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+AILint Marker Specification (v1.0)
+1. Purpose
+
+Markers are transport mechanisms for carrying AI provenance signals alongside content.
+
+They exist to:
+
+preserve provenance across systems,
+
+survive common transformations (copy, format, diff),
+
+provide machine-readable hints without enforcing interpretation.
+
+Markers do not define truth.
+They only reference or carry provenance declarations.
+
+2. Design Principles
+
+Markers MUST be:
+
+Non-semantic – removing a marker must not change meaning
+
+Loss-tolerant – stripping a marker must not invalidate content
+
+Non-covert – presence must be auditable by tooling
+
+Non-authoritative – never the sole source of provenance truth
+
+Markers SHOULD be:
+
+Minimal
+
+Stable across encodings
+
+Easy to ignore safely
+
+3. Marker Types
+
+AILint defines four marker classes, ordered from most robust to most fragile.
+
+3.1 Git Metadata Marker (Normative)
+
+Format: Git trailer
+
+AILint-Provenance: <reference>
+
+
+Example:
+
+AILint-Provenance: prov-2025-01-001
+
+
+Properties:
+
+Highly durable
+
+Survives formatting and refactoring
+
+Preferred for CI/CD and audits
+
+Status: Recommended
+
+3.2 Inline Comment Marker (Normative)
+
+Used when human readability matters.
+
+Examples:
+
+// AILINT: ai_involved=true; role=assisted
+
+<!-- AILINT: ai_involved=true; role=generated -->
+
+
+Rules:
+
+MUST be placed in comment-safe regions
+
+MUST NOT affect execution or rendering
+
+SHOULD be concise
+
+Status: Recommended
+
+3.3 Structured Header / Frontmatter Marker (Normative)
+
+Example (YAML frontmatter):
+
+ai_provenance:
+  ai_involved: true
+  role: summarized
+
+
+Rules:
+
+MUST follow host format conventions
+
+MUST be parseable without executing content
+
+Status: Recommended
+
+3.4 Embedded / Invisible Marker (Optional, Non-Normative)
+
+Examples:
+
+Zero-width Unicode characters
+
+Non-printing delimiters in comment whitespace
+
+Rules:
+
+MUST NOT encode full provenance data
+
+MUST be removable without semantic loss
+
+MUST NOT be the only provenance signal
+
+SHOULD be detectable by linters
+
+Status: Optional / Transport-only
+
+4. Marker Payload Rules
+
+Markers MAY contain:
+
+A provenance reference ID
+
+A minimal inline declaration
+
+Markers MUST NOT contain:
+
+Personal identifiers
+
+Behavioral telemetry
+
+Sensitive operational metadata
+
+Enforcement or policy flags
+
+5. Marker Precedence
+
+Markers are interpreted only after authoritative provenance sources.
+
+Precedence order:
+
+Sidecar manifest
+
+Git metadata
+
+Inline / header markers
+
+Embedded markers
+
+6. Marker Loss and Degradation
+
+Loss of a marker:
+
+MUST NOT invalidate content
+
+MUST NOT imply tampering
+
+MAY reduce downstream confidence
+
+AILint tooling SHOULD treat missing markers as:
+
+“No explicit signal present,” not “signal denied.”
+
+7. Security Considerations
+
+Invisible markers MUST NOT form covert channels
+
+Tooling SHOULD provide normalization and stripping options
+
+Markers MUST NOT bypass content security reviews
+
+8. Summary
+
+Markers carry provenance. They do not define it.