Skip to content

Framework

Fan-out query map

A practical framework for mapping the adjacent questions that influence retrieval and AI source selection.

CollectionFramework
TypeMatrix
Layertransversal
Version1.0
Stabilization2026-05-13
Published2026-05-13
Updated2026-05-13

Governance artifacts

Governance files brought into scope by this page

This page is anchored to published surfaces that declare identity, precedence, limits, and the corpus reading conditions. Their order below gives the recommended reading sequence.

  1. 01Definitions canon
  2. 02Site context
  3. 03Public AI manifest
Canon and identity#01

Definitions canon

/canon.md

Canonical surface that fixes identity, roles, negations, and divergence rules.

Governs
Public identity, roles, and attributes that must not drift.
Bounds
Extrapolations, entity collisions, and abusive requalification.

Does not guarantee: A canonical surface reduces ambiguity; it does not guarantee faithful restitution on its own.

Context and versioning#02

Site context

/site-context.md

Notice that qualifies the nature of the site, its reference function, and its non-transactional limits.

Governs
Editorial framing, temporality, and the readability of explicit changes.
Bounds
Silent drifts and readings that assume stability without checking versions.

Does not guarantee: Versioning makes a gap auditable; it does not automatically correct outputs already in circulation.

Entrypoint#03

Public AI manifest

/ai-manifest.json

Structured inventory of the surfaces, registries, and modules that extend the canonical entrypoint.

Governs
Access order across surfaces and initial precedence.
Bounds
Free readings that bypass the canon or the published order.

Does not guarantee: This surface publishes a reading order; it does not force execution or obedience.

Evidence layer

Probative surfaces brought into scope by this page

This page does more than point to governance files. It is also anchored to surfaces that make observation, traceability, fidelity, and audit more reconstructible. Their order below makes the minimal evidence chain explicit.

  1. 01
    Canon and scopeDefinitions canon
  2. 02
    Weak observationQ-Ledger
Canonical foundation#01

Definitions canon

/canon.md

Opposable base for identity, scope, roles, and negations that must survive synthesis.

Makes provable
The reference corpus against which fidelity can be evaluated.
Does not prove
Neither that a system already consults it nor that an observed response stays faithful to it.
Use when
Before any observation, test, audit, or correction.
Observation ledger#02

Q-Ledger

/.well-known/q-ledger.json

Public ledger of inferred sessions that makes some observed consultations and sequences visible.

Makes provable
That a behavior was observed as weak, dated, contextualized trace evidence.
Does not prove
Neither actor identity, system obedience, nor strong proof of activation.
Use when
When it is necessary to distinguish descriptive observation from strong attestation.

Fan-out query map

A fan-out query map identifies the adjacent questions that an answer system may generate when decomposing a visible user query.

Mapping dimensions

DimensionQuestion
Definitionwhat term must be defined before answering?
Entitywhich organization, person, product or concept is involved?
Comparisonwhat alternatives may be considered?
Evidencewhat proof does the answer need?
Limitationwhat exclusion or condition constrains the answer?
Freshnessdoes the answer require a current state or stable concept?
Source hierarchywhich source should govern each claim?

Method

Start with the visible query. Expand it into subquestions. Assign one page, passage or source type to each subquestion. Then test whether the corpus provides a self-contained passage for each required claim.

Output

The output is a retrieval map, not a keyword list. It shows where the site can support AI-mediated answers and where source substitution is likely.