Extension (x- prefix)

An extension is a value, field, profile, vector, composition or component added to a Proof Protocol specification at one of the named extension points, under an x-<org>-<name> identifier, declared before the first commitment. Extensions add; they never relax, and some rules can never be extended at all.

ProofJack Rating: Human 25% · AI 75% (self-estimated; PP-SPEC-079 AI_DISCLOSURE: the human asked for extension placement rules; Extension Policy proposed by Claude)

Also known as: Extension, x-, extension point, fork, promotion, Extension Policy

Mynted 2026-10-23 · Updated 2026-10-23

First used: PP-SPEC-079, Proof of Performance Engagement: The Coal Mine Protocol, 13 October 2026, by Craig Thomas Ellrod

Where extensions are allowed

Extension point	How
Integration Points	Implement the seam; declare it in the Interface Manifest; claim conformance per seam only
Technology Profiles	Publish under `x-<org>-<name>`; records compare only to each other
Enumeration values (provenance, environment class, regime, offense codes, effect types, verdict annotations)	`x-<org>-<value>`, recorded verbatim; breaks comparability on that axis until adopted
Record fields	Under one `extensions.<org>` object; never top level; outside the Record ID unless declared
Mine Plan compositions	A named, versioned composition at or above the minimums
Reference Environments	Published with a Component Fingerprint
Escape vectors	`x-` vectors added to the suite; ES-01 to ES-09 stay mandatory
Acceptance Profiles	A profile never changes a record, only whether a reader accepts it

What is not extensible

An “extension” to any of these is a fork and must be labeled a fork wherever it is named: the commitment formula, Merkle tags, order-seed derivation and reveal rule; outcome semantics, the Absence Ladder and closed accounting; the independence rules and the Provider-Run prohibition; Record ID construction and canonical form; the Conformance Level words; the booking co-signature and verdict definitions; registration before publication; and any rule that keeps labels, colors, swarms or schedules from a Provider before reveal.

The rules

Add, never relax. An extension never loosens a MUST, widens a permission, removes a required field, lowers a minimum or redefines a term.
Declare or it did not happen. Every extension in use is listed in the Interface or Engagement Manifest before the first commitment. An undeclared extension found in a record is a finding, and the record is not Registered.
Providers may add a sensor, a Warden, a profile or an escape vector. They never add an outcome, a verdict, a Conformance Level or any reason a canary should not count.
Promotion. An x- item that three independent Engagements have declared may be proposed for adoption through a specification revision published for public review, and the prefix is dropped.

Related terms

Sources

Proof of Performance Engagement: The Coal Mine Protocol (PP-SPEC-079)

Updated 2026-10-23