# pqdx — Universal Governance Protocol
> pqdx/2.0.0 makes the Piqued Manifesto operational.
> Five gates, three conformance levels, one behavioral specification.
> Verifiable trust for every domain.

## Docs
- [Schema Specification](https://pqdx.dev/downloads/pqdx-schema-spec.md): Full normative specification (PQDX-STD-0001b)
- [Annotated Schema](https://pqdx.dev/downloads/pqdx-schema-spec.yaml): Structural contract (PQDX-STD-0001a)
- [Canonical Fixture](https://pqdx.dev/downloads/pqdx-fixture.state.yaml): Validation reference (PQDX-STD-0001d)
- [Template](https://pqdx.dev/downloads/pqdx-template.yaml): Project bootstrapping (PQDX-STD-0001c)
- [Patching Guide](https://pqdx.dev/downloads/pqdx-patching-guide.md): How to modify state files (PQDX-GDE-0001)
- [Directory Reference](https://pqdx.dev/downloads/pqdx-directory-reference.md): .pqdx/ structure (PQDX-GDE-0002)

## Core Concepts
- State file: {project}.state.yaml — single source of truth for a governed project
- Eleven top-level keys: schema_version, vocabulary, projection (OPTIONAL on canonical files; REQUIRED on generated projection files), identity, milestones, decisions, concerns, actions, sessions, queued, notes
- Five gates (UA-5): Explainability, Provenance, Evidence, Risk, Validation — all five always, depth scales with stakes
- Three conformance levels: L1 Foundation (gates honored), L2 Standard (full evidence trails), L3 Advanced (signed provenance, immutable evidence)
- Vocabulary profiles: domain-specific display aliases without structural change to state files
- Extension points: immutable (locked), aliasable (display mapping), additive (new values), delegated (profile-defined)
- Provenance model: session (where formalized) + origin (where info came from) + closed_in (where lifecycle ended)
- Entity lifecycles: every stateful entity has defined states, valid transitions, terminal states, and guards
- Consumer Question Test: every field in the schema has a named consumer and a named question it answers