# Documentation Drift Response Playbook

Status: active documentation drift-response playbook
Last updated: 2026-05-27 CDT
Scope: public wording drift, status mirror drift, estimate drift, non-claim drift, link drift, platform posture drift, security wording drift, stale evidence, lifecycle drift, superseded records, and claim demotion.

## Purpose

This playbook defines what to do when Latticra documentation disagrees with itself.

Use it when a public page, source record, status mirror, estimate table, package README, installer guide, security page, or subsystem landing page appears to overstate, understate, or contradict the current evidence.

Use [`DOCUMENTATION_HEALTH_SCORECARD.md`](DOCUMENTATION_HEALTH_SCORECARD.md) to classify broad documentation health issues before choosing the drift response.

Use [`SUBSYSTEM_DOCUMENTATION_STANDARD.md`](SUBSYSTEM_DOCUMENTATION_STANDARD.md) when the drift affects subsystem landing pages or subsystem public summaries.

Use [`PUBLIC_SITE_MIRROR_STANDARD.md`](PUBLIC_SITE_MIRROR_STANDARD.md) when the drift affects static public HTML pages.

Use [`DOCUMENTATION_SOURCE_AUTHORITY_ORDER.md`](DOCUMENTATION_SOURCE_AUTHORITY_ORDER.md) when multiple records disagree and the winning source is unclear.

Use [`DOCUMENTATION_FRESHNESS_LIFECYCLE_POLICY.md`](DOCUMENTATION_FRESHNESS_LIFECYCLE_POLICY.md) when the drift involves stale, superseded, archived, planning, draft, local-only, no-effect, report-only, or blocked records.

Use [`DOCUMENTATION_CHANGE_IMPACT_RADIUS_GUIDE.md`](DOCUMENTATION_CHANGE_IMPACT_RADIUS_GUIDE.md) when the drift may have been caused by reviewing too few surfaces or updating too many surfaces mechanically.

Use [`DOCUMENTATION_COMMAND_EXAMPLE_STANDARD.md`](DOCUMENTATION_COMMAND_EXAMPLE_STANDARD.md) when drift appears in runnable commands, validation command lists, platform prerequisites, install/update/reset/uninstall snippets, or public HTML command examples.

Use [`DOCUMENTATION_VISUAL_ASSET_STANDARD.md`](DOCUMENTATION_VISUAL_ASSET_STANDARD.md) when drift appears in screenshots, diagrams, image alt text, captions, generated visuals, presentation visuals, social/review cards, or public media.

This playbook does not promote claims. It narrows or aligns documentation until the evidence supports stronger wording.

## Drift Types

| Drift type | Signal | First response |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Link drift | A local link is broken or points to the wrong record. | Fix the link or remove it if no source exists. |
| Source-record drift | A public statement has no source record. | Narrow or remove the statement until a source record exists. |
| Source-authority drift | Two records disagree and reviewers are unsure which one wins. | Apply the documentation source authority order, then align mirrors. |
| Status mirror drift | `README.md`, `STATUS.md`, `docs/status/CURRENT_STATUS.md`, or public HTML pages disagree. | Use the narrowest current status wording and align mirrors. |
| Public-site mirror drift | Static HTML is stronger than source Markdown or lacks a source route. | Narrow the HTML to the source record or remove the unsupported wording. |
| Estimate drift | Estimate values differ across public tables or static pages. | Treat the current estimate source record as authoritative and run the estimate alignment guard. |
| Non-claim drift | A public page drops a required non-claim or weakens blocked language. | Restore the non-claim near the claim it constrains. |
| Product-copy drift | Product-facing wording implies production, approval, security, or runtime authority. | Replace it with wording from the claims ledger and style guide. |
| Platform drift | Package or platform docs imply official approval, archive readiness, or production installability. | Restore local-only or no-effect posture. |
| Security drift | Security docs imply protection, prevention, sandboxing, certification, or hardening without evidence. | Restore security non-claims and source-tracked wording. |
| Subsystem landing-page drift | A subsystem page omits current posture, evidence spine, validation, non-claims, stop signals, or mirrors. | Restore the required shape from the subsystem documentation standard. |
| Validation drift | A guard fails because the docs and expected public posture disagree. | Fix the docs or mirrors; do not edit the guard for convenience. |
| Stale evidence | A record relies on older evidence contradicted by newer status. | Demote the public wording to the latest supported status. |
| Freshness or lifecycle drift | A stale, superseded, archived, planning, draft, local-only, no-effect, report-only, or blocked record drives public wording as if it were current authority. | Apply the freshness lifecycle policy, add a lifecycle boundary or supersession block, then align public mirrors. |
| Impact-radius drift | A change affected reader understanding but only the touched file was reviewed, or a local-only edit was expanded mechanically without a claim reason. | Apply the impact radius guide, identify missed or unnecessary surfaces, then align only the surfaces whose reader-facing claim changed. |
| Command-example drift | A runnable command omits effect boundaries, prerequisites, expected output, cleanup, or blocked adjacent claims. | Apply the command example standard and narrow the command context or remove the snippet from public quick-start surfaces. |
| Visual-asset drift | A visual asset, caption, or alt text implies stronger posture than source records or lacks source, freshness, accessibility, or non-claim context. | Apply the visual asset standard, update context, narrow the caption or alt text, or move the asset out of public surfaces. |

## Response Order

When drift appears:

1. Read the public surface that contains the questionable wording.
2. Find the source record through [`DOCUMENTATION_TRACEABILITY_MATRIX.md`](DOCUMENTATION_TRACEABILITY_MATRIX.md).
3. Apply [`DOCUMENTATION_SOURCE_AUTHORITY_ORDER.md`](DOCUMENTATION_SOURCE_AUTHORITY_ORDER.md) if records disagree.
4. Apply [`DOCUMENTATION_FRESHNESS_LIFECYCLE_POLICY.md`](DOCUMENTATION_FRESHNESS_LIFECYCLE_POLICY.md) if stale, superseded, archived, planning, draft, local-only, no-effect, report-only, or blocked records are involved.
5. Apply [`DOCUMENTATION_CHANGE_IMPACT_RADIUS_GUIDE.md`](DOCUMENTATION_CHANGE_IMPACT_RADIUS_GUIDE.md) when the change may have missed affected surfaces or touched unrelated mirrors.
6. Check allowed and blocked wording in [`PUBLIC_CLAIMS_LEDGER.md`](PUBLIC_CLAIMS_LEDGER.md).
7. Check terminology in [`DOCUMENTATION_STYLE_GUIDE.md`](DOCUMENTATION_STYLE_GUIDE.md).
8. Score broad surface health with [`DOCUMENTATION_HEALTH_SCORECARD.md`](DOCUMENTATION_HEALTH_SCORECARD.md) when the drift affects findability, reader routes, public/source consistency, security posture, platform posture, estimates, freshness, lifecycle state, impact radius, or subsystem landing pages.
9. Compare subsystem landing-page drift against [`SUBSYSTEM_DOCUMENTATION_STANDARD.md`](SUBSYSTEM_DOCUMENTATION_STANDARD.md).
10. Compare static HTML drift against [`PUBLIC_SITE_MIRROR_STANDARD.md`](PUBLIC_SITE_MIRROR_STANDARD.md).
11. Select validation commands with [`DOCUMENTATION_VALIDATION_PLAYBOOK.md`](DOCUMENTATION_VALIDATION_PLAYBOOK.md).
12. Use [`DOCUMENTATION_CHANGE_REVIEW_PACKET.md`](DOCUMENTATION_CHANGE_REVIEW_PACKET.md) if public wording, mirrors, estimates, platform posture, security wording, lifecycle state, impact radius, stale handling, supersession, or non-claims change.
13. Update only the surfaces whose reader-facing claim changed.
14. Run the selected validation checks.

## Demotion Rule

Demotion is required when a public statement is stronger than the evidence.

Use this pattern:

```text
strong claim -> current evidence-bound claim -> explicit blocked adjacent claim
```

Examples:

| Strong claim | Demoted wording | Blocked adjacent claim |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Latticra is secure. | Latticra documents defensive boundaries and security non-claims. | No production security guarantee. |
| The installer is ready. | The Panel path is guarded and user-local for the documented workflow. | No root installer or daily-driver installer claim. |
| Fedora support is ready. | The Fedora lane has local-only package and validation records. | No Fedora approval or distribution-readiness claim. |
| Seal protects AI agents. | Latticra Seal records report-only AI-era tool-boundary evidence. | No active AI-agent control or host protection claim. |
| Runtime enforcement exists. | Runtime Boundary classification and reports are denied by default. | No runtime authority or effect-performing execution claim. |

## Alignment Actions

| Situation | Action | Validation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Public page is broader than status. | Narrow the public page to the status record. | Public-entry guard and link check. |
| Static HTML is broader than source Markdown. | Narrow the HTML to the source record and preserve a source link. | HTML href check, local link check, and public-entry guard. |
| Status record is broader than implementation evidence. | Narrow the status record and public mirrors. | Exact source guard plus public-entry guard. |
| Estimate mirror differs. | Update mirror from the estimate source record. | Estimate source-alignment guard. |
| Platform docs omit local-only status. | Add local-only and no-approval wording. | Platform workflow guard plus exact platform guard. |
| Security docs overpromise. | Restore non-claims and source-tracked wording. | Exact security or threat-model guard. |
| Subsystem landing page omits the evidence spine. | Restore current posture, evidence spine, validation, non-claims, stop signals, and mirrors from the subsystem standard. | Exact subsystem guard plus local link check and public-entry guard. |
| Superseded or stale record drives public wording. | Add a lifecycle boundary or supersession block, route to current authority, and demote public wording if needed. | Local link check, review packet outcome, and selected public-entry guard. |
| Source record is missing. | Remove or block the claim until the source record exists. | Link check and review packet outcome. |
| Validation command is missing. | Mark the claim blocked for missing validation. | Review packet outcome `blocked_missing_validation`. |

## Do Not

Do not:

- broaden a public claim to make a product page sound better;
- edit a guard script only to make documentation pass;
- hide non-claims in deep source files when a public page implies the adjacent claim;
- treat subsystem progress as overall product readiness;
- treat local static validation as platform approval;
- treat report-only evidence as runtime enforcement;
- treat planning estimates as release promises;
- claim security, safety, hardening, prevention, approval, or certification without explicit source evidence.

## Review Packet Outcomes

Use these outcomes from [`DOCUMENTATION_CHANGE_REVIEW_PACKET.md`](DOCUMENTATION_CHANGE_REVIEW_PACKET.md) when drift is found:

```text
blocked_claim_promotion
blocked_missing_source_record
blocked_missing_validation
blocked_non_claim_drift
blocked_public_entry_drift
accepted_wording_only
accepted_status_mirror
accepted_local_only_platform_posture
```

## Boundary

This playbook changes documentation posture only.

It does not change implementation behavior, installer authority, package authority, runtime authority, workflow permissions, security posture, public estimates, or product readiness.