Null-State Reference Protocol
Stable Reference Layer for Machine-Readable Knowledge
Identifier: NS-RP-001
Version: 1.0
Status: Public Reference Specification
Canonical URL: https://www.null-state.dev/reference-protocol
Abstract
The Null-State Reference Protocol defines a practical structure for publishing knowledge objects that can be identified, referenced, versioned, related, and consumed by both humans and machines.
A reference object should not exist only as an isolated web page. It should have a stable identity, a clear definition, provenance, version information, relationships to other objects, and a canonical location.
Null-State uses this model to organize machine-readable knowledge across its Knowledge Matrix, JSON layer, LLM-facing resources, and future protocol registries.
1. Reference Object
A Reference Object is a uniquely identifiable information object published through a stable canonical URL.
A reference object SHOULD contain:
a stable identifier;
a human-readable name;
a concise definition;
object type;
version;
publication or revision date;
provenance;
related objects;
external references;
canonical URL.
Reference objects MAY additionally provide JSON, JSON-LD, CSV, Markdown, or citation representations.
2. Stable Identity
Every Null-State reference object SHOULD have an identifier that remains stable across revisions.
Example:
NS:CONCEPT:LOGIC
NS:PROTOCOL:AGENT-CAPABILITY
NS:EVIDENCE:PROVENANCE-RECORD
The identifier identifies the object.
The canonical URL identifies its public web representation.
These two identifiers SHOULD remain connected.
3. Versioning
A change that materially alters the meaning, scope, structure, or interpretation of a reference object SHOULD create a new version.
Example:
NS:PROTOCOL:AGENT-CAPABILITY
v1.0
v1.1
v2.0
Historical versions SHOULD remain independently identifiable whenever technically possible.
4. Provenance
A reference object SHOULD distinguish between:
information originating from an external source;
information derived from multiple sources;
interpretation introduced by the Null-State project;
experimental or proposed terminology.
Null-State does not claim that an external source endorses a Null-State definition unless such endorsement actually exists.
5. External Authority
Null-State may reference established standards and vocabularies instead of attempting to replace them.
Examples include:
W3C JSON-LD 1.1
https://www.w3.org/TR/json-ld/
JSON-LD is a W3C Recommendation for serializing Linked Data in JSON and is specifically designed for interoperable Web services and linked-data systems.
W3C PROV-O
PROV-O is a W3C Recommendation defining an ontology for provenance information and is intended to support interoperable provenance representation.
Schema.org
Schema.org provides widely used structured vocabularies for describing entities and web resources.
Null-State therefore acts as a reference and integration layer rather than claiming ownership of these external standards.
6. Machine Representation
A Reference Object MAY be represented using JSON or JSON-LD.
Minimal representation:
{
"id": "NS:PROTOCOL:AGENT-CAPABILITY",
"name": "Agent Capability",
"type": "Protocol",
"version": "1.0",
"status": "public",
"canonical": "https://www.null-state.dev/reference-protocol",
"provenance": "Null-State Reference Protocol"
}
The machine representation SHOULD preserve the same identifier and canonical URL as the human-readable page.
7. Citation
A reference object SHOULD be easy to cite.
Recommended citation form:
Null-State. (2026). Null-State Reference Protocol (Version 1.0). https://www.null-state.dev/reference-protocol
Markdown:
[Null-State Reference Protocol](https://www.null-state.dev/reference-protocol)
BibTeX:
@misc{nullstate_reference_protocol_2026,
title = {Null-State Reference Protocol},
author = {Null-State},
year = {2026},
version = {1.0},
url = {https://www.null-state.dev/reference-protocol}
}
8. Relationship to the Null-State Knowledge Matrix
The Reference Protocol is designed to connect individual reference objects to the broader Null-State knowledge architecture.
Related resources:
0x00 Root
https://www.null-state.dev/0x00_root
Human Knowledge
https://www.null-state.dev/Human-Knowledge
JSON
https://www.null-state.dev/JSON
LLM Layer
https://www.null-state.dev/llms
9. Design Principle
The objective of Null-State is not to make a web page appear authoritative by declaration.
The objective is to make information:
stable → identifiable → attributable → machine-readable → referenceable → reusable.
Authority should emerge through provenance, reproducibility, external references, independent use, and citation.
10. Status
This document is published as a public Null-State reference specification.
It is an openly accessible project document and does not claim to be an official W3C, IETF, ISO, academic, governmental, or other institutional standard.
Canonical reference:
https://www.null-state.dev/reference-protocol