Obsolescence Management

Ensuring Stable, Trustworthy, and Evolvable Execution Across Time, Jurisdictions, and Policy Shifts

10.6.1 Why Clause Versioning Is Critical

In NSF, clauses are the executable logic of governance—they trigger actions in finance, infrastructure, migration, and disaster response.

But unlike static contracts, clauses:

• Depend on dynamic simulations

• Bind to evolving legal regimes and credential structures

• Must remain valid for decades (e.g., treaty clauses, DRF triggers)

• Must withstand rollback, deprecation, or forking without compromising integrity

Hence, NSF requires a canonical, cryptographically verifiable clause versioning and lifecycle model.

---

10.6.2 Clause Lifecycle Phases

Phase	Description
Draft	Created in sandbox with simulation, credential, and LTML bindings under DAO review
Certified	Passed simulation, legal, and governance audits; published in the Clause Commons
Active	Triggerable by valid credentials and simulation conditions; anchored in live registries
Deprecated	Replaced by newer versions or invalidated by DAO quorum vote
Forked	Cloned for new jurisdiction, policy scope, or simulation engine
Archived	Frozen in time for historical validation; execution disabled but audit trail preserved

---

10.6.3 Version Trees and Merkle Hashing

Each clause version is linked through:

• Merkle hash trees (verifiable lineage across forks and updates)

• Semantic version tags (e.g., Clause_ResettleFlood.v2.1)

• ZK-auditable changelogs (simulation inputs, DAO votes, and legal metadata)

• Clause UUIDs (immutable root identifiers)

Forks do not overwrite—they branch. Each branch carries:

• New simulation constraints

• Revised credential bindings

• Updated legal templates

• DAO-specific governance triggers

---

10.6.4 Obsolescence Management Framework

Obsolescence is not deletion. It is structured retirement.

Trigger	Action
Legal framework change	DAO initiates review and marks clause for deprecation
Simulation failure	StressSimDAO disables clause until validated simulation fix
Credential schema invalidation	Clause execution paused until binding schema updated
Security incident	AuditDAO freezes clause, creates emergency fallback clause
DAO consensus	Clause retired and optionally replaced via vote

Obsolete clauses are labeled and timestamped in the Clause Commons.

---

10.6.5 Backward Compatibility Enforcement

NSF enforces:

• Immutable storage of past clause executions

• Proof-of-trigger verification tied to clause version

• ZK rollups for historical traceability

• Jurisdiction-bound execution registries (older clauses still valid where certified)

This ensures historical continuity, legal admissibility, and forensic integrity.

---

10.6.6 Simulation Drift Detection and Clause Recertification

SimDAO periodically re-runs critical clauses to detect:

• Forecast divergence

• Environmental condition drift (e.g., climate baselines)

• Data schema obsolescence

• Execution overhead changes (e.g., CAC load mismatch)

Clauses failing drift tests are flagged for DAO review, recertified, or forked.

---

10.6.7 Governance of Version Trees

ClauseDAO maintains:

• Version maps and lineage graphs

• Execution snapshots for all major versions

• DAO audit trails of votes and overrides per version

• Fork legitimacy proofs (governance signatures, simulation triggers, treaty annotations)

Any dispute over clause lineage can be cryptographically verified via governance logs.

---

10.6.8 Clause Inheritance and Template Evolution

Developers can:

• Create new clauses using certified parent templates

• Reuse simulation engines, fallback logic, or credential schemas

• Submit inheritance declarations for transparency

• Compose meta-clauses (e.g., OutbreakProtocol → Housing + Food + BorderControl)

This enables modular governance logic without risking scope creep or unverified behavior.

---

10.6.9 End-of-Life (EOL) Governance Routines

EOL processes include:

• DAO quorum vote to deprecate

• Simulation proof-of-deactivation

• Credential flagging for orphaned clause references

• LegalDAO export of historical execution report

• Snapshot archival to public verification registries (e.g., IPFS, Filecoin, embassy nodes)

EOL clauses can still be replayed for audit, but can no longer be triggered.

---

10.6.10 Clause Longevity as a Public Governance Asset

With structured versioning, NSF ensures:

• Clause integrity across political transitions and legal reforms

• Jurisdictional and institutional continuity of treaty obligations

• Simulation-governed recertification instead of manual review

• ZK-anchored audit logs for every execution or override

Clause versioning is not bureaucracy—it is the memory layer of planetary governance.