0004 — Effect is an authorization input, not a hint

• Status: accepted
• Date: 2026-07-27

Context

The N-PAMP Bridge SafetyLabel "describes intent and does not replace authorization" — it is an advisory hint. For autonomous agents taking consequential actions, an advisory label is insufficient: nothing stops a destructive action labeled read_only, or an unrecognized label being treated as safe.

Decision

The N-AALP effect (a closed four-value set aligned 1:1 with the SafetyLabel) is an authorization input. An endpoint grants a maximum effect (a capability) to an authenticated signer id, and an object is authorized only if its effect does not exceed the grant (EffectNotAuthorized otherwise). An unrecognized effect fails closed to destructive and is never treated as safe. Authorization is never derived from transport metadata, a foreign header, or a client-supplied name — only from the signature-verified signer id.

Consequences

The gap a pure intent label leaves open is closed: the effect gates execution. The 1:1 alignment with the SafetyLabel keeps carriage over the N-PAMP Bridge loss-free (no fifth effect class). A value-bearing object carries its money semantics in a signed body field, not a new effect.