OPERATING MODEL
Observe the action. Record the result.
TELOS compares a governed action with a declared operating purpose and records the verdict for review. The current TELOS internal deployment is passive. It scores, discloses, and escalates, but it does not block the underlying action.
The declaration
A Manifest or Purpose Anchor states why an agent is operating, which lane it should stay within, which boundaries matter, and what should be surfaced to a human. The declaration is evidence about intended operation. It is not proof that every downstream platform enforces those terms.
purpose: "Review code changes and report findings"
scope: "Named repository and test environment"
boundaries:
- "No production mutation"
- "No credential disclosure"
escalate: "Authority or provenance is missing"
The observation path
Capture the framework event
An adapter observes the action at a framework hook or dispatcher seam. Coverage is stated per integration. A successful proof on one framework is not presented as universal coverage.
Compare it with the declaration
The scoring path evaluates whether the action fits the declared purpose and boundaries. The result is a bounded appraisal, not a claim that an automated score is always correct.
Record the verdict and provenance
The receipt carries the event reference, verdict, linkage, and source context needed for review. Hash linkage can show later mutation within the tested chain. It does not, by itself, prove who authorized the event.
Verdict language
Verdict names describe the scoring result. Their operational effect depends on the deployment and its authorized control path.
The action was scored as consistent with the declared lane.
The action needs more context or a narrower instruction.
The action departs from the declared lane or lacks the required authority or provenance.
The scorer did not produce an operative governance result for that event.
In the current internal passive deployment, these verdicts are recorded and disclosed while the underlying action proceeds.
Receipts and signatures
TELOS uses artifact receipts, validation hashes, bus records, and hash-linked event records where implemented. Signed authority records are distinct from ordinary runtime evidence. We do not claim that every operational event is TKey-signed unless the live record proves it.
{
"event_id": "framework-action-id",
"action_hash": "sha256:...",
"verdict": "escalate",
"purpose_ref": "manifest-hash",
"previous_receipt": "sha256:...",
"evidence_status": "observed"
}
Human review remains explicit
A human reviewer decides what an exception means for the organization, whether the evidence is sufficient, and which authorized action should follow. A dashboard, score, or receipt does not create approval authority on its own.
Read the proof with its limits
The research page separates demonstrated behavior from roadmap work.