WAI0-Shepherd-R1.txt
Witchborn Systems Standards Archive
October 2025

Title: Shepherd Write-Up for RFC-WAI0-001-R1 — Web AI.0 Specification (Proposed Standard)
Author: Brandon “Dimentox” Travanti Husbands
Organization: Witchborn Systems — Nonprofit AI Authority (EIN 39-4322774)
Contact: info@witchbornsystems.org | +1 713-575-4432

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Executive Summary of RFC-WAI0-001-R1’s Technical Maturity
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The Web AI.0 Specification — Revision 1 (RFC-WAI0-001-R1) represents a
fully implementable Proposed Standard defining the open, explainable,
and user-sovereign application layer for artificial intelligence on the
web.  

This revision resolves earlier concerns on scalability, transparency,
and governance efficiency through concrete mechanisms in three core
areas: explainability, context-graph management, and audit control.

Key enhancements include:

1. **Reason Path Specification (RPS)**  
   Introduces a structured JSON schema for every AI inference, defining
   `goal`, `steps`, `evidence`, `confidence`, and `summary`.  
   This ensures each system response can be traced, audited, and
   presented in plain-language form for public understanding.

2. **Context Graph (CXG) Scalability**  
   Establishes caching headers `cxg.ttl` and `cxg.delta`, CBOR
   compression, and IndexedDB persistence to handle dynamic data without
   overloading the browser or network.

3. **Governance and Audit Efficiency**  
   Defines a canonical `event_log` schema, mandates zstd/Brotli
   compression, and allows distributed auditing through signed Merkle
   summaries, maintaining integrity while reducing storage overhead.

These features collectively make Web AI.0 a practical framework for
real-world deployment—combining explainable AI, ethical compute, and
public accountability under nonprofit oversight.

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Rationale for Advancement to Proposed Standard
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RFC-WAI0-001-R1 qualifies for Proposed Standard status based on:

1. **Completeness** — All architectural layers (L0 through L4) and core
   components (AIM, CXG, GOV) are fully specified with interoperable
   implementation details including protocol headers, data formats, and
   audit flows.

2. **Feasibility** — Relies solely on existing open protocols
   (HTTP/S, WebSocket, WebAssembly, DID/OIDC), enabling immediate
   deployment on current infrastructure.

3. **Ethical Governance** — Grounded in Witchborn Systems’ nonprofit
   charter, enforcing transparency, open access, and public benefit.

4. **Operational Scalability** — Provisions for caching, compression,
   and log federation ensure that governance mechanisms remain
   sustainable at internet scale.

The advancement confirms that Web AI.0 is stable, technically mature,
and ethically aligned for public reference, grant filings, and open
implementation.

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Endorsement Statement
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As the issuing authority and registrar, Witchborn Systems formally
endorses RFC-WAI0-001-R1 as a Proposed Standard. This revision meets
the necessary technical rigor and ethical criteria to serve as the
foundation for the Web AI.0 application layer.  
Organizations and researchers are invited to implement the
specification and submit feedback or errata to  
**rfc@witchbornsystems.org**.

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Full Review Commentary (Appended)
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The detailed peer-review concluded that RFC-WAI0-001-R1 transforms
Web AI.0 from concept to executable standard by addressing three
previously unresolved challenges:

• **Explainability** — RPS creates a verifiable, human-readable audit
trail for every AI decision.  
• **Scalability** — CXG caching and delta synchronization maintain
responsiveness across complex sites.  
• **Governance Load** — Merkle-based audit distribution allows
nonprofits to host sustainable verification nodes.

The review further noted that positioning the standard under a
501(c)(3) nonprofit ensures independence from commercial bias and
anchors the ethics of AI governance in public service.

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Signature
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Brandon “Dimentox” Travanti Husbands  
Founder & Flamekeeper, Witchborn Systems — Research & Ethics  
October 2025