MD-OS avoids contested concurrent edits by treating risky runtime mutations as append-only proposals.
The default rule is:
if a human or agent may be editing the same runtime file,
do not overwrite it directly;
register a change proposal.
Command:
cortex propose-change <target_path> <summary>
Canonical storage:
md-os/ops/changes/proposals.ndjson
md-os/ops/changes/proposals/<change_id>.json
Each proposal records:
{
"schema_version": 1,
"change_id": "chg_x",
"status": "proposed",
"target_path": "md-os/ops/continuity.md",
"target_sha256": "...",
"summary": "...",
"writer_id": "human",
"created_at": "...",
"conflict_policy": "do_not_mutate_target_without_review"
}
The target path must stay inside the md-os/ boundary. This keeps MD-OS aligned
with its active operational scope and prevents a connector or host agent from
turning a proposal mechanism into general workspace mutation.
This is not a merge engine. It is the first concurrency primitive:
direct write for deterministic builders
append-only proposal for ambiguous edits
human or policy review before application
Concurrency review is distinct from semantic authority. A contested change that may alter identity, a canonical thesis, a protected invariant, consolidated memory, or publication must also pass SEMANTIC_COMMITMENT_GATE_MODEL.md. A reasoned editorial proposal remains admissible, but its before/after propositions determine whether it is editorially preserving or a semantic revision.