Atlas Rules

Atlas governance operates on two distinct layers with fundamentally different properties: a hard layer of protocol rules embedded in code, and a soft layer of community-driven Legislation documents that any node can adopt, modify, or ignore.

The hard layer is what makes the network work. The soft layer is what makes it adaptable. Together, they give the network just enough structure to cohere, and just enough freedom to evolve.

Hard Layer — Protocol Rules

The first layer is rules embedded directly in code and shared by every compatible node. These are non-negotiable invariants — break them and your messages simply aren't valid.

Rule	What it governs
Cryptographic primitives	Which algorithms are valid for signing, hashing, and encryption. Currently: Falcon-1024 signatures, Blake3 hashing, X-Wing encryption.
Protocol validity	What makes a message structurally correct. The grammar every node must speak.
Envelope structure	Required format for signed, immutable content containers. Schema.org typed, with signature and data fields.

Hard rules are slow to change — updates require new software to be written, reviewed, and adopted. They are expensive to exit — leaving means incompatibility with the rest of the network.

Soft Layer — Legislation

For dynamic decisions — economic parameters, coordination norms, trust allocation rules — Atlas uses Legislation: cryptographically signed documents published to the network like any other content. Unlike protocol rules, they aren't enforced automatically. Each node explicitly chooses which Legislation to adopt.

Legislation Envelope

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Legislation",
  "additionalType": "atlas:networkParameters",
  "name": "Atlas Network Parameters v1",
  "legislationDate": "2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
  "text": {
    "equilibriumWeeks": 100,
    "weeklyIncome": 100,
    "initialGrant": 100,
    "trustAllocations": 100,
    "votingRules": {
      "quorum": 0.1,
      "majority": 0.66,
      "votingPeriodWeeks": 4
    }
  }
}

Don't like a rule? Stop adopting it. Want to change a parameter? Publish a new version. The cost of change is low, and the cost of exit is even lower — you simply stop following the document.

Governable Parameters

Legislation controls concrete, named parameters that shape how the network behaves. These aren't hidden in source code — they're visible, named, and configurable.

Network Parameters

// Parameters governed by Legislation
equilibriumWeeks     — How fast the FairShares economy stabilizes
weeklyIncome         — FairShares earned per verified human per week
initialGrant         — Starting FairShares for new participants
trustAllocations     — Number of trust allocations per governance cycle
votingRules          — How parameters themselves get changed

Parameter	Controls
`equilibriumWeeks`	How fast FairShares balances converge to equilibrium.
`weeklyIncome`	FairShares earned per verified human per week.
`initialGrant`	Starting FairShares for new participants.
`trustAllocations`	Number of trust allocations each participant gets per governance cycle.
`votingRules`	How parameters themselves get changed — quorum thresholds, majority requirements, voting period duration.

Bootstrap

Every network needs a starting point. On bootstrap, a semantic anchor publishes the initial set of Legislation documents — the first draft of the social contract. These define starting parameters for trust allocations, FairShares distribution, and voting rules.

The semantic anchor is a starting point, not a permanent authority. Once the network grows, the community governs changes through the voting rules that the initial Legislation itself defines. The anchor lights the fire — the community decides how it burns.