FRAME Specification v1.0
A Frame is the smallest accountable unit of human declaration in a digital system. It binds identity, intent, and time into a verifiable record that can be checked across systems.
FRAME preserves declared origin without requiring content arbitration.
Canonical elements
Every Frame must contain the following canonical elements.
Event
A discrete occurrence or declaration state within the protocol. Must define a unique type and schema identifier.
Author
The cryptographic identity responsible for the declaration. Must be tied to a validated cryptographic key pair.
Time
A verified temporal anchor for ordering and expiration. Should use Unix epoch timestamp format or an equivalent implementation-defined standard.
Intent
The explicit purpose or functional logic of the Frame. Must be defined in human-readable plaintext.
Value
The core data payload being declared or attested. Must conform to the declared type schema.
Signature
Cryptographic proof binding the author to the Frame content. Must use the approved signature model for the implementation.
Normative requirements
A conforming FRAME implementation should satisfy the following requirements.
Unique identifier binding
Each Frame must have a stable identifier that binds the declaration to its canonical record.
Schema-defined structure
Each Frame must conform to a declared schema or type model so its contents can be interpreted consistently.
Author-controlled signing
Each Frame must be signed by the author or authorized declarant using an approved cryptographic method.
Temporal anchoring
Each Frame must include a verifiable time reference sufficient for ordering, lookup, or expiration logic.
Verifiability
A compatible verifier must be able to check the integrity of the Frame and the validity of its declared origin.
Archival durability
A Frame should remain inspectable and recoverable across infrastructure changes, storage environments, and compatible implementations.
Protocol boundary
FRAME records declarations. It does not arbitrate, rank, or evaluate content.
Its role is to preserve accountable origin, not to determine truth, value, or meaning.
Rationale
FRAME establishes a verification boundary for digital declarations by binding identity, intent, and time into tamper-evident records. Its purpose is to preserve accountable human origin across changing systems, workflows, and platforms.
Version status
This page describes FRAME Specification v1.0 as the current public version. Companion Layer in Force: FLL-001 (Resonance Layer) is ratified as a companion layer built on verified human reality. It does not alter the constitutional core of FRAME; it extends how verified Frame patterns may be interpreted and surfaced. Future revisions should remain backward-legible wherever possible and be documented through transparent versioning.