# ADR-0108 — Proposed-ADR Sequencing Post-ADR-0105 **Status:** Accepted **Date:** 2026-05-22 **Author:** CORE agents + reviewers **Relates to:** ADR-0080, ADR-0084, ADR-0087, ADR-0106 --- ## Context After ADR-0105, the ADR index carries four Proposed-but-not-Accepted ADRs: | ADR | Proposed | Origin | |---|---|---| | ADR-0080 | 2026-05-20 | Contemplation loop (self-interrogation, read-only Phase 1) | | ADR-0084 | 2026-05-20 | Definitional layer for lexicon packs (optional per-entry block) | | ADR-0087 | 2026-05-20 | Rhetorical style as a third substantive selection axis | | ADR-0106 | 2026-05-22 | Expert-demo promotion contract | Three of these (0080 / 0084 / 0087) were proposed in a single 2026-05-20 session and have not advanced. The frontier work since that day went into the ADR-0091→0105 evidence-governed domain chain (a different axis), so the stall is *orthogonal scope*, not contradiction or rejection. `docs/decisions/README.md` currently states "No ADR currently sits in a 'Proposed but unimplemented' state." That sentence is no longer true and the README will need updating once this sequencing decision is accepted. Without an explicit sequencing decision, three things happen: 1. The Proposed-ADR list grows without external legibility. 2. Reviewers cannot tell *intent to land* from *intent to defer* from *intent to withdraw*. 3. Future "what's next?" questions re-derive sequencing on every read, which is wasted work and drifts over time. ADR-0108 makes the sequencing decision explicit, durable, and revisable. --- ## Decision ### 1. Priority order The four currently-Proposed ADRs are sequenced as follows: 1. **ADR-0106 — Expert-Demo Promotion Contract.** *Highest priority.* Domain-legibility: the four `reasoning-capable` ratifications overstate what the system has demonstrated until `expert_demo` has a real contract. Implementation PR follows acceptance. 2. **ADR-0107 — `mathematics_logic` expert-demo promotion (reserved).** First worked promotion against the ADR-0106 contract. Smallest expert-demo proof surface across the four ratified domains. 3. **ADR-0080 — Contemplation Loop.** *Next-most-load-bearing.* Converts gap-finding from human-driven to system-emitted-and-reviewed. Phase 1 is intentionally read-only and `SPECULATIVE`-only. Unlocks curriculum growth speed. 4. **ADR-0084 — Definitional Layer.** *Deferred pending ADR-0107.* The definitional block is content-shaped; its value surfaces during a worked expert promotion when definitional depth becomes a bottleneck. Holding it Proposed avoids premature schema commitment. 5. **ADR-0087 — Rhetorical Style Axis.** *Lowest current priority.* Register + anchor-lens already demonstrate the orthogonality pattern ADR-0087 generalizes. No active pull from a downstream consumer. Stays Proposed until a concrete consumer ADR motivates it. ### 2. No withdrawals This ADR withdraws none of 0080 / 0084 / 0087. Each remains Proposed and intact. Sequencing ≠ rejection. ### 3. Sequencing is revisable Acceptance of ADR-0108 does not freeze the order. The order is the *current* best guess; new evidence (a worked promotion that hits a definitional bottleneck, a downstream rhetorical-style consumer landing, an unanticipated capability gap) updates the order by a follow-up ADR. ### 4. README discipline The README "Current frontier" section MUST list every Proposed ADR with its sequencing rank and one-line rationale, so outside readers can see intent without reading every ADR body. The sentence "No ADR currently sits in a 'Proposed but unimplemented' state" is removed when this ADR lands and is replaced with the sequenced Proposed-ADR list. --- ## Invariants ### `proposed_adr_index_complete` Every ADR with `Status: Proposed` in `docs/decisions/` must appear in the README "Current frontier" sequencing list. A Proposed ADR absent from the sequencing list is a documentation drift bug. ### `no_silent_withdrawal` A Proposed ADR may move to `Withdrawn` only by a successor ADR that explicitly cites it. No silent deletion. ### `sequencing_is_revisable` Acceptance of ADR-0108 does not lock the order. A subsequent ADR may re-rank Proposed ADRs by citing this one and stating the trigger. --- ## Acceptance evidence Accepted when the following land together: - README "Current frontier" updated to: - remove the "No ADR currently sits in a 'Proposed but unimplemented' state" claim - add the ranked Proposed-ADR list with one-line rationales matching §Decision - this ADR's status flipped to Accepted - no body content of ADR-0080 / 0084 / 0087 / 0106 is modified by this PR (sequencing is a meta-decision, not a content edit) --- ## Consequences - "What's next?" becomes a one-screen read on `docs/decisions/README.md` rather than a four-file scan plus reasoning. - Reviewers can act on Proposed ADRs in declared order without cross-checking session memory. - Proposed ADRs that genuinely no longer fit get a documented exit via a successor ADR rather than disappearing from the index. - Future "candidate frontier" bullets in the README become the on-ramp to a new Proposed ADR, with this sequencing list as their next stop. --- ## Out of scope - This ADR does not implement any of the four Proposed ADRs. - This ADR does not modify ADR-0080 / 0084 / 0087 / 0106 bodies. - Multi-reviewer governance (the open ADR-0105 candidate frontier item) is orthogonal and remains future work.