It is immutable once ingested. Once a source is in the system, it is locked. It is never quietly edited.
- It carries its version, authority, and provenance. The system always knows which version of a rule this is, how much weight it carries, and exactly where it came from.
Decisions: what gets reasoned out
A decision is what the system concludes from sources: which rule applies, what evidence supports it, what design choice was made, what it replaced. Decisions are first-class objects. They live in the with their own structure, their own life cycle, and their own . And critically, a decision is replayable: given the same sources at the same versions, the same decision should be reconstructable from scratch.Three trust levels for sources
Not every source carries the same weight. Every source in the registry is tagged with one of three trust levels:| Trust level | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Authority | Binding for this jurisdiction or scope | ABS Rules, USCG CFR sections, yard standards within their domain |
| Evidence | Non-binding precedent | Prior vessel records, completed-build outcomes, inspection records |
| Reference | Informational only, never sufficient on its own | IACS or IMO documents when not applicable here, research datasets, vendor whitepapers |
The rule that ties it together
Every claim the system makes must cite its source. A claim that an ABS rule applies cites that ABS rule and its version. A claim about a measurement cites the measurement record. A claim about precedent cites the prior vessel record.Nothing the system says is ungrounded.That is what makes a decision defensible later: you can always trace it back to the exact sources, at the exact versions, that produced it.