Rules with tests attached.
These thirteen rules govern every Unifyhub decision. Each names a product pressure (what it favors) and a test (how you know it has been violated).
The principles
Communities own the value
the value we create belongs to the communities that use it.Community before infrastructure
when the layer and the community disagree, the layer changes.Values before capabilities
decide what we are before deciding what we can do.Trust is structural
trust is a property of the architecture, held independent of any person.Ecosystem over application
the shared layer outlives every product built on it.Protocol before product
get the contracts right before building on top of them.Shared principles before shared tools
agree on the rules before sharing the implementation.Compatibility before capture
openness an implementer can prove, without asking permission.Credible right of exit
autonomy is real only when leaving preserves the record.Durable over trendy
technology serves the mission and stays replaceable.Federation is policy work
federation is only as good as the governance behind it.Governance is architecture
the way Unifyhub changes is part of the design.Monetization without captivity
prosper by reducing risk rather than by creating dependence.
How to read these
Product pressure
The direction each principle pushes a design or business decision.
Test
The failure condition. If the test fails, the principle has been violated and the decision gets revisited.
Together
Read a product decision against all thirteen. When one principle favors something and another opposes it, that is the signal to slow down rather than to pick a side.
Help shape what comes next.
The community begins with the people who choose to take part.