16 · Governance & Authority View

May It Be Done?

Governance answers one question: may it be done?

Identity
   ↓
Authority             (who/what may act in this Work context)
   ↓
Capability            (what is being requested — provider-neutral)
   ↓
Policy                (what constraints apply)
   ↓
Plan                  (capability sequence + inputs + scope)
   ↓
Approval              (human or delegated authorization)
   ↓
Authorization         (governance verdict: allow / deny / require approval)
   ↓
Execution             (Hermes — only on allow)
   ↓
Evidence              (what happened, durably)

Governance verdicts are durable, auditable, and traceable to identity, policy, and Work. Hermes never executes without one.

What Governance Evaluates

• Who is requesting — user, Twin, or agent identity, with what roles and delegation.
• What is being requested — which capability, with what inputs and side-effects.
• In what Work and Business Context — not ambiently; every plan is scoped to a Work and a Business Context slice.
• Under which policy — tenant, Work-type, and capability policies, including approval thresholds.
• With what evidence shape — what receipt is expected, and how verification will judge outcome.

Verdicts

Verdict	Meaning
Allow	Plan is authorized; Hermes may execute.
Deny	Plan is not authorized in this context; no execution.
Require approval	A human (or delegated approver) must approve before authorization.

Approval is itself a Work action with its own identity, evidence, and audit trail.

Separation That Matters

Capability Fabric          Governance                Hermes
 "What can be done?"  →  "May it be done?"  →  "Execute it."
       │                       │                      │
   ADK / MCP               Policy /               Provider
  resolution               Approval               execution

Hermes does not become an authority of its own. Replacing Hermes does not change what is allowed — only how allowed work is executed.

Where to Go Next

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How authorized plans are executed with evidence.


The identities and tenancy governance reasons about.


How outcomes are judged and what becomes Spine truth.

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