{
  "vercy": "1.0-draft",
  "publication": {
    "status": "research-draft",
    "adjudicationStatus": "unreviewed",
    "publishableCanonical": false,
    "generatedAt": "2026-10-22T10:50:00Z",
    "providers": [
      "Claude"
    ],
    "breadth": "researched by Claude against the sources listed below",
    "pass": 2,
    "wave": 5,
    "engine": "claude",
    "gate": {
      "passed": true,
      "version": "1.0",
      "at": "2026-10-22T11:11:26+00:00",
      "evidence": [
        "completeness 1.00",
        "sense: Wikidata description",
        "8 live sources",
        "review by codex: pass"
      ]
    }
  },
  "metaModel": {
    "id": "THING-Q14296",
    "registryId": "vr.tr.top-level-domain",
    "name": "top-level domain",
    "version": "0.2.0-wave.5",
    "entryKind": "thing",
    "family": "Thing Registry",
    "domain": [
      "INF.MED"
    ],
    "status": "research-draft"
  },
  "canonicalUrl": "https://ver.cy/models/thing/q14296/",
  "model": {
    "registry_id": "vr.tr.top-level-domain",
    "name": "top-level domain",
    "purpose": "Let an agent describe top-level domains by type, operator and policies, and point to the IANA root zone database, without registering domains.",
    "definition": "A domain at the highest level of the Domain Name System hierarchy, directly below the root, such as .com, .org or a country code like .cy; in the public DNS, TLDs are delegated in the root zone by IANA and operated by registries under ICANN policies or national arrangements, while reserved, unassigned and retired labels have no active registry.",
    "what_it_is_for": "Organising the global namespace of domain names.",
    "affordances": [
      "classify TLDs by type",
      "find the registry operator in the IANA database",
      "explain registration policies in general terms",
      "explain IDN TLDs and reserved names"
    ],
    "distinguishing_features": [
      "ASCII ccTLDs generally use ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes, with exceptions such as .uk and .eu; IDN ccTLDs use separately approved internationalised strings.",
      "Generic TLDs include legacy (.com, .net, .org) and new gTLDs from ICANN programmes.",
      "Top-level special-use names such as .test, .example, .invalid and .localhost are not delegated (RFC 2606, RFC 6761); a TLD differs from a public suffix such as com.au."
    ],
    "appearance": null,
    "visual_identification": [
      "The last label of a domain name, such as .org in wikipedia.org"
    ],
    "physical_properties": [],
    "families_and_kinds": [
      "generic top-level domain (gTLD)",
      "country-code top-level domain (ccTLD)",
      "sponsored TLD",
      "infrastructure TLD (.arpa)",
      "top-level special-use names",
      "IDN TLDs (a representation overlapping gTLDs and ccTLDs)"
    ],
    "related_models": [
      {
        "relation": "is part of",
        "target": "Domain Name System",
        "why": "hierarchy"
      },
      {
        "relation": "is delegated by",
        "target": "IANA",
        "why": "root zone management"
      },
      {
        "relation": "is related to",
        "target": "domain name registrar",
        "why": "sales channel"
      },
      {
        "relation": "is confused with",
        "target": "pseudo-top-level domain",
        "why": "not in the root zone"
      }
    ],
    "identifiers": [
      {
        "scheme": "TLD label",
        "value_or_pattern": "ASCII label, or Unicode U-label with its ASCII A-label (xn--)",
        "note": "as in the IANA root zone database"
      }
    ],
    "standards_and_regulation": [
      "RFC 1591 DNS structure and delegation",
      "ICANN policies and registry agreements for gTLDs",
      "RFC 6761 special-use domain names"
    ],
    "failure_modes_and_hazards": [
      "Name collisions with private namespaces",
      "Homograph attacks with IDNs"
    ],
    "agent_conduct": {
      "may": [
        "explain TLDs and point to IANA data"
      ],
      "must_not": [
        "register or purchase domains",
        "help create deceptive look-alike domains"
      ],
      "requires_human": [
        "registrations, which the user makes"
      ]
    },
    "ethics": {
      "considerations": [
        "internet governance",
        "security"
      ],
      "affected_parties": [
        "registrants",
        "internet users"
      ]
    },
    "owners": {
      "steward": "the registry operator of each TLD, under IANA delegation",
      "master_systems": [
        "IANA Root Zone Database"
      ]
    },
    "facets_not_applicable": {
      "properties": "A namespace label has no physical properties."
    },
    "in_scope": [],
    "out_of_scope": [],
    "characteristics": []
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "SRC-001",
      "title": "Q14296",
      "publisher": "Wikidata",
      "url": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14296",
      "what_it_supports": "identity of the registry item, labels and sitelinks",
      "url_status": "live"
    },
    {
      "id": "SRC-002",
      "title": "Top-level domain",
      "publisher": "Wikipedia",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-level_domain",
      "what_it_supports": "general description of the subject",
      "url_status": "live"
    },
    {
      "id": "SRC-003",
      "title": "RFC 9499: DNS Terminology",
      "publisher": "Internet Engineering Task Force, RFC Editor",
      "url": "https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9499.html",
      "what_it_supports": "Root-relative TLD definition, IDNA terminology and distinction from public suffixes.",
      "url_status": "live"
    },
    {
      "id": "SRC-004",
      "title": "Top-Level Domains",
      "publisher": "Internet Assigned Numbers Authority",
      "url": "https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db",
      "what_it_supports": "TLD managers, types, active delegations and reserved or retired statuses.",
      "url_status": "live"
    },
    {
      "id": "SRC-005",
      "title": "Qualifying top-level domain strings",
      "publisher": "Internet Assigned Numbers Authority",
      "url": "https://www.iana.org/help/eligible-tlds",
      "what_it_supports": "ASCII ccTLD eligibility, exceptions, IDN ccTLDs, infrastructure and test domains.",
      "url_status": "live"
    },
    {
      "id": "SRC-006",
      "title": "Special-Use Domain Names",
      "publisher": "Internet Assigned Numbers Authority",
      "url": "https://www.iana.org/assignments/special-use-domain-names",
      "what_it_supports": "Special-use names at multiple DNS levels and their governing RFCs.",
      "url_status": "live"
    },
    {
      "id": "SRC-007",
      "title": "RFC 6761: Special-Use Domain Names",
      "publisher": "Internet Engineering Task Force, RFC Editor",
      "url": "https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc6761.html",
      "what_it_supports": "Special-use designation and handling of reserved names.",
      "url_status": "live"
    },
    {
      "id": "SRC-008",
      "title": "RFC 1591: Domain Name System Structure and Delegation",
      "publisher": "RFC Editor",
      "url": "https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1591.html",
      "what_it_supports": "Delegation responsibilities and differing registration structures below TLDs; this RFC is Informational.",
      "url_status": "live"
    }
  ],
  "structure": {
    "bundles": [
      {
        "id": "tld",
        "name": "TLD",
        "description": "Which domain.",
        "rationale": "Identity first.",
        "layers": [
          {
            "id": "label",
            "name": "Label",
            "description": "Name and type.",
            "findings": [
              {
                "id": "tld",
                "name": "TLD",
                "description": "Label and type.",
                "questions": [
                  {
                    "text": "Which TLD?",
                    "kind": "provenance"
                  },
                  {
                    "text": "gTLD, ccTLD or other?",
                    "kind": "boundary"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ]
          },
          {
            "id": "operator",
            "name": "Operator",
            "description": "Registry.",
            "findings": [
              {
                "id": "registry-operator",
                "name": "Registry operator",
                "description": "Name and source.",
                "questions": [
                  {
                    "text": "Who operates it?",
                    "kind": "provenance"
                  },
                  {
                    "text": "According to the IANA database?",
                    "kind": "provenance"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "id": "policy",
        "name": "Policy",
        "description": "Rules.",
        "rationale": "Policies differ.",
        "layers": [
          {
            "id": "eligibility",
            "name": "Eligibility",
            "description": "Who can register.",
            "findings": [
              {
                "id": "eligibility",
                "name": "Eligibility",
                "description": "Rule.",
                "questions": [
                  {
                    "text": "Who can register names?",
                    "kind": "provenance"
                  },
                  {
                    "text": "Under which policy?",
                    "kind": "provenance"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ]
          },
          {
            "id": "disputes",
            "name": "Disputes",
            "description": "Dispute resolution.",
            "findings": [
              {
                "id": "dispute-policy",
                "name": "Dispute policy",
                "description": "Policy.",
                "questions": [
                  {
                    "text": "Which dispute policy applies, such as UDRP?",
                    "kind": "provenance"
                  },
                  {
                    "text": "Since when?",
                    "kind": "provenance"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "id": "technical",
        "name": "Technical",
        "description": "DNS operation.",
        "rationale": "Operations follow standards.",
        "layers": [
          {
            "id": "delegation",
            "name": "Delegation",
            "description": "Root zone.",
            "findings": [
              {
                "id": "delegation",
                "name": "Delegation",
                "description": "Delegation or retirement status, transition dates and name servers, with the observation time.",
                "questions": [
                  {
                    "text": "When was it delegated?",
                    "kind": "provenance"
                  },
                  {
                    "text": "Which name servers?",
                    "kind": "provenance"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ]
          },
          {
            "id": "security",
            "name": "Security",
            "description": "DNSSEC.",
            "findings": [
              {
                "id": "dnssec",
                "name": "DNSSEC",
                "description": "Status.",
                "questions": [
                  {
                    "text": "Is it DNSSEC-signed?",
                    "kind": "provenance"
                  },
                  {
                    "text": "Since when?",
                    "kind": "provenance"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "id": "special-cases",
        "name": "Special cases",
        "description": "Reserved and pseudo TLDs.",
        "rationale": "Not all labels are TLDs.",
        "layers": [
          {
            "id": "reserved",
            "name": "Reserved",
            "description": "Special-use names.",
            "findings": [
              {
                "id": "reserved-name",
                "name": "Reserved name",
                "description": "RFC.",
                "questions": [
                  {
                    "text": "Is the label reserved?",
                    "kind": "provenance"
                  },
                  {
                    "text": "By which RFC?",
                    "kind": "provenance"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ]
          },
          {
            "id": "pseudo",
            "name": "Pseudo",
            "description": "Outside the root.",
            "findings": [
              {
                "id": "pseudo-tld",
                "name": "Pseudo TLD",
                "description": "Status.",
                "questions": [
                  {
                    "text": "Is it a pseudo-TLD outside the DNS root?",
                    "kind": "boundary"
                  },
                  {
                    "text": "Who uses it?",
                    "kind": "provenance"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "openQuestions": [],
  "statistics": {
    "bundles": 4,
    "layers": 8,
    "findings": 8,
    "questions": 16
  }
}