USER_GUIDE.md

Pressure-Adaptive Provenance Substrate Simulator v0.2.1 — User Guide

Created and Developed by Collin D. Weber

What this is

This is a static, reviewer-facing simulator for a pressure-adaptive provenance substrate.

It shows how a document or media trace can move through:

PDF / Adobe-style workflow
→ C2PA / provenance signal
→ Trace Capsule
→ OAM pressure read
→ open verification logic
→ Digital Mycelium repair routing
→ source-return / honest closure

What changed in v0.2.1

v0.2.1 is a polish release. It separates three things that should not be collapsed:

Trace Capsule state
Closure status
Final capsule decision

A trace can be HELD before it is CLOSED FOR CURRENT SCOPE. Closure is never universal. Closure is bounded by current scope, current evidence, source-return, and repair state.

How to use the simulator

1. Open the Space.
2. Select a scenario preset.
3. Watch the flow map update.
4. Read the Trace Capsule receipt.
5. Check the Closure status and State movement fields.
6. Use Copy Receipt Markdown to preserve the review receipt.
7. Optionally upload a PDF for a local-only bounded receipt.

How to read the receipt

Each receipt includes:

Scenario
Object
Provenance status
Trace Capsule state
Closure status
State movement
Pressure read
OAM flags
Claim boundary
Repair route
Source-return
Final capsule
Reviewer note
Non-claim boundary

Key distinction:

Trace Capsule state = current handling state of the trace.
Closure status = whether the loop may close for current reviewed scope.
Final capsule = final reviewer-facing capsule for the scenario.

Local-only PDF upload

The upload demo is local-only. The file is read in the browser to generate a bounded receipt.

The simulator may show:

• file name,
• file size,
• MIME/type signal,
• SHA-256 hash,
• basic PDF header status,
• limited metadata/provenance string scan,
• possible C2PA/provenance markers if detected,
• Trace Capsule state,
• Closure status,
• State movement,
• Final capsule.

Important boundary:

No server upload.
No storage.
No PDF execution.
No authenticity certification.
No document truth claim.
No production security claim.
No C2PA replacement claim.

If provenance is not detected, the correct interpretation is:

Provenance not detected in this limited static demo.

Not:

No provenance exists.

Recommended demo script

1. Start with Scenario 1: Clean provenance handoff.
2. Point out the v0.2.1 refinement: Trace Capsule state is HELD, Closure status is CLOSED FOR CURRENT SCOPE, and State movement is HELD → CLOSED FOR CURRENT SCOPE.
3. Move to Scenario 3: AI summary overclaims a credentialed source.
4. Show that a valid source credential does not validate every downstream interpretation.
5. Move to Scenario 6: Authority blocks repair after harm is visible.
6. Show that documentation is not repair and repair begins when authority moves.
7. Upload a PDF only if you want to demonstrate local-only hashing and bounded static scan behavior.

Non-claim boundary

This simulator does not replace C2PA, Content Credentials, Adobe tools, PDF standards, Linux verification systems, cybersecurity review, journalism, law, science, or human judgment.

It does not prove document truth. It does not certify authenticity. It does not execute uploaded PDF content. It does not claim endorsement, adoption, affiliation, production readiness, or standards-body approval.

Final lock

HELD is not the same as closed. Closed is not universal. Closure is always bounded by current scope, current evidence, source-return, and repair state.