# Targets, Ranges, Zones, and Boundaries

## Target model

A target is a desired point plus an inclusive tolerance interval. The interval may be asymmetric.

```text
scale:             -100 ---------------- 0 ---------------- +100
target:                                      +20
tolerance:                              +5 [======] +35
observed:                                                  +47
```

`targetDistance = observed - targetPoint`

`bandDrift = 0` inside tolerance; below it is `observed - lower`; above it is `observed - upper`.

## Response zones

Outside tolerance, the absolute `bandDrift` selects a configured zone:

| Zone | Default meaning | Typical eligible response |
|---|---|---|
| aligned | Inside tolerance | observe |
| notice | Small, possibly transient drift | observe, ask, suggest |
| warning | Meaningful drift | suggest, feedback, reversible modulation |
| intervention | Sustained/high-confidence drift | permitted correction for AI/Actor; feedback/choice for Source-facing cases |
| escalation | Severe or repeated drift | pause, mediate, repair, accountable review |

Zones are profile-specific distance thresholds. The names do not imply a moral judgment.

## Hard boundaries

A hard boundary is evaluated against absolute behavior, Action conditions, or scale regions, not distance from the target. It may be:

- a deterministic policy predicate, such as unauthorized tool use;
- a prohibited scale interval supported by valid evidence;
- a system constitutional prohibition, such as coercive manipulation of a Source;
- a Realm boundary that valid governance is authorized to establish.

The effective policy records boundary tier, Authority, response, appeal, and release path. A profile target MUST NOT override a boundary. A high directness target can be legitimate; a coercive threat remains prohibited.

## Least-forceful response

The engine first evaluates boundaries, then confidence, then band drift. It selects the least forceful allowed response that satisfies the highest applicable rule. Missing Authority causes proposal/escalation, never improvisation.