SL / Method

The chain is theproduct.

SourceLink does not sell a supplier list. It maintains a chain of separate commercial questions, each with its own evidence state, so a decision can be inspected rather than trusted.

Six links, kept separate

One unsupported link stops the chain visibly.

Scroll the chain. Each link states its rule, the question it answers, and what breaks when the question is skipped.

Later claims cannot outrun earlier evidence. One unsupported link stops the chain visibly.

Chain of proof / one claimSynthetic
Supplier statementATTRIBUTEDCatalogue pageSUPPORTEDLine-level proofUNREACHEDCan make the exact targetSTATE / COMPARABLE — NOT YET PROVEN

The claim can only be as strong as the strongest link drawn to it. The dashed link is the evidence we would request next.

Record grammar

Every claim carries the same five fields.

A shared grammar is what lets a second reviewer challenge a conclusion months later without re-running the work.

01

Source

Provenance

Where did the proposition come from?

02

Scope

Boundary

Which entity and exact target does it cover?

03

State

Authority

Established, supplied, modeled, open, or unreached.

04

Blocker

Stop

Why can the chain not advance?

05

Next evidence

Movement

What is the smallest useful request?

Accountability boundary

Software prepares. A human approves. Sending is separate.

Preparation, review, approval, and execution never collapse into a single undocumented step.

  1. 01 / SoftwarePreparedResearch, evidence structure, or a supplier-specific draft can be assembled.
  2. 02 / HumanReviewedMaterial claims, recipients, wording, and open risks are inspected.
  3. 03 / HumanApprovedA specific consequential action receives explicit authorization.
  4. 04 / ExternalSent or actedExecution remains a separate controlled step with its own record.

Approval and sending remain separate. An inquiry does not authorize supplier contact, spending, or a commercial decision.

Standing commitments

Rules that do not bend for convenience.

  • 01

    Search observations never become organization facts by convenience

  • 02

    Supplier statements stay attributed until stronger support exists

  • 03

    Exact-target evidence never silently widens

  • 04

    Historical evidence remains append-only

  • 05

    Approval and sending remain separate

  • 06

    Private client and supplier data stay out of public artifacts

  • 07

    Models never supply tariff or financial truth

  • 08

    Incomplete decisions remain unresolved

See the method appliedto a synthetic record.