Cutdown Decision Authority Policy

Authority Model

Cutdown has one Language Owner with final decision authority on language semantics, scope boundaries, and proposal acceptance.

This authority applies to:

  • grammar and parser behavior,
  • AST contract,
  • extension lifecycle decisions,
  • policy interpretation for language-layer disputes.

Appeal Path

Appeals are allowed, written, and time-boxed.

Appeal requirements:

  • documented disagreement and proposed alternative,
  • concrete impact evidence (compatibility, determinism, migration, or security),
  • requested decision change.

Process:

  1. Appeal is filed in writing.
  2. Language Owner responds with final ruling within a defined review window.
  3. Ruling and rationale are recorded in project decision notes/changelog.

Override Criteria

An appeal may override a prior ruling only if one or more are proven:

  • material contradiction with approved policies,
  • unanticipated major compatibility break,
  • security or safety risk not considered in original ruling.

Preference disagreements alone do not qualify for override.

Transparency Requirements

  • Final rulings must reference the governing policy sections used.
  • Rejected appeals must include a concise rationale.
  • Accepted appeals must include migration and communication steps where relevant.