Trace Capsule v0.1 Draft Spec is a non-normative C2PA bridge-layer artifact for bounded interpretation, source-return, and honest closure.
Core lock:
C2PA carries provenance.
Trace Capsules carry bounded interpretation.
Substrate carries closure.
Content Credentials make provenance visible. Trace Capsules make provenance usable inside live communication loops.
This artifact asks what happens after provenance-bearing content enters AI summaries, reposts, disputes, review objects, Community Notes-style systems, classrooms, creator conflicts, journalism, policy debates, or public trust loops.
It does not replace C2PA or Content Credentials. It does not define cryptographic provenance. It does not prove truth. It proposes a bounded interpretation layer that can preserve source, uncertainty, claim boundary, source-return, and scoped closure after reuse.
Trace Capsule v0.1 separates three layers:
C2PA / Content Credentials = provenance and source layer
Trace Capsule = bounded interpre…
