Separate an action from a duty

Intention

I want to name an action without automatically attributing a permission or a duty to it.

The scenes below check the boundary on a minimal case with a normative position.

Correct formFrozen execution sceneBoundary

Incorrect form and why it stays silent

Declaring an action type itself prescribes nothing.

Incorrect form

action Submit { actor: Person; }
// Этого недостаточно, чтобы возникла SubmitDuty.

Another incorrect form is a duty without a bearer; it is rejected with LDC-E1305 and pinned by teaches.

Incorrect form

then duty SubmitDuty {
    goal achievement {
        condition submitted(p);
        window [@2026-01-01, @2027-01-01);
    }
};

Correct form

A duty is introduced by the normative head of a separate rule.

Arxo Law

language "law.core" version "0.2";
package recipes.n.r02 version "0.1.0";
namespace "urn:recipe:n-package:02";

entity Person;
action Submit { actor: Person; }
relation registered(p: Person);
relation submitted(p: Person);
rule RecordSubmission strict {
    for p: Person;
    when registered(p);
    then submitted(p);
}
rule SubmissionDuty strict {
    for p: Person;
    when registered(p);
    then duty SubmitDuty {
        bearer p;
        goal achievement {
            condition submitted(p);
            window [@2026-01-01, @2027-01-01);
        }
    };
}

Frozen execution scene

Facts	Question	Answer
registered(p)	Positions	SubmitDuty SATISFIED
No registered(p)	Positions	SubmitDuty is absent
Same registered(p), SubmissionDuty rule cut out	Positions	UNDETERMINED, no positions

rule creates duty

Arxo Law

test "rule creates duty" {
    given {
        context {
            legal_time @2026-09-13;
            decision_time @2026-09-13T09:00:00+05:00;
            knowledge_time @2026-09-13T09:00:00+05:00;
            timezone "Asia/Almaty";
        }
        assert registered(entity_ref("urn:recipe:n-package:02:p"));
    }
    evaluate positions();
    expect position(SubmitDuty, SATISFIED);
}

action declaration creates no duty

Arxo Law

test "action declaration creates no duty" {
    given {
        context {
            legal_time @2026-09-13;
            decision_time @2026-09-13T09:00:00+05:00;
            knowledge_time @2026-09-13T09:00:00+05:00;
            timezone "Asia/Almaty";
        }

    }
    evaluate positions();
    expect not position(SubmitDuty, ACTIVE);
    expect not position(SubmitDuty, SATISFIED);
}

action without norm prescribes nothing

Arxo Law

test "action without norm prescribes nothing" {
    given {
        context {
            legal_time @2026-09-13;
            decision_time @2026-09-13T09:00:00+05:00;
            knowledge_time @2026-09-13T09:00:00+05:00;
            timezone "Asia/Almaty";
        }
        assert registered(entity_ref("urn:recipe:n-package:02:p"));
    }
    evaluate positions();
    expect normative_status == UNDETERMINED;
}

Counterfactual

teaches removes the required bearer bearer p from the normative head and requires a rejection. A scene without registered separately shows: the presence of an action declaration does not create a position.

Boundary

The presence of a duty also does not mean liberty. Permission, prohibition, and weak permission are separate recipes in book A.

Pitfall

A declared action without an activated rule does not produce SubmitDuty; the scenes above pin both sides.