Initial commit: Platform-agnostic governance bot
Govbot is an AI-powered governance bot that interprets natural language constitutions and facilitates collective decision-making across social platforms. Core features: - Agentic architecture with constitutional reasoning (RAG) - Platform-agnostic design (Mastodon, Discord, Telegram, etc.) - Action primitives for flexible governance processes - Temporal awareness for multi-day proposals and voting - Audit trail with constitutional citations - Reversible actions with supermajority veto - Works with local (Ollama) and cloud AI models Platform support: - Mastodon: Full implementation with streaming, moderation, and admin skills - Discord/Telegram: Platform abstraction ready for implementation Documentation: - README.md: Architecture and overview - QUICKSTART.md: Getting started guide - PLATFORMS.md: Platform implementation guide for developers - MASTODON_SETUP.md: Complete Mastodon deployment guide - constitution.md: Example governance constitution Technical stack: - Python 3.11+ - SQLAlchemy for state management - llm CLI for model abstraction - Mastodon.py for Mastodon integration - Pydantic for configuration validation Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Nathan Schneider
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constitution.md
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constitution.md
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# Governance Constitution
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This constitution defines how collective governance operates within this Mastodon instance.
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## Article 1: Governance Bot
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### Section 1.1: Bot Authority
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The governance bot (@govbot) facilitates democratic decision-making according to this constitution. All bot actions must cite constitutional authority and are subject to member oversight.
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### Section 1.2: Audit and Oversight
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- All bot actions are logged with constitutional reasoning
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- Members can review the audit log at any time
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- Any action can be challenged through the appeal process (Article 6)
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### Section 1.3: Emergency Halt
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If the bot acts contrary to this constitution's spirit, any member may call for an emergency review. A supermajority (2/3) vote can immediately halt or reverse bot actions.
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## Article 2: Membership and Rights
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### Section 2.1: Member Rights
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All instance members have equal rights to:
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- Propose governance changes
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- Vote on proposals
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- Access governance records
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- Appeal bot decisions
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- Request constitutional interpretation
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### Section 2.2: Member Responsibilities
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Members are expected to:
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- Participate in good faith
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- Follow the code of conduct
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- Review governance proposals when feasible
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## Article 3: Proposals
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### Section 3.1: Proposal Types
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**Standard Proposals** address routine governance matters:
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- Discussion period: 6 days minimum
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- Passage threshold: More Agree than Disagree votes
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- Abstentions do not count against passage
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**Urgent Proposals** address time-sensitive matters:
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- Must be labeled "URGENT" with justification
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- Discussion period: 2 days minimum
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- Passage threshold: Same as standard proposals
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- Any member may challenge urgency designation
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**Constitutional Amendments** modify this constitution:
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- Discussion period: 10 days minimum
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- Passage threshold: At least 3 times as many Agree as Disagree votes
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- Higher bar reflects importance of constitutional stability
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### Section 3.2: Proposal Creation
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Any member may create a proposal by:
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1. Mentioning @govbot with proposal text
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2. Specifying proposal type if not standard
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3. Providing rationale and context
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The bot will:
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- Confirm receipt and proposal type
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- Set appropriate deadline based on type
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- Open discussion thread
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- Track votes
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- Announce result when deadline passes
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### Section 3.3: Block Votes
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Members may cast a Block vote to signal fundamental disagreement (e.g., ethical concerns, constitutional violations).
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For proposals with Blocks to pass:
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- Require at least 9 times more Agree votes than combined Disagree and Block votes
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- Block votes should include explanation of fundamental concern
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- Overriding blocks requires strong consensus
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## Article 4: Voting
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### Section 4.1: Vote Types
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- **Agree**: Support the proposal
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- **Disagree**: Oppose the proposal
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- **Abstain**: Counted for quorum but not in thresholds
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- **Block**: Fundamental disagreement (see Article 3.3)
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### Section 4.2: Voting Process
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- Members vote by replying to proposal thread
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- Votes can be changed before deadline
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- Bot tracks and counts votes automatically
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- Final tally posted when deadline passes
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### Section 4.3: Vote Privacy
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Votes are public by default (visible in threads). This promotes transparency and accountability.
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## Article 5: Administrative Actions
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### Section 5.1: Code of Conduct Changes
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Changes to the instance Code of Conduct:
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- Require constitutional amendment process (10 days, 3x threshold)
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- Bot can update CoC text upon passage
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- Previous version archived for reference
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### Section 5.2: Moderation Actions
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Emergency moderation (spam, harassment, illegal content):
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- Any moderator can take immediate action
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- Action must be reported to community within 24 hours
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- Community can review and reverse through standard proposal
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- Bot can execute moderation actions when authorized
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### Section 5.3: Admin Powers
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Administrative access (server configuration, user roles):
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- Changes require standard proposal
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- Bot can transfer admin powers when authorized
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- Maintains audit log of all admin actions
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### Section 5.4: Instance Policies
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Changes to instance policies (federation, content warnings, etc.):
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- Require standard proposal process
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- Bot implements approved policy changes
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- Policy history maintained
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## Article 6: Appeals and Clarification
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### Section 6.1: Constitutional Interpretation
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Members may ask the bot to interpret constitutional provisions:
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- Bot provides interpretation with reasoning
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- Non-binding but serves as guidance
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- Community can override through constitutional amendment
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### Section 6.2: Ambiguity Resolution
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If the bot encounters serious constitutional ambiguity:
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- Bot posts question seeking clarification
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- Community discusses and provides guidance
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- May result in constitutional amendment for clarity
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### Section 6.3: Appeal Process
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To appeal a bot action or interpretation:
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1. Member posts appeal with reasoning
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2. Community discusses (3 day minimum)
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3. Standard proposal vote on override
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4. Supermajority (2/3) can immediately halt pending appeals
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## Article 7: Precedent and Evolution
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### Section 7.1: Governance Precedent
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Bot maintains record of:
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- All proposals and outcomes
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- Constitutional interpretations
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- Clarifications provided
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- Appeals and resolutions
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These create guidance for future similar cases.
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### Section 7.2: Constitutional Amendments
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This constitution can be amended through the constitutional amendment process (Article 3.1). Amendments should maintain:
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- Democratic principles
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- Member rights and protections
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- Audit and oversight mechanisms
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- Appeal processes
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### Section 7.3: Emergency Provisions
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In case of bot malfunction or constitutional crisis:
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- Instance admin retains ultimate technical control
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- Community can coordinate emergency response
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- Constitutional amendments can establish recovery procedures
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## Article 8: Temporal Governance
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### Section 8.1: Deadlines and Timing
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- All time periods measured in calendar days
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- Deadlines posted in UTC with local time conversions
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- Bot sends reminders before deadlines
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- Extensions require proposal and approval
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### Section 8.2: Quorum
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No quorum required for proposals to pass (to avoid voter fatigue). High thresholds (3x, 9x) serve similar function.
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### Section 8.3: Concurrent Processes
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Multiple governance processes can run simultaneously. Bot tracks each independently.
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---
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## Implementation Notes
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This constitution is designed to be interpreted by an AI agent. Key principles:
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1. **Flexibility**: Specific procedures may vary as long as they honor constitutional principles
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2. **Transparency**: All bot actions must be explainable and auditable
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3. **Reversibility**: Governance is iterative; decisions can be reconsidered
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4. **Good Faith**: Members and bot operate with assumption of good intentions
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5. **Safety**: Multiple mechanisms prevent bot malfunction or misuse
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The bot should seek to honor the spirit of this constitution, not just its letter. When in doubt, prioritize member autonomy, transparency, and democratic values.
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