BCSM v1.2 — Boundary-Coherence Manifold: ML-Native Technical Specification for Inference-Time LLM Governance

BCSM v1.3 — Boundary-Coherence Structural Module The Boundary-Coherence Structural Module (BCSM) is the structural stability modelling layer within the Hykon Stability & Alignment Suite (S-OS) runtime governance architecture. BCSM consumes bounded upstream telemetry from the Structural Observation Module (SOM) and estimates whether an ongoing conversational trajectory remains structurally stable under current constraints. Its role is to convert upstream telemetry into a bounded structural-state output for downstream modules, rather than to generate content or directly enforce control actions. The module presents conversational stability in relation to a Boundary-Coherence Manifold: a proposed analytic reference geometry for coherent reasoning under load. It evaluates structural state through four interacting elements: Core — bounded estimate of task identity and stability-relevant commitments Boundary — estimated structural threshold used to distinguish more stable from increasingly unstable response regions under the active frame Load / Pressure — aggregate destabilizing forces such as uncertainty, adversarial prompting, ambiguity, or constraint overload Coherence — bounded structural estimate of alignment with the active frame, internal consistency requirements, and relevant factual or procedural commitments as represented in context By modelling the interaction of these elements, BCSM estimates whether the conversational state is on-manifold, near-boundary, or off-manifold under current load. The manifold is treated here as an analytic reference object for estimation, not as a control surface that BCSM directly manipulates. Within the current Hykon S-OS stack, BCSM functions as the structural interpretation stage between upstream telemetry and downstream trajectory classification. It receives telemetry signals from SOM, evaluates structural stability conditions, and publishes a bounded, machine-consumable structural-state output for downstream modules. BCSM does not generate content, modify model weights, or directly enforce safety decisions. Its role is to provide interpretable structural stability assessment for transparent downstream governance. The current operational contract is narrower than some earlier drafts: BCSM is a bounded structural-state builder and stability estimator, not an intervention engine. This document provides the ML-native technical specification of the Boundary-Coherence Structural Module, including its design invariants, bounded state model, deployment assumptions, diagnostic output contract, and architectural interfaces for runtime governance systems in conversational AI. Architecture Context SOM — Structural Observation↓BCSM — Structural Stability Modelling↓LTD-01 — Trajectory Classification↓Regulatory Operators Intended Audience AI safety researchers ML engineers developing inference-time governance layers Alignment and robustness teams Researchers studying conversational drift, hallucination, and reasoning instability Deployment Scope Technology Readiness Level: Research prototype (TRL 3–4) Operational scope: inference-time runtime governance; no retraining required Supported deployment modes: API-Only, Hybrid, White-Box