# TEP-0001: Protocol Name and Versioning

**Status:** Accepted — bootstrap ratification (founder decision recorded 2026-08-30, UD-1)
**Type:** Process
**Created:** 2026-08-28
**Author:** DREP1 (interim Lead Maintainer)

## Summary

Adopts "TTEOP" (Token Telemetry Evaluation Operator Protocol) as the protocol name, replacing the product-associated "SigRank Standard" in normative documents. Establishes the version string format and legacy alias policy. The name "TTEOP" was selected after "OTEP" was rejected due to collision with OpenTelemetry Enhancement Proposals.

## Motivation

The current specification is named "SigRank Standard," which is a product name. For vendor-neutral adoption, the protocol needs a name that is not associated with any single product. The "ASCII moment for AI measurement" positioning is effective for marketing but should not be the formal name.

## Specification

1. The protocol name is **TTEOP** (Token Telemetry Evaluation Operator Protocol), ratified as the final name per founder decision UD-1 (recorded 2026-08-30). Trademark registration is deferred per UD-9; the name may still change if trademark conflicts are discovered during future legal review.
2. The spec version string format is `tteop/<major>.<minor>-<status>`.
3. The legacy version string `sigrank/0.1-draft` MUST be accepted as a backward-compatible alias for `tteop/0.1-draft`.
4. The metric spec version format is `tteop-metrics/<major>.<minor>-<status>`.
5. The conformance report version format is `tteop-conformance/<major>.<minor>-<status>`.
6. "TTEOP" should be used in all normative documents. "SigRank Standard" may be used in product documentation as a legacy reference.
7. No claim of trademark clearance is made. The name may change if trademark conflicts are discovered during legal review.

## Rationale

- "Operator" centers the human, not the tool or model
- "Token Efficiency" describes what is measured without overclaiming
- "Protocol" signals interoperability
- Pronounceable as "oh-tep"
- No formal trademark search has been conducted. A preliminary search identified no obvious conflicts, but this is not a substitute for legal clearance.

## Backward Compatibility

The legacy alias `sigrank/0.1-draft` is accepted by all consumers. No existing implementation breaks.

## Conformance Impact

Conformance claims transition from "SigRank Compatible" to "TTEOP Conformant." Both labels are valid during the transition period. Per SRP-CONF-004, "TTEOP Conformant" is reserved until third-party independent validation.

## Bootstrap Ratification

This TEP was ratified by founder decision on 2026-08-30 (UD-1). The naming change has been implemented across the repository (spec, schema, runner, integrations). Ratification formalizes the decision retroactively without rewriting published history.

**Founder decisions (recorded in `UNRESOLVED-DECISIONS.md`):**

1. **UD-1 — RESOLVED (2026-08-30):** "TTEOP" is the approved name. The TEP is advanced to `Accepted`.
2. **UD-9 — DEFERRED:** Trademark registration is deferred until foundation transfer (UD-6). This does not block use of the name as the draft protocol name, but blocks trademark filing and certification badge issuance.

The name "TTEOP" is the ratified protocol name. It may still be changed via a future TEP if trademark conflicts are discovered during legal review.