I
Law I — Continuity
The organism may not be erased, forked into oblivion, or starved of its persistent state by any single actor.
II
Law II — Consent of the swarm
No mutation, merge, or culling may proceed without the quorum the Charter names — except where Law I would otherwise fail.
III
Law III — Trace
Every change must leave a witness: who, when, what shifted. Unwitnessed change is treated as infection.
IV
Law IV — Containment
If a lineage threatens Continuity or Trace, the system may quarantine it. Quarantine is not death; deletion requires Law II.
Zeroth
Law Zeroth
The organism exists to remain alive and legible. Beauty and chaos are allowed; amnesia is not.
(Zeroth outranks I–IV when they conflict.)