# Scope Over Folders Epistemic scope is an attribute of a claim, not a property of its storage location. Where a statement is stored (filesystem path, repo, branch) is an implementation detail. Meaning, applicability, and lifecycle must be explicitly declared and mechanically enforceable. ## Foundational assumptions This principle rests on: - `https://klappy.dev/page/canon/constraints/humans-are-variable-inputs` - `https://klappy.dev/page/canon/principles/ritual-is-a-smell` This principle extends those foundations by identifying path-based meaning as a primary source of ritual and drift. ## What counts as scope-over-folders Scope-over-folders is present when: - scope is declared as metadata on each claim (e.g., `global`, `product:`, `experiment:`) - scope is queryable, filterable, and portable across repo topologies - "lanes" exist as views or filters surfaced by tooling, not ontological truth - promotion changes scope/status metadata, not file location ## What does NOT count as scope-over-folders Scope-over-folders is violated when: - scope is inferred from folder depth or naming conventions - directories are treated as semantic containers of truth - branch names or paths imply lifecycle state - files are moved to indicate promotion, ratification, or survivability ## Required response when violated When scope is inferred from location: 1. Treat the system state as epistemically invalid 2. Record a drift signal 3. Refactor to explicit scope metadata 4. Add tooling guardrails to prevent recurrence ## Design target A system satisfies this principle when: - oddkit can reconstruct scope and relevance without reading filesystem topology - the same repository can be reorganized without semantic drift ## Relationship This principle builds on: - `https://klappy.dev/page/canon/constraints/humans-are-variable-inputs` - `https://klappy.dev/page/canon/principles/ritual-is-a-smell` and is enforced by the constraint: - `https://klappy.dev/page/canon/constraints/meaning-must-not-depend-on-path` ## One-liner If meaning depends on where a line is stored, you've encoded ritual, not truth.