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Appendix — Status labels

Brief definitions for exposure and documentation status labels used across the Docs v3 handbook and DOCUMENTATION-EXPOSURE-MATRIX.md.

STABLE

Meaning: Shipped, reachable in default or documented configurations, and the handbook treatment reflects current code behavior.

Use when: Core MCP tools, honesty contract, acquisition ladder, token budget, receipts, verification, exposure model, operator install/connect/doctor paths, and other always-on product surfaces.

Does not imply: Truth/origin/identity guarantees, GA npm install, cosign-verified supply chain, or that every edge case has a runtime CHECK.

LIMITED

Meaning: Shipped and reachable, but with named ceilings, asymmetric surfaces, or incomplete env coverage that must appear in the same section as the feature name.

Use when:

  • MCP vs CLI verify asymmetry (manifest CLI-only; live MCP-only).
  • Session tier matrix (probe/map/heal/extract reach different session depth).
  • Managed acquisition (third-party egress; not a backend_policy value).
  • OCCAM_RECEIPTS=off (signing policy incomplete — key mint and playbook save still sign).
  • Claims/attest vocabulary (retrieval and heuristics, not proof).
  • Playbook v1 signatures (gate fields unsigned; v2 improves integrity scope only).

Synonym in matrix: Often overlaps PUBLIC_ADVANCED or OPERATOR with explicit honesty paragraphs.

EXPERIMENTAL

Meaning: Opt-in via env flag or explicit parameter; behavior and retention known to have gaps; not part of default tools/list.

Use when:

  • OCCAM_WATCH_MCP / occam_watch
  • OCCAM_BATCH_MCP / batch tools and related BatchServer mode
  • OCCAM_CONSENSUS_MCP / occam_crosscheck (multi-source comparison only — never consensus proof)
  • OCCAM_ATLAS_MCP / occam_failure_atlas
  • cache_ttl_s response cache
  • Managed provider backends when enabled
  • npm ff-occam with lower-level @ff-occam/mcp runtime (public experimental RC; not the guarded GA path)

Rule: State the env gate and honesty limits in the same paragraph as the tool or feature name.

INTERNAL

Meaning: Mechanism exists in the shipped binary or repo but is not a user-facing product capability page — maintainer, contributor, or handbook-only depth.

Use when:

  • Architecture internals (Chapter 26)
  • Dead-but-shipped types and unreachable code paths
  • Falsification protocol (Chapter 27)
  • Engineering audit artifacts under docs-audit/
  • Cosign release .bundle — required only when signaturePolicy=required-cosign-v1 (published 1.0.0-rc.3+); legacy 1.0.0-rc.2 remains SHA-256-only; authenticity ≠ page truth
  • Gate markers, PB codenames, and maintainer runbooks

Rule: May appear in handbook pessimism; do not headline in public task guides as product features.

Quick reference table

Label Default visible? Trust claims allowed? Example
STABLE Yes (core path) Integrity-only, with forbidden-claims list occam_transcode, honesty contract
LIMITED Yes, with caveats Same, plus surface asymmetry called out CLI manifest verify, session tiers
EXPERIMENTAL No — env/param gate Limits-first; no consensus proof watch, batch, crosscheck
INTERNAL Handbook / engineering N/A — not product marketing dead register, audit ledgers

The handbook status labels map to family-level classes in DOCUMENTATION-EXPOSURE-MATRIX.md:

Matrix class Handbook label (typical)
PUBLIC_CORE STABLE
PUBLIC_ADVANCED STABLE or LIMITED
OPERATOR STABLE (operator-first)
EXPERIMENTAL EXPERIMENTAL
DO_NOT_DOCUMENT_AS_FEATURE INTERNAL or LIMITED warning only
REFERENCE_ONLY STABLE in reference docs

When labels disagree, the honesty schema (docs-audit/HONESTY-SCHEMA-MAP.md) and owner decisions (docs-audit/OWNER-DECISIONS.md) override promotional naming.