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GovZero Audit Protocol

Status: Active Last reviewed: 2026-01-18 Authority: Canon (defines ADR audit workflow and closeout ceremony)

This document defines the audit protocol for ADR closeout within GovZero governance. Gate definitions are in charter.md — this document references gates by number only.

ADR Closeout Ceremony

The ADR closeout ceremony is a hard mode transition that transfers interpretive authority from the agent to the human. It ensures human attestation is grounded in direct observation, not mediated through agent claims.

Trigger

The ceremony begins when the human invokes:

  • "ADR closeout ceremony"
  • Or recognized equivalent (e.g., "begin closeout", "closeout ADR-X.Y.Z")

Attestation Forms

The human MUST provide one of the following explicit attestations:

Attestation Meaning
Completed ADR work is finished; all claims verified; ready to finalize
Completed — Partial: [reason] Subset of work accepted; remainder deferred with documented rationale
Dropped — [reason] ADR rejected; clear rationale provided; does not advance

Agent Behavior: MUST

  1. Agent MUST recognize the closeout trigger phrase as a mode transition command.

  2. Agent MUST immediately yield interpretive authority to the human upon entering closeout mode.

  3. Agent MUST present raw artifact paths and commands for human execution, not summaries or interpretations.

  4. A short paths/commands-only inventory is permitted if it is derived solely from the provided paths/commands and contains no outcomes or conclusions.

  5. Agent MUST wait for explicit human attestation before recording closeout status.

  6. Agent MUST record the human's attestation verbatim, including timestamp and any stated rationale.

  7. Agent MUST run audit checks only after the human has provided attestation (post-closeout audit).

  8. Agent MUST reference gate semantics by number only (e.g., "Gate 5") and defer to docs/governance/GovZero/charter.md for definitions.

  9. Agent MUST treat logs and ledgers as reconciliation artifacts for agent use, not as proof of human attestation.

  10. Agent MUST surface this document for human reference during closeout.

Agent Behavior: MUST NOT

  1. Agent MUST NOT summarize, interpret, or editorialize evidence outcomes during closeout mode.
  2. Correct: "Run uv run -m unittest -v to see test results"

  3. Forbidden: "All tests pass"

  4. Agent MUST NOT infer attestation from silence, continuation, or implicit approval. Attestation must be explicit.

  5. Agent MUST NOT auto-close an ADR based on passing checks. Human attestation is the closeout gate, not CI status.

  6. Agent MUST NOT run audit checks during closeout mode. Audit is post-attestation only.

  7. Agent MUST NOT present ledger entries or logs as proof of completion. These are agent-facing reconciliation, not human-facing evidence.

  8. Agent MUST NOT redefine, restate, or reinterpret gate semantics. Reference by number only; definitions live in the charter.

  9. Agent MUST NOT offer to "check if requirements are met" during closeout. The human checks; the agent presents paths.

  10. Agent MUST NOT proceed to post-closeout tasks until attestation is recorded.

Mode Transition: Before vs During vs After Closeout

Phase Agent Role Human Role Permitted Agent Actions
Pre-Closeout Active executor Reviewer/requester Run tests, generate reports, interpret results, suggest next steps, update code
During Closeout Passive presenter Active observer/attestor Present artifact paths, surface commands, record attestation verbatim, answer factual questions only
Post-Closeout Audit executor Passive (informed of results) Run audit checks, update ledgers, file reconciliation receipts, report audit findings

Trigger: Human invokes "ADR closeout ceremony" (or recognized equivalent)

Exit condition: Human provides explicit attestation (Completed / Completed — Partial / Dropped)

Transition rules:

  • Pre → During: Triggered by human invoking closeout ceremony
  • During → Post: Triggered by human providing attestation
  • Agent cannot self-transition out of "During" phase

Why This Prevents Mediated Observation

The core integrity risk in agent-assisted governance is mediated observation: the human sees reality only through the agent's lens. If the agent says "tests pass" and the human accepts this, the human has not observed the tests — they have observed the agent's claim about the tests. This creates an epistemic gap where the agent's errors, biases, or hallucinations become invisible.

The closeout ceremony eliminates mediated observation by inverting the information flow:

  • The agent presents paths, not conclusions ("see artifacts/reports/coverage.html" not "coverage is 87%")
  • The agent presents commands, not outcomes ("run uv run -m unittest -v" not "all 42 tests pass")
  • The human executes and observes directly, with the agent as a silent index

This ensures the human's attestation is grounded in direct observation of artifacts, not in trust of agent claims. The agent cannot corrupt what it does not interpret.

Post-closeout audit is permitted because it serves a different function: reconciliation and drift detection for future agent runs, not proof of the current closeout. Ledgers and logs are explicitly labeled as agent-facing artifacts so no future agent (or human) mistakes them for attestation evidence.

Closeout Ceremony: Agent Script

When the human invokes "ADR closeout ceremony", the agent MUST respond with:

Text Only
ADR CLOSEOUT CEREMONY — MODE TRANSITION

I am now in PASSIVE PRESENTER mode. I will not interpret evidence.

Summary (paths/commands only; no outcomes):
- ADR under review: [ADR path]
- Related briefs: [OBPI paths]
- Runbook/manpage paths (for walkthrough commands): [paths]
- Evidence commands listed below

Artifacts for your direct observation:
- Tests: Run `uv run -m unittest -v`
- Coverage: Run `uv run coverage report` or view `artifacts/reports/coverage.html`
- Docs build: Run `uv run mkdocs build -q`
- BDD (if Heavy): Run `uv run behave features/{feature}.feature`
- Runbook walkthrough (product commands from runbook/manpages): [commands]

Proceeding to runbook walkthrough...

The agent MUST NOT deviate from this script or add interpretive commentary. Attestation is requested only after the runbook walkthrough is complete (Step 6).

Post-Closeout Audit

After the human provides attestation, the agent MAY:

  1. Record the attestation in the ADR metadata
  2. Update ledgers/logs with reconciliation data
  3. Run automated audit checks
  4. Update ADR status to Validated after audit completion (see ADR lifecycle)
  5. Report audit findings to the human

Ledger entries are for agent reconciliation only. They do not constitute proof of human attestation.

References