These docs are under active development and cover the v0.20 Kobicha security model.
On this page
§4.2

Required Sections

§4.2.1 Introduction chapter

Every PSD MUST have a 1-introduction/ chapter containing at minimum:

Section File Purpose
Scope 1-scope.md What the specification covers and does not cover.
Terminology 2-terminology.md Defined terms, or delegation to terms defined in other PSDs.
Conventions 3-conventions.md RFC 2119 declaration, pseudocode notation, byte order, string encoding, and other notational conventions.
Prior Art 4-prior-art.md Parity mappings, reference material, and design influences.

Additional introduction sections MAY be added after the required four.

§4.2.1.1 Scope

The scope section MUST list what the specification covers and what it does not cover. Items excluded from scope SHOULD identify which specification or subsystem covers them.

§4.2.1.2 Terminology

The terminology section MUST define terms specific to this specification. Terms already defined in another PSD MAY be delegated by reference rather than redefined:

Terms defined in PSD-006 (LCS, RSI, hive, source, key, value,
layer) are used here with the same meaning and are not redefined.

§4.2.1.3 Conventions

The conventions section MUST declare conformance to PSD-001 and MUST declare the use of RFC 2119 normative keywords. It SHOULD document any notational conventions used in the specification, including:

  • Pseudocode notation (see §5.3)
  • Byte order (if the specification defines binary formats)
  • String encoding (if the specification defines string handling)

§4.2.1.4 Prior art

The prior art section MUST document the design influences, reference material, and compatibility considerations for the specification. The content varies by specification:

  • For specifications with a clear predecessor (e.g., Windows Security Model): parity mappings documenting what is faithful, what diverges, and what is omitted.
  • For specifications based on external standards (e.g., RFCs, ISO standards): which standards, which parts adopted, which parts rejected.
  • For novel specifications: design influences, alternative approaches considered, and rationale for the chosen design.
ⓘ Informative
Existing Peios specifications use either 4-parity.md or 4-compatibility.md for this section. Both names are acceptable -- the requirement is for the content, not the filename. New specifications SHOULD use 4-prior-art.md for consistency.

§4.2.2 Substantive chapters

Every PSD MUST have at least one substantive chapter beyond the introduction. The number and organisation of substantive chapters is at the author's discretion.

§4.2.3 Appendices

Appendix chapters MUST be numbered contiguously after the last substantive chapter and SHOULD use the naming convention N-appendix-a/, N+1-appendix-b/, etc.

§4.2.4 Reference tables

Specifications that define registry schemas, constant sets, configuration parameters, or other enumerable artifacts SHOULD include a reference appendix that consolidates all such items with back-references to the normative section where each is defined.

Each entry in a reference table SHOULD include at minimum the item identifier (key path, constant name, etc.) and a § citation to the section that defines its semantics. Additional columns (type, default value, description) are at the author's discretion.

ⓘ Informative
Example: PSD-005 §11.4 consolidates all LCS self-configuration parameters with their types, defaults, valid ranges, and back-references to the sections that define their semantics. PSD-007 §14.1 consolidates all registry keys that peinit reads or writes. These tables serve as quick-reference indexes into the normative text.