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Status Taxonomy

Provides a shared vocabulary for deciding how mature each convention is.

Not every useful pattern should be presented as equally mature. The registry can stay useful by separating established conventions from candidates and legacy artifacts.

Accepted​

Use accepted for conventions that are stable enough to list in the main README.

Signals:

  • Public spec, canonical docs, or strong reference material.
  • Clear file, URL, manifest, or protocol boundary.
  • Evidence of real usage beyond a single private project.
  • The convention solves a recurring problem for agents or model clients.

Candidate​

Use candidate for patterns that are promising but not ready for the main registry.

Signals:

  • Useful internal or community pattern.
  • Limited public adoption.
  • Ambiguous naming or file location.
  • Similar conventions may already exist.

Candidate patterns can live in docs pages while the README remains selective.

Watchlist​

Use watchlist for conventions that may become important but need more observation.

Signals:

  • Early proposal from a credible tool or standards group.
  • Public discussion exists, but adoption is unclear.
  • The convention may overlap with an accepted entry.

Watchlist items should have a review date or clear evidence question.

Legacy​

Use legacy for conventions that are historically relevant but no longer recommended as a default.

Signals:

  • Superseded by another standard.
  • Still appears in older projects.
  • Useful for compatibility or migration notes.

Legacy entries should explain what replaced them when possible.

Deprecated​

Use deprecated only when a source explicitly marks the convention as deprecated or unsupported.

Signals:

  • Official deprecation notice.
  • Replacement path from the maintainer.
  • Known risk for new adopters.

Deprecated items should not be promoted as default choices.