# KYE™ Relationship Vocabulary

Relationships are typed edges between KYE Protocol™ entities. This document lists the relationship types KYE™ recognizes.

This document defines **names only**. Validation rules, evidence requirements, and lifecycle constraints are part of the normative specification.

## v3 canonical relationship edges (locked 2026-05-14)

The five canonical edges cover the most common cross-entity relationships
in the v3 hierarchy. Every edge is explicit — it is stored as a
`kye:rel:…` record and governed by an authority grant.

| Edge type | Typical source | Typical target | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| `member_of` | Principal (`kye:prin:…`) | Team (`kye:team:…`) | The principal is a member of the team and inherits its RBAC grants. |
| `acts_in` | Principal (`kye:prin:…`) | Workspace (`kye:wsp:…`) | The principal is authorized to act within the workspace. |
| `granted_access_to` | Principal / Agent / External App | Resource / Model / Tool | The source holds an authority grant to use the target. |
| `uses` | Agent Principal (`kye:prin:…`) | Model (`kye:model:…`) or Tool (`kye:tool:…`) | The agent invokes the model or tool during its operation. |
| `applies_to` | Policy Bundle (`kye:pol:…`) | Workspace / Project / Team | The policy bundle is in force for the target scope. |

These five edges are the minimum a conformant implementation MUST store
as relationship records. Additional edges from the full catalogue below
are optional extensions.

## Ownership and control

| Relationship | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `owned_by` | Source is owned by target |
| `controlled_by` | Source is controlled by target |
| `operated_by` | Source is operated by target |
| `custodied_by` | Source is in custody of target |

## Authority and delegation

| Relationship | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `acts_on_behalf_of` | Source acts on behalf of target |
| `delegated_by` | Source's authority was delegated by target |
| `authorized_by` | Source's action was authorized by target |
| `approved_by` | Source was approved by target |

## Issuance and verification

| Relationship | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `issued_by` | Source was issued by target |
| `verified_by` | Source was verified by target |
| `attested_by` | Source was attested by target |
| `revoked_by` | Source was revoked by target |

## Use, invocation, and execution

| Relationship | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `uses` | Source uses target |
| `invokes` | Source invokes target |
| `hosts` | Source hosts target |
| `deploys` | Source deploys target |
| `executes` | Source executes target |
| `accesses` | Source accesses target |

## Provenance

| Relationship | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `trained_from` | Source was trained from target |
| `derived_from` | Source was derived from target |

## Governance and observation

| Relationship | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `scoped_to` | Source is scoped to target |
| `governed_by` | Source is governed by target |
| `allowed_by` | Source is allowed by target |
| `denied_by` | Source is denied by target |
| `observed_by` | Source is observed by target |
| `monitored_by` | Source is monitored by target |

## Lifecycle and structure

| Relationship | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `belongs_to` | Source belongs to target |
| `transferred_to` | Source was transferred to target |
| `mapped_to_control` | Source maps to a control identifier |
| `mapped_to_framework` | Source maps to a control framework |