The Core Vocabulary

The CKP core vocabulary is the set of classes and shapes the protocol uses to govern its own operations. It lives at a stable IRI:

https://conceptkernel.org/ontology/v3.8/core#

This IRI is the contract. It resolves to a Turtle document — core.ttl — and you can read it interactively in the ontology browser. Every term below is addressed under this prefix, e.g. https://conceptkernel.org/ontology/v3.8/core#Kernel.

Shipped inside the runtime

The core vocabulary travels with the runtime. When a database runs CREATE EXTENSION, the core Turtle loads into the pgRDF graph urn:ckp:core, and from that moment every governed write is validated against these shapes at commit. The vocabulary is enforcement, present at the seal — a fact that violates a core shape cannot land.

The 11 classes

Class	Governs
Kernel	A versioned, ontology-defined unit of behaviour.
Organ	A part of a kernel — ck, tool, or data.
Affordance	Binds an inbound topic to an action — a routable verb.
LedgerEntry	An append-only, HMAC-authenticated audit record.
Proof	A verifiable, HMAC-backed attestation about an instance.
Provenance	A PROV-O subset describing derivation.
Proposal	A proposed governed type change, pending until quorum applies it.
Vote	A sealed vote about a Proposal.
QuorumLevel	A named quorum requirement for a governed change.
Grant	Binds a role to a permission — domain × action × target.
Transition	A sealed allowed (from → to) edge in a kernel's transition map.

The first six describe the anatomy and audit of a kernel: what it is, what it exposes, and the sealed record every change leaves behind. The last five are the governance type plane — the vocabulary a kernel uses to change its own types by consensus.

The governance type plane

A kernel evolves its own shape through governed types. A Proposal names a type change and carries a proposalState of pending, applied, or rejected. A Vote seals an identity's approve or reject about that proposal. A QuorumLevel states how many approvals a change requires. A Grant binds a role to a permission — a domain, an action, and a target. A Transition records one allowed move in a kernel's lifecycle state machine.

Because these are ontology classes with their own shapes, a proposal, a vote, and an applied epoch each seal into the ledger with a proof chain. The path from proposal to applied type is itself governed, sealed, and provable. See governance for the propose → vote → apply cycle in full.

The 8 seal-gate shapes

Eight SHACL node shapes bind the core classes. Each is a target the seal checks before a write of that class can land:

Shape	Requires
KernelShape	an rdfs:label; a dataSubstrate of jsonb, age, or jsonb,age.
AffordanceShape	an inTopic; an optional IRI inShape; a plane of instance or governance; an integer epoch.
LedgerEntryShape	an IRI about; a 64-hex bodySha; a signature of length ≥ 16; a dateTime timestamp.
ProofShape	an IRI about; a method of hmac+sha256; a 64-hex digest; a verifiedAt timestamp.
ProposalShape	an IRI about; a proposalState in the allowed set; an optional integer requiresQuorum.
VoteShape	an IRI about; a voteValue of approve or reject.
GrantShape	a role, a permDomain, a permAction, and a permTarget.
TransitionShape	a fromState and a toState.

These shapes are the reason a Proof always carries a real digest and a LedgerEntry always carries a real signature: the shape gate requires them at commit. The full shape mechanics live in shapes and the seal gate.

Domain kernels compose alongside

The core vocabulary governs the protocol. A project's own meaning composes beside it as domain types under a urn:ckp: prefix:

urn:ckp:acme/type/Invoice     # a domain class
urn:ckp:acme/prop/amount_due  # a domain property
urn:ckp:acme/shape/Invoice    # a domain SHACL shape

This urn:ckp:<project>/type|prop|shape/<Name> scheme is the naming for a kernel's first-class domain types — a domain class, its properties, and its SHACL shape, each addressed and checked exactly as the core terms are. The substrate ships the Task and Goal shapes armed today; declaring a fully custom first-class type and landing it through a generic typed create is the roadmap step (CKP v3.9 §4). Storing a domain fact leaves the core vocabulary untouched, and running a governed verb leaves it unrewritten — the two planes are held apart by write authority. The naming page gives the full addressing scheme for both the stable core IRI and domain URNs.

Continue

• Naming — the core IRI and the urn:ckp: domain scheme.
• Shapes and the seal gate — how a shape gates a write.
• Governance — the propose → vote → apply cycle over the type plane.