CFSE Specification

Version: 1.0.0 Status: Stable

Overview#

This directory contains the normative specification for Concept Flow Scenarios Explorations (CFSE)—a formal methodology for security epistemology.

CFSE provides an artifact protocol and workflow for building a world model of a system, stating security properties as invariants, and validating hypotheses with evidence-linked explorations.

If you’re new, start with ../guides/foundations/introduction.md and foundations/artifact-system.md.

Structure#

Directory	Content	Purpose
foundations/	Core framework rules	Artifact pipeline, conformance, extensions
grammar/	Syntax rules	ID patterns, reference syntax, formal logic
artifacts/	Artifact definitions	Schema + prose for each artifact type
semantics/	Interpretation rules	States, verdicts, traceability

Normative Language#

This specification uses RFC-style keywords (RFC 2119 + RFC 8174) when, and only when, they appear in all capitals:

Term	Meaning
MUST	Absolute requirement
MUST NOT	Absolute prohibition
SHOULD	Default unless good reason to deviate
SHOULD NOT	Discouraged unless good reason to deviate
MAY	Truly optional

Conformance#

See foundations/conformance.md for conformance levels.

Versioning#

This spec follows Semantic Versioning. See changelog.md.

Extensions (Optional)#

CFSE supports opt-in extensions to add workflows and artifact types without bloating the core spec.

• Extension rules: foundations/extensions.md
• See ../extensions/README.md for extension packaging notes.

Proposals#

Draft proposals (RFCs) live at the repository root in rfcs/. These documents are not yet normative; they exist to capture problems, analysis, and proposed spec changes before being incorporated into core sections.

• Start here: ../rfcs/PROPOSALS.md