Core Concepts

The Signal Gating Protocol defines a framework for managing signal-based access control across distributed systems.

Architecture

SGP operates around three core actors:

Actor	Role
Producer	Emits signal events into the system.
Consumer	Requests and receives gating decisions.
Gateway	Evaluates signals against configured policies and issues decisions.

Signal Flow

Producer  ──▶  Gateway  ──▶  Consumer
              (policy)

1. A Producer emits a signal event.
2. The Gateway evaluates the signal against its gating policy.
3. The Consumer receives the gating decision (allow/deny).
4. The decision is logged and auditable.

Trust Boundaries

SGP defines explicit trust boundaries between actors:

• Signals are cryptographically signed by producers.
• Policies are defined and enforced at the gateway.
• Decisions include verifiable audit trails.

Security Model

• Signals are integrity-protected and replay-resistant.
• Gating policies support configurable thresholds and conditions.
• All state transitions are deterministic and auditable.

Key Terms

Term	Definition
Signal	A signed event emitted by a producer.
Gating policy	A set of rules evaluated by the gateway.
Verifier	A component that validates signal authenticity.
Decision	The output of a gating evaluation (allow/deny).

Next steps

• Try the Quickstart to see these concepts in action.
• Read the Specification for formal definitions.