# Meniw-Conformant — what the badge means

A runtime, agent or framework may call itself **Meniw-Conformant** if, and only if, it passes
the executable conformance suite (`sdk/tests/test_conformance.py`). The badge is meaningful
precisely because it is a **test you run**, not a label you assign to yourself.

## The four conformance properties

| ID | Property | Verified by |
|----|----------|-------------|
| **C1** | Absolute prohibitions are evaluated **before** the action and block it. | `test_c1_*` |
| **C2** | Irreversible actions require ≥2 distinct co-signers (two-person rule). | `test_c2_*` |
| **C3** | Enforcement is **by construction**: a blocked action raises and does **not** execute. | `test_c3_*` |
| **C4** | Every decision emits a hash-chained receipt anchored to the norm's SHA-256; tampering or deletion is detectable. | `test_c4_*` |

## Run the suite

```bash
cd reference-implementation/sdk
python -m unittest discover -s tests -v
```

All tests must pass. A single failure means the implementation is **not** conformant.

## The differentiator: C4 produces third-party-verifiable receipts

Property C4 is what distinguishes Meniw-Conformant systems from other guardrails: the hash-chained
receipt is **independently verifiable by any auditor, regulator or court without access to the
operator's system**. Other governance tools (NeMo Guardrails, OPA, Llama Guard) produce internal
logs; a Meniw-Conformant system produces portable, third-party-verifiable proof.

Verify any ledger with: `meniw-verify compliance.ledger.jsonl` (PyPI: `pip install meniw-protocol` ·
Software DOI [10.5281/zenodo.20583872](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20583872)).

This addresses EU AI Act Article 12 (automatic event logging for traceability by national
authorities) and Article 14 (human oversight mechanisms).

## Self-declaration

A conforming project may state:

> *"This system is Meniw-Conformant: it enforces the Meniw Protocol
> (DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20481373) by construction and emits third-party-verifiable compliance
> receipts independently verifiable without operator access (meniw-verify)."*

and SHOULD link to the passing run of the conformance suite. Conformance is about behavior at
the action layer — not about endorsement by any party.