01 — Foundation
Axioms
Section Overview
What This Is
Foundation is the normative base layer of the IDL specification. It declares the axioms from which all other rules are derived, the invariants the compiler enforces across every pipeline phase, the constraint mechanism that operationalises those invariants, and the scope boundaries that delimit what IDL governs.
Why It Exists
Without a fixed logical base, specification layers accumulate ad-hoc exceptions and implicit assumptions. Foundation eliminates ambiguity at the origin by declaring what is axiomatic, what must remain invariant across versions and platforms, and what is explicitly out of scope.
How It Works
Axioms are accepted without derivation. Invariants are properties the compiler asserts at each pipeline phase. Constraints are the machine-evaluable expression of each invariant, declared in schema and evaluated at build time. Scope boundaries are normative negations.
All layers depend on Foundation. Violations of Foundation declarations propagate upward as compiler errors.
IDL is grounded in four axioms: (1) Design intent is data. (2) Tokens are the minimal unit of intent. (3) All composition is explicit. (4) The compiler is the source of truth. These axioms are not derived from other rules within the specification — they are the starting conditions from which all rules are derived. Violations of axioms produce undefined behavior, not compiler errors.
Axiom 1 — Design Intent Is Data
Intent expressed in natural language, visual annotation, or tacit convention cannot be validated, versioned, or transformed deterministically. IDL treats every design decision as a data declaration: a named, typed, structured expression that the compiler can parse, the validator can check, and the emitter can translate. When intent is data, it can be audited, diffed, and enforced.
Axiom 2 — Tokens Are the Minimal Unit of Intent
No design decision may appear in a component declaration as a raw value. The smallest expressible unit of intent is a token — a named reference that carries type, purpose, and derivation context. Raw hex values, absolute pixel dimensions, and literal duration values in component declarations are axiom violations. The compiler enforces this at Transform.
Axiom 3 — All Composition Is Explicit
No component may implicitly depend on another component's structure, tokens, or behavior. Every compositional relationship — slot references, token inheritance, composition rules — must be declared in source. The compiler builds the complete composition graph from explicit declarations; it does not infer relationships from structural proximity or naming convention.
Axiom 4 — The Compiler Is the Source of Truth
Conformance is established by compiler evaluation, not by visual inspection of output, designer intent, or documentation. A construct is conformant if and only if the compiler accepts it without error. A construct that passes visual review but fails compilation is non-conformant. A construct that fails visual review but passes compilation is conformant — and the visual review process should be updated, not the compiler.